240 volt outside light measuring 180 volts.

[Therolster]

Hi all. Looking for advice here. The mother in law had her house extended and totally rewired by someone that said to her he was a qualified sparks. I've been up the loft and found crimped wires and not even clipped down and a whole host of lovely terminal block connections. One set of these has all the earths in sleeving but not connected to anything
! As part of this rewire she had a wall mounted outside light installed. Apparently it has worked once but no longer does. We've changed the bulb - no difference. I measured 180v on it which I believe can be a loose neutral?
The problem is, there is no way to get into the loft where these cables go as it is sealed. PLUS I'm reluctant to start checking or even touching some of the terminal block monsters this guy has created in case I open up a can of worms.
Is there a canny way to trace this neutral without taking half the place to pieces? Assuming it is that!

All the best

Rol

 

[trev]

I guess you're not an electrician because she got this bloke to rewire the place and not you. In the light of that then it's a bad idea for you to be poking around in anything. Get an electrician in for a look and an estimate of what it'll cost to put this right.
Incidentally, if the loft hatch is sealed, how did the rewire bloke get into it?

 

[Therolster]

Hi Trev and thanks for the reply. I'm not as qualified and experienced as you guys. Do have my 17th and a few more certs but have not done anything elec wise for years. Certainly don't have any decent meters anymore other than my old basic fluke AVO (been doing other stuff for years now - non electrical). Plus I don't have time to take a pee let alone look at re-wiring her house.
Don't worry...I'm not going to start pulling this lot apart. I was just wondering if I could get some idea of how to figure this out. I've taken photos as it's just blown me away. The extension has a pitched roof but it's sealed by brz blocks. I guess the guy did the wiring when access was available to the ceiling space (obviously). He's not even screwed the ceiling lights in the extension, to anything solid, just plasterboard. Will prob end up getting a current sparks to take a look but she's an old girl and paid out loads already. I said I'd take a look.

 

[PEG]

I guess you're not an electrician because she got this bloke to rewire the place and not you. In the light of that then it's a bad idea for you to be poking around in anything. Get an electrician in for a look and an estimate of what it'll cost to put this right.
Incidentally, if the loft hatch is sealed, how did the rewire bloke get into it?

...He's still there...his dry,mummified remains,draped over a purlin...with the Wago fitting instructions still clutched in a bony hand...:icon12:

 

[Therolster]

I can see this is going to get quite descriptive ;>) hopefully he is still up there!!!
The loft of the original building IS accessible. BUT when you try to get across to the new bit you are hit by a wall with holes through it and what looks like a ring for sockets going through it and a couple of 1.5 t&e also. They feed the new extension, basically a living room, two ceiling lights and I would hope the outside light. 'Hope' being the word in this mixture

 

[telectrix]

whereabouts are you? a member may be close.

 

[Therolster]

PEG - still p---ing myself with laughter here. That said, I could not leave an install in what I do these days (non electrical) in this condition, let alone an electrical install.

 

[Therolster]

Hi telectrix. I don't want a sparks out just yet as I think the old girl will have a cardiac if it costs her any more money, although I think this will be the final conclusion. she's in a village near Dunstable, Beds. However...if there is someone close by that doesn't mind dropping by and confirming my statements that generally...crimped cables hanging in mid air, terminal block monsters rather than junction boxes, no earths attached, and an earth off at the CU, etc might not, possibly be up to the current standards, that might be useful.

 

[Pete999]

Hi telectrix. I don't want a sparks out just yet as I think the old girl will have a cardiac if it costs her any more money, although I think this will be the final conclusion. she's in a village near Dunstable, Beds. However...if there is someone close by that doesn't mind dropping by and confirming my statements that generally...crimped cables hanging in mid air, terminal block monsters rather than junction boxes, no earths attached, and an earth off at the CU, etc might not, possibly be up to the current standards, that might be useful.

Go and have some stern words with the cowboy that did this work, your MiL must know where he lives,

 

[Therolster]

Cowboy is the right word Pete999. However I fear this is going to be a closed post as I've found the nearest terminal block monster before the wires go into this sealed area and it measures 240v there.
So whatever has happened is in this sealed part of the loft. I had a ceiling light fitting down (not that that was difficult with 2 screws into plasterboard) to see if I could work out what the plum has done but have put it back up. As stated in earlier post I don't have the time to take a dump let alone open this can of worms. I've at least connected the earths in the lighting circuit now. If you want to see pics let me know. Def' one for the gallery of shame.

 

[Pete999]

Cowboy is the right word Pete999. However I fear this is going to be a closed post as I've found the nearest terminal block monster before the wires go into this sealed area and it measures 240v there.
So whatever has happened is in this sealed part of the loft. I had a ceiling light fitting down (not that that was difficult with 2 screws into plasterboard) to see if I could work out what the plum has done but have put it back up. As stated in earlier post I don't have the time to take a dump let alone open this can of worms. I've at least connected the earths in the lighting circuit now. If you want to see pics let me know. Def' one for the gallery of shame.

Yep show the pics please

 

[Therolster]

Apologies for the delay in uploading a couple of photos - worked called, as it does on a Monday morning!

Please le me know if Im wrong but I didn't think you were allowed to do this sort of thing i.e it had to be in junction boxes and cable clipped?

Anyhow - case closed as the MiL has contacted the guy about it all.

That crimped cable had loads of spare loose cable that could have fixed down and in a proper box.

All the best.

R

 

[telectrix]

have you a certificate for the work? if so, check the scheme logo ( niceic, elecsa, napit, whatever) and report the installer. work like .that is at best shoddy and at worst dangerous. ( leaning to the latter)/.

 

[Pete999]

Rough as a Badger's bum, whoever did that should be hung drawn and arrested by the Electric Police, downright dangerous

 

[brucelee]

Looking at that he was qualified at nothing except ripping old people off

 

[TJ Anderson]

Rough as a Badger's bum, whoever did that should be hung drawn and arrested by the Electric Police, downright dangerous

They would have to carry out the arrest first Pete surely

 

[Therolster]

Cheers for confirmation about this work. There are at least 7 1.5 t&e coming out of the bathroom light so me thinks maybe there is a terminal block monster in there and when we put some of the old girls stuff up the loft we may have dislodged one. It looks to be going across to the way the rear outside light is, possibly...know knows. I'm not going to get heavily involved here but I'll take a look.

She does indeed have the cert; NICEC.

It's when you see stuff like this that you can really appreciate the quality work that proper spark do. Makes me wonder that if you can cert this ten surely part-p is a bag of nuts.

 

[driverman]

Has there ever been an electrical certificate issued? As it was an extension being built, was the local building authority informed? If so was the extension signed off?
Re the photos! I wouldn't let the guy who installed, no threw it in, back indoors at all! It wants reporting, full stop.

Opps, sorry, possibly didn't see page 2.

 

[Therolster]

Yes building regs been round but more interested in footings than anything else, so I'm told.

 

[Des 56]

He can report this to the Niceic,but guess what their policy happens to be ? lol

You will need to give the original contractor the opportunity to rectify his(hesitates with words)installation work

If you fix the mess or someone else fixes the mess they will then wash their hands entirely
They will not admit that they enrol some numpties even when there is strong evidence,it could tarnish their reputation you understand

All in all,I don't see any prospect of the lady getting it sorted with any satisfaction soon

 

[SJD]

Re loft access, if the two lofts are at the same level, is it not possible to remove a few bricks, and create an opening big enough to crawl through? I'm not saying the OP necessarily has to do this, but there ought to be access somehow.

 

[Therolster]

Des56 - agree totally mate BUT...surely if part-p is not a load of b-lls, then this sort of stuff should not be happening anymore. As far as I'm concerned I find this stuff all the time. She has a NICEIC cert number, but guess what...contractors part is still here too. Me thinks I'm not even going to get involved in this too much.

Thanks to everyone on here, proper sparks, for your comments. Totally professional.

All the best

R

 

[Therolster]

SJD - agreed my friend. I did consider this. BUT as my daily work has an alarm clock that goes off at 5:30 and I don't get back home til near 7pm I'm reluctant to take on board this level of work. Possibly would have in early years but 50 is knocking on my door mate and knees, elbows and all else aches these days ;>) I'm sure I've whinged there and some of ya older sparks will kill me ha ha BUT I was a loft rat for many years and still are (just in another line of work).

Anyhow...many thanks for all your help and info with this interesting issue. ;>)


R

 

[brucelee]

You should Tell her to contact him and ask him to come and show how it complies with regs or get onto NICEIC as Des says and ask them to meet him at the ladies to discuss remedial work or recompense for unsatisfactory workmanship that may have left her installation in a dangerous condition

 

[Therolster]

Cheers Brucelee. I think she is now in the process of doing some of this. Not sure what the outcome will be but at least she's taken some action. Her husband of a life long marriage, a great bloke and builder died last year - brain tumour. I guess this sparks (and i hasten to call him that as the word t-sser comes to mind) thought 'no bloke about, no ones going up the loft, no big deal'. Wrong!
Anyhow to all on here, thanks for your help and support. Truly a great site/ forum. Professional sparks hey. So...how do I close this thread down then me old fruits as I'm sure you have newer and equally insane threads to tackle ;> Cheers again.
R