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

[nicebutdim]

I suppose the other option if using swa single phase is to buy it the with the brown, blue, green/yellow colours.

Indeed, but it's not always possible to do so.

 

[Julie.]

Oops

 

[DPG]

Oops

View attachment 102853

That's got to be a setup that one.

 

[Julie.]

That's got to be a setup that one.

I think so as well, especially as this one was with it

 

[brianmoooore]

That's got to be a setup that one.

Seen a few like that on table lights and wall lights after an attempt to change a lamp.

 

[littlespark]

A 5A fuse for a lamp? That’s just terrible!

 

[Raptor0014]

Amazeballs.

 

[Raptor0014]

It gets betterer……

 

[JBW175]

It gets betterer……View attachment 102864View attachment 102865View attachment 102866View attachment 102867View attachment 102876View attachment 102868View attachment 102869View attachment 102870View attachment 102871View attachment 102872View attachment 102873View attachment 102874View attachment 102875

You’re onto a winner today with that lot.

 

[Raptor0014]

You’re onto a winner today with that lot.

What’s more amazing is the customer is adamant it’s not DIY. He had another electrician in who left the job half way through and hasn’t been back in touch. I’m guessing he’s fell out with ‘Dave from the pub’.

I’ve disconnected the lot. Initially he was a bit miffed I’d disconnected it all. But I said that’s what needed to be done as it’s not safe. Explained to him a few options of how it can be resolved and he’s asked for a quote and when I have availability.

 

[LewisM]

He probably done it himself and was well chuffed with it now you (rightly so) have come in and told him it's a sack of ----

 

[JBW175]

What’s more amazing is the customer is adamant it’s not DIY. He had another electrician in who left the job half way through and hasn’t been back in touch. I’m guessing he’s fell out with ‘Dave from the pub’.

I’ve disconnected the lot. Initially he was a bit miffed I’d disconnected it all. But I said that’s what needed to be done as it’s not safe. Explained to him a few options of how it can be resolved and he’s asked for a quote and when I have availability.

That’s good that he’s been reasonable about you disconnecting it and wants you to do it properly. It looks a right dogs dinner in those photos.

 

[Raptor0014]

That’s good that he’s been reasonable about you disconnecting it and wants you to do it properly. It looks a right dogs dinner in those photos

This is what got me the most. That’s a light switch providing switched isolation for the consumer unit.

 

[littlespark]

And worryingly, that old white switch looks like the tidiest part of the job.

 

[Raptor0014]

And worryingly, that old white switch looks like the tidiest part of the job.

First time I’ve seen SWA taken to one.

 

[mainline]

What’s more amazing is the customer is adamant it’s not DIY. He had another electrician in who left the job half way through and hasn’t been back in touch. I’m guessing he’s fell out with ‘Dave from the pub’.

I’ve disconnected the lot. Initially he was a bit miffed I’d disconnected it all. But I said that’s what needed to be done as it’s not safe. Explained to him a few options of how it can be resolved and he’s asked for a quote and when I have availability.

Where's that what looks like swa in the meter cabinet come/goto

 

[Raptor0014]

Where's that what looks like swa in the meter cabinet come/goto

That’s the SWA for this abomination. It goes to the fused spur under the consumer unit you can see in one of the pics.

Not glanded anywhere, not that it matters as they’ve peeled the armour back to shove it into the box with the 3 core & earth PVC cable.

 

[mainline]

That’s the SWA for this abomination. It goes to the fused spur under the consumer unit you can see in one of the pics.

Not glanded anywhere, not that it matters as they’ve peeled the armour back to shove it into the box with the 3 core & earth PVC cable.

Ahhh I was wondering because it's following the dno cable I thought it may have been a bypass didn't realise it's looped through

 

[pc1966]

Asked by a relative to change a light switch. OK no big deal, unscrew the two fixing screws as usual, pull them out...and out...hmm by time over 5cm of screw has exited I was not expecting great things:

Now they have identified black as (presumably) switched live but yes that really is polystyrene bulking up the wall with the back-box recessed by several cm. Chock block probably all that existed at the time (done at least 16 years ago) but also not visible is the bottom left corner where the earth tag screw was just spinning and no gip of the CPC at all.

Nothing like the sort of other crap that makes it here, but not my ideal job when not prepared to actually fix it properly. Best I could do at the time was to use on of the woodscrews to retain the CPCs.

 

[westward10]

Just use one of the upper or lower 3.5mm plate fixing screws.

 

[timhoward]

Nothing like the sort of other crap that makes it here, but not my ideal job when not prepared to actually fix it properly. Best I could do at the time was to use on of the woodscrews to retain the CPCs.

Maybe a timely video that I saw minutes ago!:

 

[pc1966]

Just use one of the upper or lower 3.5mm plate fixing screws.

Had I known the state I would have planned on a new backbox and maybe tried to space it forward so the normal (as supplied) screws would work. I just happened to have new 5cm ones (bizarrely enough, from another job a year ago where they turned out not to be needed so I left them in with small tools in car) so they did get clean screws as well as a new paint-free switch.

 

[pc1966]

Maybe a timely video that I saw minutes ago!:

Good idea!

Sadly their wall is old lath and plaster, complete with horse hair filling, and it crumbles if you look at it funny. But I'm guessing there is a beam or baton there so next time I might try a proper fix.

 

[davesparks]

Had I known the state I would have planned on a new backbox and maybe tried to space it forward so the normal (as supplied) screws would work.

You can get extension collars for back boxes in various depths from any good electrical wholesaler, easier to fit than it is to try and remove a backbox without damaging the wall or just opening up a can of worms

 

[pc1966]

You can get extension collars for back boxes in various depths from any good electrical wholesaler, easier to fit than it is to try and remove a backbox without damaging the wall or just opening up a can of worms

Brilliant suggestion!

 

[UNG]

Complete range of extension boxes from 16 - 35mm listed here Appleby Extension Boxes Frames 16mm 25mm 35mm Single Twin - https://www.edwardes.co.uk/categories/boxes-flush-metal-extension

 

[pc1966]

Complete range of extension boxes from 16 - 35mm listed here Appleby Extension Boxes Frames 16mm 25mm 35mm Single Twin - https://www.edwardes.co.uk/categories/boxes-flush-metal-extension

Thanks, I think I have ordered from them before.

 

[littlespark]

Was this ever allowed? Using an earth pipe clamp on the armour of SWA?

This is in the gymnasium I’ve been doing little jobs in. Main bond goes to water pipe… a little too close to a soldered joint for my liking…. Then onto the SWA, then onto a gas pipe.

It wouldn’t be so surprising, but the building was used by an electrical firm before the gym bought it.

The other thing, although I wasn’t working on it, I cannot find the fire alarm panel.
There’s break glasses and sounders, wired in surface red fp… but I can’t trace where they’re going over the ceiling of what was the offices.
Covered in insulation.

Funny thing is, the owner says it passed any fire safety check when he bought it. They must have just looked at the detectors and sounders and assumed there was a panel for it all.
(There is an RCBO in the board marked up for fire alarms)

 

[westward10]

Fire alarm could be a communal system and the control panel is located elsewhere. If there is a circuit for it turn it off see if you can hear a beeping.

 

[UNG]

Was this ever allowed? Using an earth pipe clamp on the armour of SWA?

This is in the gymnasium I’ve been doing little jobs in. Main bond goes to water pipe… a little too close to a soldered joint for my liking…. Then onto the SWA, then onto a gas pipe.

It wouldn’t be so surprising, but the building was used by an electrical firm before the gym bought it.

Looks like a lazy way to bond the pipework

The other thing, although I wasn’t working on it, I cannot find the fire alarm panel.
There’s break glasses and sounders, wired in surface red fp… but I can’t trace where they’re going over the ceiling of what was the offices.
Covered in insulation.

Funny thing is, the owner says it passed any fire safety check when he bought it. They must have just looked at the detectors and sounders and assumed there was a panel for it all.
(There is an RCBO in the board marked up for fire alarms)

It could be an old 240v mains fire alarm, they were quite popular at one time although I've not seen one for many years as most were changed over to operating with a panel, so beware if doing any work on the fire alarm the break glasses may have mains voltage present

 

[westward10]

I considered a mains operated system but the use of FP200 cable and what I assume are modern automatic detectors probably rules this out.

 

[freddo]

It could be an old 240v mains fire alarm, they were quite popular at one time although I've not seen one for many years as most were changed over to operating with a panel, so beware if doing any work on the fire alarm the break glasses may have mains voltage present

Here is one of those mains units. Very simple equipment!

 

[timhoward]

@littlespark can you post a picture of one of the call points if you have one?
The other possibility is an AICO setup with wired call points and no panel.

 

[pc1966]

Here is one of those mains units. Very simple equipment!

Ah, nice to see an octal-base relay!

 

[UNG]

I considered a mains operated system but the use of FP200 cable and what I assume are modern automatic detectors probably rules this out.

Is it FP200 or assumed to be FP200 and the reality is it is FP100 which was a horrible cable which if not terminated with the ferrules quite often failed
It could even be pyro at a quick glance

 

[UNG]

Here is one of those mains units. Very simple equipment!
View attachment 102943

Some of the mains systems didn't even have that just a 3 core cable linking breakglasses and sounders some even used the old drophead heat detectors as well
Those boxes sometimes facilitated a pulsed class change bell

 

[littlespark]

I’m not there now, but take photos when I next go back.

They are fairly modern call points and sounders, and I only assumed it was fp200 as it certainly wasn’t MICC. Red compression glands into plastic boxes.

I did run my non contact tester along the cable and it wasn’t lighting up… so I expect it’s ELV

Like I said, I wasn’t working on the fire system, so there was no need to shut it off.

 

[Fazz711]

I used to go to a youth club thar had been burnt down in an arson attack.
When we eventually got it back completely rebuilt apart from the thick stone walls it had all nice shiny break glass fire points all over.
Problem was non were wired in to any thing.

 

[pc1966]

I did run my non contact tester along the cable and it wasn’t lighting up… so I expect it’s ELV

I think FP200 cable has a foil layer that is in contact with the CPC so I would not expect any electrostatic potential enough to trigger a non-contact probe outside it. You would have to try and some junction where the cores are exposed.

 

[davesparks]

Is it FP200 or assumed to be FP200 and the reality is it is FP100 which was a horrible cable which if not terminated with the ferrules quite often failed
It could even be pyro at a quick glance

It was the original FP200 which used the ferrules to prevent the sharp edge of the foil layer damaging the insulation.

FP100 is single insulated fire-performance cable for use in conduit/trunking.