Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views!

[Darkwood]

Right ... Just been nudged to set this up by Paul.M and sounds a good idea following recent threads I've done in the Arms..

Rules....No Offensive material... edit if required before posting as this is the public arena.
Anything to do with the trade or in and around it ...H&S pic's welcome.



I've posted this a few times and this is at a mates house following a kitchen refirb several yrs ago. mg_smile:

 

[Simon47]

I don’t know wether to be proud or disappointed with myself that I’ve never looked a plug and even considered that as an option

I was thinking the same - full marks for improvisation. And TBH, not really that much wrong with it is there ? I think the most dodgy part will be how to get little wires to fit properly in a connector block that fits a 13A plug pin.

Need to admit something. ...

Well ... remember when those 2.5A cloverleaf connectors first started appearing - especially on computer stuff ? Well of course, the first time you come across one, you don't have a spare cable, and so it was that one day someone came to me with "I've forgotten the cable for my laptop and the battery is nearly flat ?" Of course, I had a reputation to keep up as "the guy that can do anything if you ask nicely" so I had a little think. So out of sight, two bare ends, some insulation from cores about the right size to fit on the pins to hold the wires in place, charged the laptop up for the nice lady. Naturally there was no way I was letting that improvisation anywhere someone unskilled could get near it.

Called in to sort a not working light.

Yuck.
A while ago I got asked if I'd help no 1 daughter's friend with a couple of lights he'd bought. That was a "WTF were they thinking" moment when I had a look at it. One of those central ceiling plates, with 5 (yes, FIVE) arms sticking out with SES lampholders on the end for candle bulbs. Simple enough according to the destructions - all you have to do is put the five pairs of wires into chock blocks and connect them to the ceiling wiring. Yeah right, even with the 5 pairs all shortened it was "a bit if a faff" to get the fitting in place What fun, trying to herd all the wires into place, sufficiently neatly that the fitting would go on it's bracket, then hold it there while getting a screw with one hand, a screwdriver with the third hand, and while holding on to the ladder with the fourth hand - or that's what it felt like.
Every now and then I remember that I've not been back and done the other one If I do remember to it, I'll neatly dress the pairs, and crimp things together so there's just one pair of wires to connect up.

 

[Dartlec]

Called in to sort a not working light. DIY light replacement on 2 way switching, neutral lost but dodgy as hell.

I find those type of push fit connectors can be very tricky with flex, takes the knack to get them to grip properly and easy to get it wrong. No excuse for the mess they made of it overall though!
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inside a 22kw motor on a machine that i was fault finding today.

strange, at panel end, all motor cables had good continuity to earth. (expected to find a well burnt out motor)
went to motor to check out there and all was fine.

opening cover had removed the short to earth.

got to love the old wire nuts!!!

Was it poor connection inside the wire nut that had caused the melt? or overload?

I still have a few from when Ideal tried to bring them back over here maybe 10 years ago? Never tempted to use them, though I have a couple of the waterproof gel filled ones in my bag for outdoor bodgery...

 

[Dustydazzler]

Called in to sort a not working light. DIY light replacement on 2 way switching, neutral lost but dodgy as hell.

not a bad attempt by a DIYer to put up a new light By them selve.
looks like they had some trouble chewing on the flex To get the insulation off , but apart from that looks fine to me

 

[James]

I find those type of push fit connectors can be very tricky with flex, takes the knack to get them to grip properly and easy to get it wrong. No excuse for the mess they made of it overall though!
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Was it poor connection inside the wire nut that had caused the melt? or overload?

I still have a few from when Ideal tried to bring them back over here maybe 10 years ago? Never tempted to use them, though I have a couple of the waterproof gel filled ones in my bag for outdoor bodgery...

As far as I can tell, it was not an overload, it is inverter controlled and the current limits set correctly.

Working on the assumption that it was a poor connection as the others were ok and it is an equal load on all of them

 

[Dartlec]

Doing a job at a property today and been warned this might be next - not sure I want to do a good job and encourage them!

and just above it:

 

[James]

don't tell me, replace cooker isolation switch.
cant damage tiles or cupboard because they have just been installed?!!!

 

[freddo]

Doing a job at a property today and been warned this might be next - not sure I want to do a good job and encourage them!

Good grief you would have to be either very lazy or very stupid to install the kitchen unit over the switch like that. Not to mention it looks awful.

 

[telectrix]

Nothing wrong with a good steak pie made with good ingredients pirate, balanced diet is the answer....so I balance pies with some veg and Guinness ?
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C’mon that is creative engineering there! ?

veg. my arse. a balanced diet is a pie in each hand with beer close by.

 

[Dartlec]

Good grief you would have to be either very lazy or very stupid to install the kitchen unit over the switch like that. Not to mention it looks awful.

don't tell me, replace cooker isolation switch.
cant damage tiles or cupboard because they have just been installed?!!!

Previous owner DIY'd it apparently, so hopefully they are planning to retile. All a bit odd - all RCD sockets in the kitchen, though a dual RCD CU was installed in 2015.

Oven that's blocking that switch doesn't seem to be run from it (might be from a socket outlet if that switch has one behind the cupboard - in which case a 4.1kW oven is running off a 13A plug)

And an Elecsa EIC for the new board that claims the 6mm Cooker circuit has ring continuity while the 2.5mm "Ring Circuit" doesn't

Not to mention that it claims 10mm main earth when the feed is 16mm T&E, and the 2 10mm g/y cables leaving the CU don't go back to the MET.

Going to be a fun can of worms to open.

Still, on the plus side I installed a new Fusebox CU at the source today (adding a couple of circuits in a porch) so they have SPD for the installation and proper bonding at least.

 

[ruston]

The picture of the tiles takes me back to my days on the Opencast Mine . You would think someone had just fired a shot. (blasted)

 

[Baddegg]

veg. my arse. a balanced diet is a pie in each hand with beer close by.

I can’t argue with an oldun about how to get there can I....?

 

[pirate]

Classic case of "job and finish" fitting a cupboard like that. No concern for the future use, no pride in workmanship, just shove it in and take the money. Makes me very angry...and seen far too often. Bet the fitter said proudly to the homeowner "Look, there you go, I've cut that just perfect so you can still use the switch".
However, it could be fun if you were ever called to rewire Kev's house...T&E clipped direct to the tiling in the kitchen, use up all your round edged socket plates on his square edged back boxes, and of course use plasterboard screws for everything, and no wall-plugs...
Except, Electricians have standards to adhere to...

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Landlords mains board installed in 2018.
Column light which had been replaced a month ago and was flickering.

 

[Phil L]

Wow?‍ What a mess

Landlords mains board installed in 2018.
Column light which had been replaced a month ago and was flickering.

 

[Dartlec]

Landlords mains board installed in 2018.

The first obvious mistake was installing blurry breakers

Is that all the lighting on one RCD, and the sockets etc on another? Sounds like good selectivity.

I'll admit I'm not the neatest with boards, but I'd like to think I'd manage better than that. What's going on with those tails?

Column light which had been replaced a month ago and was flickering.

At least he used blue tape to match the arctic rating of the feed cable! Did the manufacturer actually supply a suitable method of terminating the flex? Might avoid some of the lash ups if they did.

Can't remember the last time I used those connectors though - wago/ideal are so much easier. One of those little Wiska mini gel filled boxes seems perfectly suited for occasions like this.

 

[westward10]

It is division of circuits not selectivity

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

I believe the blurry ness of the picture is due to the shear amount of water that has got on everything today haha. I’m not sure in the manufacturer supplied anything, however the fitting was able to be opened and a new flex easily installed, although if that voided the MF warranty will be a mystery. One of those torpedo 20A IP68 thru connectors would have been my choice of weapon though if faced with this conundrum. Ended up swapping out 4 column heads in the end for new.

 

[Dartlec]

It is division of circuits not selectivity

Doh - there I was thinking I was clever for not using discrimination ?‍

 

[Dustydazzler]

Messy boards are my real pet hate.... Grrrr

 

[richy3333]

But the artistic 'blurriness' does take the edge off a harsh and ugly looking thing

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

I went in the other building landlords board today. Much better ?. Noticed the fire alarm didn’t have 30mA RCD protection even though the cable isn’t buried less than 50mm in the building fabric, on a 2018 build ?. Shambles of a job from top to bottom, All the sub mains to the flats are 16mm T&E and come down the wall in the dot and dab so I’m convinced there not 50mm in the building fabric either. All fed via MCBs.
They couldn’t even be arsed with grommets.

 

[Pete999]

I went in the other building landlords board today. Much better ?. Noticed the fire alarm didn’t have 30mA RCD protection even though the cable isn’t buried less than 50mm in the building fabric, on a 2018 build ?. Shambles of a job from top to bottom, All the sub mains to the flats are 16mm T&E and come down the wall in the dot and dab so I’m convinced there not 50mm in the building fabric either. All fed via MCBs.
They couldn’t even be arsed with grommets

E]

I went in the other building landlords board today. Much better ?. Noticed the fire alarm didn’t have 30mA RCD protection even though the cable isn’t buried less than 50mm in the building fabric, on a 2018 build ?. Shambles of a job from top to bottom, All the sub mains to the flats are 16mm T&E and come down the wall in the dot and dab so I’m convinced there not 50mm in the building fabric either. All fed via MCBs.
They couldn’t even be arsed with grommets.

Don't believe grommets are required as long as the cable on entry is solidly fixed in place.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Don't believe grommets are required as long as the cable on entry is solidly fixed in place.

You are right Pete, they wouldn’t be required, but it’s good practice isn’t it, I’d be fuming if someone did work for me and couldn’t be arsed putting a 2p grommet in a box prior to installing.

 

[Pete999]

You are right Pete, they wouldn’t be required, but it’s good practice isn’t it, I’d be fuming if someone did work for me and couldn’t be arsed putting a 2p grommet in a box prior to installing.

Yes I Agree, I would always it's bad practice, but did or are the cables fixed in place? that's what I was getting at, I would always install a grommet, common sense really isn't it?

 

[freddo]

Was working at a house that was rewired 5 years ago, no grommets fitted. It just shows a lack of care, though that was insignificant compared to the other defects found.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Was working at a house that was rewired 5 years ago, no grommets fitted. It just shows a lack of care, though that was insignificant compared to the other defects found.

Trades on its knees

 

[telectrix]

Trades on its knees

aleways has been in the domestic sector. down on knees, pulling cables under floors, accessing CUs in bottom of cupboards and under stairs. give me industrial any time.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Was working at a house that was rewired 5 years ago, no grommets fitted. It just shows a lack of care, though that was insignificant compared to the other defects found.

I did some jobs on a brand new £600,000 house the other week and absolutely no boxes where I took accessories off had grommets and some weren’t even fixed in place properly. No clipping in the loft and No sleeving on switch lines either.
it literally looks like the place was wired with No care.
oh and the consumer unit lid was held on with one screw and had a missing blank leaving a hole in the front.
this gaff was 18 months old.
just Smacks of throw the electrics in and get out quick ...

 

[Dartlec]

The few million pound houses I've been in are practically indistinguishable 'behind the scenes' on all fronts - breeze block and poorly run services with the minimum effort on fittings or indeed bothering to get them straight. Guess you have to pay another million for that around here....

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

I did some jobs on a brand new £600,000 house the other week and absolutely no boxes where I took accessories off had grommets and some weren’t even fixed in place properly. No clipping in the loft and No sleeving on switch lines either.
it literally looks like the place was wired with No care.
oh and the consumer unit lid was held on with one screw and had a missing blank leaving a hole in the front.
this gaff was 18 months old.
just Smacks of throw the electrics in and get out quick ...

I think that’s the domestic game all over now. Rough it and run.