Off peak electric board wiring

[JohnW2]

There are no indicator lights on the storage heaters.

In that case, in the absence of any other test equipment, as you say you will just have to wait until the 'suspect' heater is meant to be 'on' and then see if you can stop it being on by pulling one of the fuses (probably one of the 15A ones).

One thing I forgot to add, I need to put the stud detector fairly close to the wire to detect a live wire/ reading. On other live wires, it detects it from say 4 or 5 inches. On this, it needs to be almost right up to it.

As I've said, it's a totally unreliable method of determining whether the cable is live or not - but what you say adds to the suspicion that what you're getting is an incorrect 'rogue' result.

Kind Regards, John

 

[stu550]

What would you suggest using to determine whether the cable is live?

I agree it is not designed for this purpose but it was useful for this purpose and I had it to hand!

 

[JohnW2]

What would you suggest using to determine whether the cable is live? I agree it is not designed for this purpose but it was useful for this purpose and I had it to hand!

You would need some proper voltage measuring/detecting device, access to one end of the cable, and knowledge of how to safely undertake the test.

Simply determining whether removal of a fuse prevents the heater coming on when it 'should' is probably your simplest, and certainly safest, option.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[stu550]

Removing a fuse does not help identifying why one of the wires coming out is still live, especially when the wire is live when ther board is off and the fuse has been removed.

 

[JohnW2]

Removing a fuse does not help identifying why one of the wires coming out is still live, especially when the wire is live when ther board is off and the fuse has been removed.

As I've been saying, I very much doubt that one of the cables coming out of the CU is live when you have removed fuses or switched the main switch off.

Kind Regards, John

 

[stu550]

Do these photos help at all?

View media item 50138 View media item 50139

 

[JohnW2]

Do these photos help at all?

Not really. They show what one assumes to be time-switched electricity going to that CU and the three wires coming out of it, assumed to be one to each of the storage heaters ... all of which is what one would expect.

Looking inside the CU would probably simply confirm that the cable which leaves to the right comes from one of the 15A fuses - and the only ways to confirm (or otherwise) that it ceases to be live when the fuse is removed would be to check with adequate test equipment or, as I've suggested, to confirm that removal of the fuse causes the heater to go off when it would otherwise be on.

Given all your uncertainties about this, if (despite the discussion here) you do decide to install thermostats, I imagine that you will probably employ an electrician - and I'm sure that (s)he would very rapidly get to the bottom of the present arrangement.

Kind Regards, John