Diy Electrics,(is there any electricians here?)

[imagine]

more diy than a hobby i guess.

is there any electricians here?
i was rewiring my upstairs lighting circuit, a simple task , i took my time as i had walls ,floors and loft boards to negotiate,
i left some of the work overnight so instead of connecting to fuse box that day, i connected to a 13 amp plug( 3amp fuse) at first i didnt bother to conect earth it being lighting, i noticed that the earth lit up my scew driver how i thought it isnt connected mmmm faulty wiring ? rolled out some more wire from new roll the same again even if i connected the earth, if i touched earth and negative with my finger while holding screw driver on earth it lit up even brighter, so i thought well it cant be faulty wiring ,,,, i know that electric leaks ,the longer the cable run seemed to be the dimmer the screwdriver was, untill not lit at all,
im a plumber by trade, iv worked with all trades but i never , heard seen,or noticed this before,

budding electricians , can you solve my puzzle , why ?

[Terpe]

Sorry, Stewart I can't help. Wish i could. DIY electrics should be avoided at all costs
in my opinion.
Just can't see it or smell it leaking anywhere
But the earth is there to carry current........isn't it.????

[imagine]

thanks Terpe , i dont realy like electric ,you cant see it but my god its got a hell of a bite
i understand that like pipe with plumbing ie carrying gas, there is unotisable some leakage through the pipe itself, and the same goes for electric wire, but hadnt noticed this before on electric,
as a test using a length of cable from a roll, earth not connected to anything either end, it did the same, so im assuming this is the natural leakage, but kind of hope might find a sparkie to confirm this ,
any problems faults i guess would trip the circuit breaker,
soon before i rent my house , i have have it safety checked anyway

the earth , anything goes wrong if you get touch open wiring and get a shock the earth keeps you safe i guess

[fred]

I thought you needed permission to do electrical works these days? Pretty sure the work has to be checked by a qualified inspector.
I could be wrong.

[Terpe]

I thought you needed permission to do electrical works these days? Pretty sure the work has to be checked by a qualified inspector.
I could be wrong.

Yes fred that's the correct requirement.

[johncar54]

Since I was a kid (now 71) I have never called in a qualified electrician (plumber, gas fitter, car mechanic etc) to do anything. Over the years I have done a lot of electrical work (also plumbing and gas related tasks, major overalls to my vehicles etc). For several years I did handyman work here in Spain, a lot of that involved electrics. I have practical knowledge, but I am unable, from the info given to give any safe answers in this case.

My advice, if you don't know what you are doing (to the point that it could be dangerous) leave it alone.

[imagine]

the electrics and gas have to be safety checked before i rent the property, so i dont see any problem,
iv worked in building trade a lot of years and with electricians , some electric work was involved with my work, its just i never noticed this before and was just curious why this happens,
il find the answer to my quiery somewhere,
no burning smells lol,those are usualy caused by loose connections shorting, such is is my consumer unit that it will trip should there be anything dangerous

[johncar54]

I just noticed you were using a 'mains tester' screwdriver. I would suggest that you use a meter and then you can see what the power is, it may be infinitesimal.

Just found this on the net, seems to cover the same ground :--


My mysterious electricians screwdriver is illuminated without an obvious source of power. How is this possible?

I own 3 elections screwdrivers. One of which acts as a mystery to me from time to time. You know this type of screwdriver is the type made of transparent plastic and has a small neon light bulb built inside so when you hold to top of it, the handle and place the tip on a live power source it illuminates to allow you to see if a power source like a 240v mains wire is live or not.

As I said. I own 3 of these screwdrivers but I think the 3rd one is a bit special. As is seems to have developed its own magical power source in some way. This is not a joke, it really does happen. The first time I noticed this happen I thought I was losing my marbles. lol Whats happening is the little neon light is only suppose the light up once you hold the top and place the tip on to a live power source but this one is lighting up freely and brightly by itself for ages without even holding it and when its away from any power source of any kind.

I first noticed this happening sometime ago as it was laying on its shelf where I keep it. I looked twice at it before i could believe my eyes, as i could see the little neon light glowing brightly and freely without holding it. I picked it up and moved it around to see if the light would go out thinking it was earthing in some way but still it glowed brightly for around an hour before getting dimmer and going out.

I tried laying it on a rubber mat and a concrete slab. Ive tried laying it on surfaces that wont conduct electric but its still glows continuously for an hour or so from time to time. How is this happening? Ive witness this happen 4 times last year. Anyone here understand how this is happening as there's bound to be some science explanation behind it. Please let me know.

Regards,


Suggestion

I believe what you are experiencing is simple capacitive coupling in an electric field that you may not have realized were there. I have a number of similar potential testers and depending on the make and model, so are much more sensitive than others. Perhaps you have a multimeter that you can try this with to see what I am pointing out. If you have a new Fluke Model 87 or better you will be able to do this. Find an area where you have a few overhead lights that you can turn on and off. Florescence lights work best for this but are not necessary. Put your meter on AC volts in auto range or the lowest sensitivity range. Put one lead on the ground or floor or step on it. Take the other lead and extend it towards the lights without touching them. If you meter has a high enough sensitivity, (input impedance) you will notice it will register the electric field strength. This is actually a form of capacitive coupling to the voltage on the lamps.

I have a small night light that is sensitive to coupling that reacts to people coming near it. Hold out your hand and the light will go on. Move your hand away and the light goes out.

A simple test you might want to try on your tester is to place it in an area to get it to light. An area that seems free of an E-Field. If it lights, now place it inside a small cardboard box wrapped in aluminum foil. With the E-Field blocked by the aluminum foil, the tester should go out.[/I]

[imagine]

thanks johncar, that does look likely, my curiousty has been killing me,wanting to know the cause

[Tom999]

I'm not a big fan of electrics as well. I prefer other hobbies like free games in the internet