Electrical info needed

[Rummii]

Hi all.....I have just noticed that when I looked at some electrics in my house my power is working in reverse as in neutrals are live and lives are neutrals ....wondered if anyone else had come across this and if it can cause any problems as I presume it has been like this for a long time ....any help you can share is appreciated
Thanks

[gerryh]

What makes you say the power is reversed?
What colour are the cables?
How have you tested to see which cable is live or neutral?
Cheers
Gerry

[casita-bonita]

Don't see that it would make any difference to normal appliances as the plugs aren't handed and can be pushed into the socket either way up.

Having said that ours reversed itself a while ago. My electrician friend says that it does happen sometimes from the suppliers end. We have one of those self resetting contact breakers which didn't like the wires reversed so had to physically switch them over. Little while later they were switched back by the supplier so I had to swap them on the breaker again. Other than that one device everything else in the house worked as normal when the live/neutral were switched.

[knowal]

I had this problem when I had an extension built. I discovered that the light fittings were live when the light switches were off and they were actually switching the neutral line.
I got the electricians back in and they switched the wires in one of the extension junction boxes.
They kept saying "igual" which, of course, it wasn't. They like to make out you are being unreasonable to point out their incompetence.

[Rummii]

Yes tested it so all neutrals were live same with light fittings too but everything seems fine I suppose as long as I know if I am checking things then like you have said plugs can be fitted either way thanks for answers

[gerryh]

The problem lies with the light fittings.
If the live and neutral are reversed then because light switches are single pole then when it is switched off the neutral is cut but the live is still live.
So there is a real danger of getting a shock when changing a light bulb.
Cheers
Gerry

[gruff]

In my house only the kitchen circuit is earthed. Is that unusual? I assume earthing the rest of the sockets would not be an easy job.

[olive]

The first obstacle might be that the conduit used is too small to take an earth wire. Plus the existing cables might be wrong colour or not 2.5 mm

[gruff]

Existing cables are black.

[Enrique]

Hi gruff,

You best get a registered Electrician in to rewire there sockets to the latest standard.

Looking at one of my switch wires, they are all black !

Great quote from spanish_lad...............

"I've been to houses that are rewired totally in blue,because its the cheapest colour"