Hedge trimmer, cut through the wire (how can I fix it)

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,035
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    An RCD detects an imbalance between Live and Neutral. It will work whether the appliance has an earth connection or not. My understanding is that it doesnt rely on the Earth connector, but on the general principal of there being an imbalance between the 'out' and 'return' currents. That way it will be activated if the fault is causing current to go through you rather than the earth cable (or there is no earth cable).
  • AppleseedAppleseed Posts: 3,827
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    Buy another length of cable and replace the whole lot so that you have no joins.
    If you do decide on one of those inline connectors, make sure you get the male end on the cable going to the trimmer, and the female end on the cable that goes to the socket on the wall.
  • PsychosisPsychosis Posts: 18,591
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    UppyJC wrote: »
    There is no such thing as a plug socket. There is a plug and a socket - 2 seperate entities.
    Sorry for adding nothing useful, but that's just a pet hate of mine :o

    A socket for a plug is a plug socket. There are sockets for many things in the world and not all of them are for plugs. Your pet hate is incorrect :o Sockets are described by the things that go in them. In this case, a plug socket.
  • AppleseedAppleseed Posts: 3,827
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    Psychosis wrote: »
    A socket for a plug is a plug socket. There are sockets for many things in the world and not all of them are for plugs. Your pet hate is incorrect :o Sockets are described by the things that go in them. In this case, a plug socket.

    As in a Penis Vagina?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,140
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    Truan wrote: »
    An RCD detects an imbalance between Live and Neutral. It will work whether the appliance has an earth connection or not. My understanding is that it doesnt rely on the Earth connector, but on the general principal of there being an imbalance between the 'out' and 'return' currents. That way it will be activated if the fault is causing current to go through you rather than the earth cable (or there is no earth cable).

    How is your imbalance detected?

    When a short circuit (like cutting through a live cable) occurs within an electrical circuit it creates an increase in current drawn from the supply.

    That basically means the supply will provide more current and the neutral will return the current therefore there is no imbalance between the Live current and the Neutral Return Current. This is detected by a over-current protective device like a fuse or circuit breaker. As the name suggests over-current protective device detects any over-current within a given circuit.

    For example you have a heater unit it draws 12A from the supply and is fitted with a 13A fuse due to a fault within the circuit a short circuit is created and all of a sudden the heater draws 20A from the supply that is an immediate over-current of the circuit and if this goes on for x amount of time the fuse will blow. There has been no imbalance in the supply as it has taken out 20A and put back 20A. That is why when you overload a circuit within your home your circuit breaker will trigger to shut the circuit off.

    A RCD operates slightly differently. It does require an earth connection to trigger. Yes it does operate on the principle of a current imbalance between the Live conductor and the Neutral Return but for that imbalance to be detected you require a third conductor.

    As stated the Live provides current and the Neutral returns the current but say you have a fault where exposed metal parts become Live or in the case of a garden item you cut through the cable Circuit Breakers do not provide fast enough protection as they will only disconnect the supply if the fault is present for a few seconds or in the case of a fuse it may be minutes. An RCD operates within milliseconds as it uses the Earth fault loop to imbalance the supply and return currents.

    This is done by the Earth Wire taking a fault current back through to the Electricity Transformer (substation) either via direct grounding or through a wire into your supply unit and from there to the substation. That fault current is fed back into the Live supply and causes your live to be pushing more current in than the Neutral is returning. That is the imbalance but it only can be detected using a Earth Loop System and a RCD.
  • PsychosisPsychosis Posts: 18,591
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    Appleseed wrote: »
    As in a Penis Vagina?

    A vagina is not called a socket, it's called a vagina, and there's only one type of it in the world :p
  • SteganStegan Posts: 5,039
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    I've opened up my hedge cutters and trying to repair a cut cable. I forgot to note which way round the live and neutral wires are wired into the terminal block inside the body of the machine.

    The back of the white terminal block inside the body of the machine has a red and black coloured wires leading from the back of one side of the terminal and a single purple coloured wire leading from the other side of the terminal. Which one does the brown (live) wire go in? Any help appreciated.
  • SupratadSupratad Posts: 10,402
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    Psychosis wrote: »
    A vagina is not called a socket, it's called a vagina, and there's only one type of it in the world :p

    May I suggest "cock-socket"?
  • SupratadSupratad Posts: 10,402
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    Stegan wrote: »
    I've opened up my hedge cutters and trying to repair a cut cable. I forgot to note which way round the live and neutral wires are wired into the terminal block inside the body of the machine.

    The back of the white terminal block inside the body of the machine has a red and black coloured wires leading from the back of one side of the terminal and a single purple coloured wire leading from the other side of the terminal. Which one does the brown (live) wire go in? Any help appreciated.

    Oh, it just gets better and better.
  • MaxatoriaMaxatoria Posts: 17,980
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    Its not hard to fix, just don't let the females of the species near a hedge trimmer would be my main thing as i had to spend 30-40 mins farting around fixing a cut through cable and thank god i had a tester so i could work out which fuse had blown as probably i'd still be there today faffing around

    don't use choc blocks as you need some sort of strain relief, at worst just buy an external rated socket and plug and make the worlds shortest extension lead
  • TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
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    To the new entrant in this death wish thread, the best thing is to take the hedge trimmer to a person who has demonstrated knowledge of electrical things.

    After all, how can anyone be sure of some random person on the internet giving advice on electrical matters?
  • Granny McSmithGranny McSmith Posts: 19,622
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    OP don't do it yourself. Please please don't. Pretend I'm your Granny and I'm telling you - don't do it.
  • bobcarbobcar Posts: 19,424
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    A RCD operates slightly differently. It does require an earth connection to trigger. Yes it does operate on the principle of a current imbalance between the Live conductor and the Neutral Return but for that imbalance to be detected you require a third conductor.

    For the RCD to trip it requires a separate path to the live and neutral, in the case of the garden this will be to the ground. Yes if you provide a direct short between live and neutral the RCD will not help but that is not usually the case with something like a cut wire and usually cutting the wire will make the RCD trip.

    The RCD does not need an earth wire to operate and is just as beneficial with a 2 wire appliance.
  • annette kurtenannette kurten Posts: 39,543
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    deleted, didn`t realise op was dangerous brian.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,770
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    Supratad wrote: »
    May I suggest "cock-socket"?


    Thought it was a "man hole"
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