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The dangers of replacing fuse wire with copper wire

We Kiwis are a nation of DIYers. We love to spend our weekends renovating, painting, planting, and creating.While the DIY spirit is great to have, it can also spell trouble.There are some jobs that we really shouldn’t take on as DIY projects. One area that should be left to the professionals is our electrics.When it comes to electricity, you want to get it right. Otherwise, there is a great danger to your household and your family.Simple mistakes like replacing fuse wire with standard copper w...

Can you Test and Tag items yourself?

I have been asked several times, generally by tradesmen, whether they can buy the test equipment and test their own tools and leads. This is generally after they have been told that you do not need a qualification to test and tag, rather be deemed competent. Buying the test equipment is easy - you can pay anything from $1000 for second hand equipment upwards. The old story of you get what you pay for is very relevant here. The test equipment must be able to complete all the test requirements - o...

What is involved in testing different sites?

A builder contacted me one afternoon, requiring his tools to be tested and tagged urgently. Forty-five minutes later I was onsite and testing his tools and leads. Three of his tools required repair and these repairs were completed with the tools becoming electrically compliant and more importantly safe again. He had three further leads offsite and arrangements were made to have those onsite the following day. A return visit saw all his equipment tested and tagged and in a safe and compliant stat...

The CDI difference

Solving problems is a specialty and going that extra distance to ensure the client is happy is what CDI is all about. A client lived in a large multi storied house, separated by concrete floors. Wi-fi was OK on the ground floor but non existent upstairs. Several other tradesmen had attempted to solve this issue but no-one had succeeded. To get an internet connection upstairs, the obvious option was to attempt to drill through her floor which had significant risks so some time was spent investiga...

Thermal Imagery

While I was testing a factory office, a double adaptor was tested. Although it passed minimum requirements to be tagged, the readings were higher than expected.I used a thermal imaging camera to view the adaptor while in use. It showed the inner workings of the adaptor running at a significantly higher temperature than normal - creating a potential fire risk. I showed the client the image and the adaptor was discarded immediately.This shows how regular testing and having thermal imagery availabl...

The benefits of regular testing

In large warehouses battery chargers are tested normally at 6 months intervals.One warehouse I tested recently had approximately 30 battery chargers for their forklift fleet in their battery bay - predominately high current three phase chargers. During visual inspection one of the leads was found to be rubbing against the steel bracket.A closer inspection showed a cut into the lead and exposed copper from one of the internal cables. Had anyone touch the area of the cut lead, the potential for an...