OK, so I must have misunderstood. How does this description work with the Oehlbach tester then?
The Live (L) should light your voltage indicator (phase tester as you call it)
If the Neutral (N) lights the tester, you need to reverse the Schuko plug.
As when looking at the Schuko end of the cable, you don’t know which pin corresponds to the IEC’s Live and Neutral markers, which is the source of the whole problem.
Edit: NOW I know what you are getting at. OK, but this only works if the IEC markers on the unit are correct. Which is the case with Naim, but not for all manufacturers, unfortunately.
I accept that, I posted the diagram simply because of the people who don’t have a Oehlbach Phaser, the vast majority, dare I say 99.99%.
The IEC320 diagram simply shows what the IEC (international) standard is
Also voltage across the house varies from 241 V to 245V.
The interweb tells me that France is unique in the EU in having non specified L/N socket pins, although new builds have to conform to latest regs. Historically it seems that France has held on to its 3 pin plugs whereas the rest of the EU have upgraded their connections to a common standard that is different but still ‘allows’ for the French plugs and sockets.
Where does that leave me with Naim kit? I will use the international iec live designated plug as my guide. That way all Naim kit will be earthed to the same point. Important I think for live/Neutral/Earth interaction and RCB/RCD’s etc.
Oh good. I’m glad it paid for itself with some non conformant results.
These things the OP is referring to should always be tested with something that checks all pins and for the country it is intended. Some do things very different and assumptions shouldn’t be made.
For examplr, some countries do not have live referenced to ground neutral but are referenced to each other. That greatly reduces the risk if electric shock (apparently) but someone familiar with only that type of mains could hurt themselves by making assumptions in another country.
I’d advise the OP to get a full wiring tester like @bruss. They cost peanuts and are, in my view brilliant and so safe and easy to use.
We are additionally protected in France in that both Live and Neutral must be connected via rcd, not just the Live side as is common in many other EU locations including the UK. Again it must be remembered that is to the current regs. Always check older properties though.
In the UK and I suspect like everywhere else the RCD is across live and the return, or live and neutral, depending on local terminology. It’s how RCDs work, they detect a current imbalance between live and the return or live and neutral… ie there is a leak to ground so some current is flowing to ground instead of back through the return/neutral therefore creating an imbalance.
So by definition an RCD is across both live and neutral or it can’t work.
A current trip is separate to a RCD… although they are typically combined in the UK and are called RCBO devices (Residual Current Breaker with Over-Current)… so the trip is across both live and neutral.
If you have very old style wiring with physical fuse wire in the fuse box as opposed to current trips and RCD/RCBOs in a consumer unit box, then yes the fuse wire in the ceramic holder is on the live, but such installations are becoming few and far between now
Indeed undertaking such work in the UK and I guess many countries requires a certified electrician or if you do yourself you are required to arrange for your work to be formally inspected and certified… where a friendly electrician can be helpful.
It is also worth checking the C13 plugs of cables, not only the sockets. For example, Isotek changes the order of the wires in the cables. As in the picture below, the cables are inserted the same way into the wall socket, but the results are different :).
