Replacing socket - Spark

One question and one answer

Question, WHY was you doing it live??

Answer, you must have caused a short somehow, lucky for you it tripped before you did.

 

Many sockets have the earth bar strapping very close to the terminals - I would suggest you ignorantly shorted live or neutral to earth.

WHY were you doing this with the circuit on? If it had a pair of cables, you are also open circuiting the rest of the circuit. What was in your mind?

For example:

 

If you are just touching the live with your screwdriver and it's tripping out, you may have a fault with the insulation on the screwdriver, so it is strongly advisable to stop trying it before you kill yourself.

 

You must have touched either the earth bar or the neutral at the same time as the live, that's the only possible explanation. Just think yourself lucky and don't do such stupid things in the future!

 

If your wife is asking you to do these tests I would be very suspicious

 

Is this a wind up? Have you never had an electric shock? I have had a two or three mains shocks when I was in my teens messing around with radios and mains energised speakers but I have not had one since and I am 67 now. As other posters have indicated if you want to kill yourself you are going the right way about it.

 

Poundland usually have a few good quality neon screwdrivers which may well help curtail your experiments a little quicker

 

If his wife buys him set from there, at least we'll know her motives.

 

Try the 99p shop - even cheaper but still the same high quality

Always makes me laugh, anyone with an insulated screwdriver with a red and yellow grip is a competent electrician - myself included !

 

I've got a neon screwdriver....If it lights up, I stay well away !!

 

What a waste of money, My Grandad told me in the 1920's they often just licked their finger and gave it a quick dab to see if it was live and they were professional electricians.

 

The storeman at my place of teaching would test with his finger nail...

 

Yes cause your a tw4T for working live and risking your own life.....simples