# Belgian connection



## frank (Feb 6, 2007)

These photographs are taken of the 415 Volt connections to a Belgian Machine installed last week. The machine is First Class but the installation blokes! Well see for yourselves.


The mains isolator was left open and broken and the lower cable was not glanded to the box. Armouring not earthed and SWA unsupported











Cable entry into the mains controller was not glanded or earthed. Crimp lugs over sized and crimped with a hammer.











Wonder what the Company would think of them leaving a commissioning job in this state?

Frank


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## chrisb271 (Jul 6, 2007)

I did a paper machine some weeks ago at a local printing works,it was of Belgian origin Frank.

They had a four pole RCD that had been bridged out as " it kept tripping " If only they had put the earth link to the neutral BEFORE the RCD it may have stayed in :laughing:

But i ended up stripping their stuff out and starting again,it was terrible !

Chris


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## Trimix-leccy (Dec 4, 2007)

We do a lot of Data Installations and have done for a long time. Got a call from a company to have a look at their network as it was not working v.well. They had got the local sparks in and during the rewire they said they could do the network. Rest of the job was to a v good standard [even if they are rivals] Data cabling, well....it was in the days of thin ethernet [RG 58 Coax type]. Some of the connections were of the 'screw through the insulation' type, some were coax aerial plugs! and the best of all? the crimp ones had a very strange deep 'Vee' on opposing sides and a little bit of paint in the Vee. What had they used as a crimp tool??? The hinged edge of the office door! Method...put plug on cable, offer cable and connector up to the door, shut door. Had the installers MD on the phone in tears begging to borrow our tooling!!


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## Greg (Aug 1, 2007)

Trimix,

I noticed you are trimix certified in your signature. Being in Fl I'm also a diver. Right now deep air, nitrox (all levels), trimix is next.

Sorry for the high-jack.


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## Trimix-leccy (Dec 4, 2007)

Carry on, hijack away. Trimix is the way forwards, literally 'once tried never forgotten' Currently a Normoxic Trimix Instructor. 1200+ dives and still learning!!! Bit like electrickery really


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

frank said:


> These photographs are taken of the 415 Volt connections to a Belgian Machine installed last week. The machine is First Class but the installation blokes! Well see for yourselves.
> 
> 
> The mains isolator was left open and broken and the lower cable was not glanded to the box. Armouring not earthed and SWA unsupported
> ...


 what the heck they are doing with that kind of mess IMO that is very shroddy work there and no common sense of whatever they are doing and they should keep their hand out of the 415 v system.

for me i will kick their rear end on this matter. 

Merci, Marc


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## Trimix-leccy (Dec 4, 2007)

Just noticed the 'blue' connected to what appears to be the earth. Is it just not 'coloured up' with G/Y or is it actually a neutral back at the board?
If so, where does it 'actually' get it's earth from??:001_huh:


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

What a depressing color combination!


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## frank (Feb 6, 2007)

The blue has been used as the 'earth' Connected to earth back at the Customer supplied - but now broken rotary switch. No neutral was required for this controller.

Poor colours. You bet. Until recently our colours were;

Single Phase. Red/Black Phase/Neutral


Three Phase Red/Yellow/Blue/Black 3 Phases/Neutral

The changes were made against the wishes of the industry but as a means of harmonising with continental europe ????????????


Frank


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## chrisb271 (Jul 6, 2007)

Frank

Wonder how many UK electricians remember when the old colour coding was 

Red - L1
White - L2
Blue -L3
Black - Neutral

Most of the old subs we used to work on for south west electricity were these old colours.

Guess that was when Britain had Great in front of it :laughing:


Chris


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## frank (Feb 6, 2007)

Takes you back./ Ah! The old days. 3/.029 - TRS - screwits - rawl plugs - rawl bit - Yankee Screwdriver - Brace and Bit - saddle clips - cloth insulating tape - bell tester - copper clad aluminium cable Wylex 6 series - Bill switches - porcelain connectors - unsheathed MICC - hand cranked Meggers - Fire alarm Bells - slotted screws - everything in inches and not as now half metric half imperial. ( Buy a meter of cable but a 5' fluorescent???) - work van with no heater. Tea in flask. GREAT.

Frank


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## Trimix-leccy (Dec 4, 2007)

not only, but also: Alex plugs-the days when red rawl plugs used to be black-wooden back boxes-candles not torches-rotary wolf drills with no hammer action-borrowing someone elses test kit when the NIC bloke was due a visit and lending yours in a reciprocal agreement-when you could go to the Leccy Board offices and get a handful of mains fuses-meter boards that were made of wood-buckle clips-lead twin-VIR-conduit that was enamelled not just covered in nail varnish-unfused test leads-twin flat clear flex [small sweep stanley brace] PROPER billy cans-ad infinitum . Now going to shoot myself:thumbup:


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