Ripped off by cowboy

[DPG]

You never mentioned a dodgy joint in your original post.

 

[Midwest]

It is not an existing kitchen, sir. It is a bare kitchen.

The 1.8m cable has a join in it. Edit: the join is a type of bridge connector, connecting the boiler white cable with a pre-existing isolator switch cable that was dangling from the previous kitchen installation.
Water can touch this connector because it will run under the kitchen sink.

I can understand your frustration, if you feel you’ve been had over, but from your tone here, I suspect you think ‘we’ are closing ranks. Nothing further from the truth; if you puruse some threads on this forum, the guys are quite critical of each other.

Some ‘customers’ have a concept of what an electrical install should be like, and on the face of it, yours doesn’t sound as if it’s very good.

But pictures may help us make an abstract decision.

 

[telectrix]

as above.without pictures, we're guessing. description is OK up to a point, but sometimes your description may give wrong impression so something that is OK may seem bad, and vice versa. we need pics. but please not of cheesecake. spoon is already drooling.

 

[Deleted account]

If after seeing the photos and I think it’s bad workmanship or a safety issue I will say so and I will criticise him.
but I am trying to be objective and don’t want to start second guessing what may or may not be. It would be unfair on the first electrician to do so if he has done nothing wrong.

I’ve commented on what your second electrician has stated only.

Sorry if you think my comments are wishy washy nonsense.

I’m trying to give you an informed opinion on requirement in electrical installation which I presume is what you wanted.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Well if hes on checkatrade complain to them about him. They will take him off the site and might stop him fleecing others.

 

[Diddy]

I think what some of the guy's are saying is watch out as you might find that electrician 1 has been a little shoddy or even "followed what you asked for to the letter) albeit his apprentice drilled through wall 6 times - i mean that is careless but can usually be "fixed" pretty easily.
It is difficult to do electrical work without ANY decorating.
Like I say though the chaps are trying to make sure electrician number 2 is not just making it all up to suit a "concerned customer" with the aim of having you over for hundreds of pounds more when strictly speaking you may not need to.

 

[GeorgeCooke]

Water can touch this connector because it will run under the kitchen sink.

In that case you need a plumber. Kitchen sinks should not leak.

 

[GeorgeCooke]

Running hob cable directly without isolator.

An isolator may 'nice to have', but it is not a requirement in the regs as you can isolate at the CU.

 

[Str82ais]

I have a few videos to upload. Too big. How do you suggest I share them?

 

[Str82ais]

Kitchen design for this wall: partition 1 (60cms) free standing fridge, partition 2 (60cms) builtin oven under a normal worktop, partition 3 (60cms) hob, partition 4 (30cms) a unit, partition 5 (60cms) free standing washing machine.

Fridge socket over on left — no changes here.

Chasing in the wall leading to the box: this has been deepened and widened based on 2nd electrician’s instruction. Prior, it was half as wide and less deep. 2ndEl plans to house to cables in the widened channel.

The blue cable fed the power switch of the oven in the old kitchen.

Nigel had decided to have no use for this channel and box — wanted them filled in. Instead, he extended the blue cable to the right and hung it on a clip. Nigel repurposed it to feed the hob directly without switches intervening. The length of the cable is too short to reach the hob but Nigel thought it’ll make it just.

 

[Str82ais]

The chasing for a box and a channel is new and was carried out as per 2ndEl instruction. Ignore that for now.

Nigel’s plan for the bottom row was:

Feed the oven from the first white socket. The double socket will feed the washing machine and have a spare socket. He blanked the middle socket.

At worktop level: Nigel installed a new socket through chasing a box in the wall and feeding it through the grey cable from the bottom row.

Along that same worktop row: he installed two spurs (one for the hood), and one for the under cabinet lights, followed by a spare double socket for general kitchen use.

 

[Str82ais]

Note everything at the worktop level is in this picture is new and is Nigel’s work.

There was a fair amount of chasing here. Four boxes plus the white-covered vertical chasing.

The deep, rectangular chasing up top — that’s not Nigel’s work and is based on 2ndEl’s instruction.

The way Nigel left it was he left the two grey cables at the pencilled line. He hung one of them off a clip which is not far from the pencilled line, and the other he pulled diagonally and hung at the clips just above the newly-drilled box.

 

[Str82ais]

The boiler is fed via the cable on the opposite wall. You can see there are two joins there. This long cable was supposed to run under the kitchen sink unit.

The two cables coming out of the wall connect to the spurs shown in the second picture. One for the boiler, one for the dishwasher, which supposed to be in the corner.

 

[DPG]

Some of that looks very amateurish. To be fair though your opening post about the boiler cable said the problem was it being 1. 8m long. Then you said it had a joint in it. Now it's got 2 joints in it.

 

[Dustydazzler]

If it were me and this is just my personal view , I would re-wire the lot before even attempting to set the new kitchen units in.
For a good experienced sparks it a days work , day and half tops to fully re-wire that small kitchen space...

 

[Midwest]

I’m not quite sure the blue cable is suitable to provide a supply for a cooker point.

The cable for the boiler supply needs replacing, to remove unnecessary joints, and fixed to the wall; the service void under the floor units could be used.

The cable from above the worktop to the sockets below, should either be flushed in or run on the surface; a combination of both is not very good workmanship.

I’ve used plastic trunking to run cables in the floor service void, but I would normally wait for the plaster finish to be completed.

All in all, it’s not a very professional finish, even at just the first fix stage. I wonder about the rest of the install, that this alteration is joining up to?

 

[Str82ais]

Not sure I understood your last question, Midwest. The other wall has electrics on it but I left it out for now because it’s passable.

 

[Str82ais]

Guys,

The 2nd electrician has done a runner. He did not turn up today. Despite confirming on whatsapp on Thursday and despite new chasing having been instructed based on his new requirements.

Both electricians were sourced via mybuilder.

I am cornered and need to move quickly.

What’s the least amount of work necessary to finish this job?

I rung around several local electricians but it seems that they are loathe to “finish” each other’s work. Nobody wants the job.

If I find someone, can you advise on specific, clear instructions to conclude the job ASAP?

 

[Benchaffey]

'what's the least amount of work necessary to get it finished' that there is a good reason why nobody wants to do it.
The works not great, but with an Aldi budget did you expect waitrose?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Look , this is not rocket science. You need the kitchen rewired before you start putting units in.
It’s an absolute bread and butter job for any domestic electrician.
It’s about a day or twos work max.
This shouldn’t be that difficult for you to find a local electrician willing to do it.
Don’t ask for people ‘to finish of another’s botched work’ but ask for a quote on a full kitchen rewire.
I note your London area , try my trusted electrician or Thomas Nagy