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

Darkwood · Mar 21, 2015

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:

Pete999 · May 26, 2018

freddo said:
A fan 'isolator' found during a periodic inspection. It switched the fan on and off but left it live. Perhaps it was some attempt to wire the timer fan into a circuit with no switched supply.
View attachment 42462
Carrying out some alterations in a new office building, found during testing, the terminals had been seriously overtightened, I assume with an impact driver.
View attachment 42463

Was it done by someone who was deemed Competent, or by a proper Electrician?

pirate · May 26, 2018

Hi Wilko, thanks for that clarification. I understand that a proper, correctly tightened joint with full pressure on the whole of the intended connection is clearly the best situation. I guess either of the scenarios I mentioned will indeed eventually lead to failure in some way or another.
I was also thinking of Wago vs chockbloc...I love Wagos, but I get the feeling that the actual contact area might, depending on conductor size, be quite small on the lever ones, compared with a correctly sized chockbloc where the surface area in contact with the connector might be greater, if properly tightened. Just a thought...

Wilko · May 26, 2018

Yes, understood. I think I'll have to dismantle a Wago to see what the contact area is like. I'm sure they're fine btw - just out of curiosity

freddo · May 26, 2018

Pete999 said:
Was it done by someone who was deemed Competent, or by a proper Electrician?

I'm not sure, I guess I could ask them, but as they don't speak English I don't think they would understand the question...
To be fair the installation was OK for the most part. The design of the installation is certainly good.

freddo · May 26, 2018

Problem with a floodlight.

elsparko · May 26, 2018

freddo said:
Problem with a floodlight.

i had a job to inspect a floodlight, hadnt worked for ages, i popped the cover off to check the bulb and out pished about 2litres of water

elsparko · May 26, 2018

same with bollards, is it really above 90% of "electricians" to drill a drainage hole at the bottom of the stem?

i had to fault find on some bollards once after several companies had looked at it, i took off all the covers and jackpot, bollard connections immersed in about 2ft of water, duct had filled with water also so i opted for a re-wire of the 3 bollards

dont know what the other guys had done as far as testing but they couldnt have missed the water in the bollard if they had bothered to inspect them

a small drainage hole and some forethought would have saved the installation, it wasnt even 5 years old

HandySparks · May 27, 2018

This light looked OK, but with low IR on the supply.

Although I did notice an odd dribble of water on the outside.

So I started to investigate and found that the installer had filled the base with expanding foam.

Causing the whole post to fill with water.

Including the junction box half way up.

Yes, it's a connection to SWA. And none of the cable armour in the garden was earthed.

Wilko · May 27, 2018

freddo said:
Problem with a floodlight.

A new standard has been set with live action and a fire !

Toneyz · May 27, 2018

HandySparks said:
This light looked OK, but with low IR on the supply.
View attachment 42483

Although I did notice an odd dribble of water on the outside.
View attachment 42487

So I started to investigate and found that the installer had filled the base with expanding foam.
View attachment 42484

Causing the whole post to fill with water.
View attachment 42485

Including the junction box half way up.
View attachment 42486

Yes, it's a connection to SWA. And none of the cable armour in the garden was earthed.

Never known filling the base with expanding foam, what was the reasoning for that? The lamp post shouldn't be letting in water.

johnduffell · May 27, 2018

anthonybragg said:
The lamp post shouldn't be letting in water.

True but like any unheated void, the post should be ventilated and drained in case of condensation. That level does look a bit beyond a normal buildup of condensation though!

HandySparks · May 27, 2018

anthonybragg said:
Never known filling the base with expanding foam, what was the reasoning for that? The lamp post shouldn't be letting in water.

No idea why it was filled. Maybe to stop ants, etc., making a nest inside?
My policy with any outdoor stuff is to assume that water will get inside and always drill one or two drain holes (usually a 4.5mm drill) whether the manufacturer's instructions say to or not. With outdoor bulkhead lights, I'll sometimes cut out a small section of the rubber gasket at the bottom edge.

dksanders · May 27, 2018

HandySparks said:
No idea why it was filled. Maybe to stop ants, etc., making a nest inside?
My policy with any outdoor stuff is to assume that water will get inside and always drill one or two drain holes (usually a 4.5mm drill) whether the manufacturer's instructions say to or not. With outdoor bulkhead lights, I'll sometimes cut out a small section of the rubber gasket at the bottom edge.

The problem with that though is ants. I investigated a clients swimming pool area where 3 sets of lights were tripping the RCDs. Each and every bollard (12 in all) was full to the top with an ants nest and damp soil and I had to replace the lot.

Manufacturers instructions take priority and if they don't say to drill a drain hole, then they've designed and made the fitting so it should not need one so I don't.

Marvo · May 27, 2018

For outdoor panels we regularly use a small container with mothballs in it to keep the ants, spiders and even snakes out. Not sure if they're still in favour from an H&S point of view though or whether they've been found to cause cancer or kill dolphins....

HandySparks · May 27, 2018

dksanders said:
The problem with that though is ants. I investigated a clients swimming pool area where 3 sets of lights were tripping the RCDs. Each and every bollard (12 in all) was full to the top with an ants nest and damp soil and I had to replace the lot.

Manufacturers instructions take priority and if they don't say to drill a drain hole, then they've designed and made the fitting so it should not need one so I don't.

Usual forum posting issue.

HandySparks · May 27, 2018

dksanders said:
The problem with that though is ants. I investigated a clients swimming pool area where 3 sets of lights were tripping the RCDs. Each and every bollard (12 in all) was full to the top with an ants nest and damp soil and I had to replace the lot.

Manufacturers instructions take priority and if they don't say to drill a drain hole, then they've designed and made the fitting so it should not need one so I don't.

Agree about the ant problem.

I regard manufacturer's instructions as a guide only.
The water seals on equipment may be OK when new, but after they've started to harden and deteriorate, and especially if disturbed, they'll no longer work as designed. So I think that adding drain holes is a sensible move unless there's planned programme of seal replacement, which usually there isn't.

Rpa07 · May 27, 2018

Wilko said:
A new standard has been set with live action and a fire !

This shouldn't be read as a challenge @Wilko - not everything is a challenge!

Marvo said:
For outdoor panels we regularly use a small container with mothballs in it to keep the ants, spiders and even snakes out. Not sure if they're still in favour from an H&S point of view though or whether they've been found to cause cancer or kill dolphins....

The dolphins shouldn't be messing with your outdoor panels if they don't want to get hurt - seriously, get back in the sea!

Rpa07 · May 27, 2018

HandySparks said:
Agree about the ant problem.

I regard manufacturer's instructions as a guide only.
The water seals on equipment may be OK when new, but after they've started to harden and deteriorate, and especially if disturbed, they'll no longer work as designed. So I think that adding drain holes is a sensible move unless there's planned programme of seal replacement, which usually there isn't.

Some of the cheaper end of the range of floods don't have the seal around the edge always seated correctly leading to condensation or ingress of water.
It shouldn't be down to the installer to check the manufacturers workmanship. looks bad on us that have to return to site and replace.

pirate · May 28, 2018

"Old! is it? Well pardon me for breathing...
I must do better, obviously!

Rpa07 · May 28, 2018

They were probably going for 'bad spelling" and hit "old" instead - could be worse, could be "dumb" - that would have you cussing!

pirate said:
"Old! is it? Well pardon me for breathing...
I must do better, obviously!

pirate · May 28, 2018

Thanks for your confidence vote Rpa07! I can't see anything wrong with my spelling though! Dumb, I can deal with, but spelling? GRRR!
Mind you, never seen that poster before, so not too worried, tbh!
If you're going to hit the "Old" button, hit it...
if you're going to hit the "Dumb" button, hit it...
If you're going to hit the "Spelling" button, hit it...
But if you can't hit the right button, just leave it, ok?

HandySparks · May 31, 2018

HandySparks said:
It's that well known form of protection, the thin blue line. :biggrin:

Interesting start, @James Haugh . No postings, no profile info, one 'Disagree'.

Rpa07 · May 31, 2018

He meant to hit funny or agree but probably sneezed when doing it, don’t let it get you down. I’ve given you a ‘winner’ to put a positive in your evening - ENJOY!

HandySparks said:
Interesting start, @James Haugh . No postings, no profile info, one 'Disagree'.

Rpa07 · May 31, 2018

I’ve just realised that I do a lot of posts bringing up ‘the spirits’ of those that have been wronged by the emoji system.
Now I could think of myself as a superhero who swoops in to save the down trodden OR an overbearing mother who doesn’t like to see her chicks hurt!
Vote vote vote Vote!

DPG · May 31, 2018

It's a 'Winner' from me.

static zap · Jun 1, 2018

(Win-Win)..but no longer original, Chuck.

elsparko · Jun 1, 2018

i got about 100 dumbs last week, even though im demonstrably a genius

Strima · Jun 1, 2018

elsparko said:
i got about 100 dumbs last week, even though im demonstrably a genius

Sorry mate, had to give you a dumb for that...

Wilko · Jun 2, 2018

Strima said:
Sorry mate, had to give you a dumb for that...

I think Elsparko is an optimist at heart

FatAlan · Jun 2, 2018

Effects of UV on PVC

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