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Live - Neutral reverse from plug in tester

Former Community Member
Former Community Member

Hi, being retired for 2 years i was in trade as domestic electrcian for 10 years then commercail for next 40 years. So have high level od experience in field, yet never experienced the below unrational fault.

Really baffling me now (and an  independant competant electrican contractor) is a recent problem where i found using Martindale plug in tester (also using  independant contractors KEW plug in tester) that on a ring circuit somewhare in its middle 2 outlets read L-N reverse.

Yet taking off the outlets, the cables are connected correctly and live tested live in its correct position so Plug top fuse was correctly protecting appliances. This is on a recently extended ring circuit for room extension. I have read other blogs where they say the earth could be live or at least have a voltage presence, or that the earth CPC in fact could be floating so having volts induced to it.  Both scary thoughts.   

Any one had same issue please and what was found to then correct fault. 

I have yet to do a local earth test of the cpc at the two outlets and check the consumer unit earth connection to the main incoming supply.  Also all other outlets in house test correctly so assume main earth connection is not a problem and the RCD as main isolator passes its tests,

Parents
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    hi thank you all for replies, there all as i guessed, so when allowed will do all thats recomenend by you Taking ring out of consumer unit to do full circuit tests of insulation then R1 -R2 tests and then use  a tone generator to see if any fixings local to faulty outlets pick up the tone in case a fixing has pierced cable but not enough for RCD to trip, unlikely but feasably possible. 

    Its going to be a long job. my findings i wil publish here but may not be for a few weeeks. Having left the two dodgy outlets unuseable to occupier.

Reply
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    hi thank you all for replies, there all as i guessed, so when allowed will do all thats recomenend by you Taking ring out of consumer unit to do full circuit tests of insulation then R1 -R2 tests and then use  a tone generator to see if any fixings local to faulty outlets pick up the tone in case a fixing has pierced cable but not enough for RCD to trip, unlikely but feasably possible. 

    Its going to be a long job. my findings i wil publish here but may not be for a few weeeks. Having left the two dodgy outlets unuseable to occupier.

Children
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