Basic home wiring

[thatirwinfella]

Benny,

I don't know if you have tried to obtain a restricted license - and I mean a linence that actually allows you to wire, not just disconnect and reconnect.

As a professional electrical engineer I can not obtain an "occupier's license" (which would allow me to do electrical work only on my own house) in Victoria without doing a four-year apprenticeship.

The regulations require that I sit an exam on the wiring rules (no problems) and do 80 hours supervised work (no problems). But to do the supervised work experience a whole heap of other rules have to be met and in the end it is actually easier to do a four-year apprenticeship.

I think the regulations are there to maintain a closed-shop but they are veiled as there for our safety.

calling it a closed shop is the wrong term, that implies keeping it union labour only, this has nothing to do with the unions.

what they are trying to do is keep electricity to the electricians. Frankly, I can't see anything wrong with that.

You seem to be developing a case of engineers' head. the most obvious symptom includes because they''re an engineer than they surely must know everything about electricity, which leads to the design of impractical and ineffiecient systems that are difficult to install, maintain and operate.

having said that, there are excellent engineers out there. If you meet one, send him my way, I'm still yet to meet one.

While people may claim that electricity is easy to understand, why do we get questions like "can i put a 10 amp plug on this 15 amp tool and run it from the same circuit my fridge, heaters and the rest of my workshop is on?". mostly, from people not understanding enough about electricity.

[bennylaird]

First givaway is when they say the voltage runs down here etc

[adrian]

I had a space under my house that had a concrete slab, power point and lights and nothing else. I converted it to a proper room, put up the walls, plaster and cornice, painted it and tiled the slab, then found out too late that the lights and power point were all on the same circuit. Luckily I isolated the power and light circuit at the same time when it came time to poke the wires through the plaster to remount the fittings. That's the sort of thing D.I.Yers can do when they don't know what they are doing and the fool who did that job placed my life at risk.
Having said that, I have seen some of the bad jobs that electricians have done so I tend to look over their shoulder while they are working.

[MurrayD99]

We don't get to draw it, it has been drawn for us



And just think Murray, if what I read in the SMH this morning comes to fruition, you could be a part of this great country too!

Yeah, Mr C, I know... I was thinking "us" who so far have not screwed up, far as we know, rather than the great un-washed.

Now, on that other matter - I caught something on the news last night - is this imminent? Very nice, but I saw our Minister of Finance saying it will never happen. I guess he wants to keep his job. Think you might have to invade while everyone is distracted - looking to Fiji.

[MurrayD99]

The established three different ways is test on a known live source, test the diconection, test on a known live source again. Hands up haw many home handy persons have a decent enough multi meter to be safely playing with 240 and have the skills to safely test live circuits, knowing exactly what they are doing.

Test on a known live source... then again.... then put a screwdriver across the live ones to see if they want to continue the conversation....

Hey, a thought... that red wire, same colour as the dead centre? Must be earth. (No, No, don't try this at home.... just kidding... anyway, it is now blue, brown.... which is it?)

[MurrayD99]

Reckon we are sailing close to the wind here guys. Gotta be a lockout looming and it is only Wednesday. How's yer pine box Benny? Got the thread back yet?

[bennylaird]

It's gone to sleep, the box thread.

But lets just make sure that we dont cause any probs:

Active is Brown (or red)
Neutral is Blue (or black)
Earth is Green/Yellow (or green)

Don't every mix em up cos it may not be you who becomes the vibrating attachment.

[Gra]

whenever I touch them they all end up black.... I recon that the smoke is what makes the wires different colours. As soon as you let the smoke out they all turn black.....

[bennylaird]

whenever I touch them they all end up black.... I recon that the smoke is what makes the wires different colours. As soon as you let the smoke out they all turn black.....

And I thought your Afro Haircut was natural?:eek:

Careful Gra don't let out the Magic Smoke theory of electricity, it's our secret

[MurrayD99]

First givaway is when they say the voltage runs down here etc

It comes out the plug doesn't it. Particles of electricity.... or is it magnetism? Less if in the US of course.:confused:

[silentC]

I know someone who believes, no matter how hard I try to convince them otherwise, that if you leave a power point switched on with nothing plugged in, it wastes electricity.

[bennylaird]

It comes out the plug doesn't it. Particles of electricity.... or is it magnetism? Less if in the US of course.:confused:

So much to learn, so little time. Where is my Aussie/Kiwi phrase book:confused: :confused:


Voltage is like pressure, goes nowhere
Current is the flow, electons but Engineers have it going the wrong way
Resistance is the opposition to current flow.

Isn't electicity easy

Oh and it goes down the plug hole the other way in the northern hemisphere

[bennylaird]

I know someone who believes, no matter how hard I try to convince them otherwise, that if you leave a power point switched on with nothing plugged in, it wastes electricity.

And rightly so, it leaches into the air so make sure you leave a window open

[JDub]

it leaches into the air

Thats why you must never light a match indoors when powerpoints are turned on..........

[MurrayD99]

What's this potential difference thing then? Nothing like a double period of physics on a Wednesday afternoon!