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

nicebutdim · Jul 23, 2021

That Volex junction box was a nice find - might be one for @Lucien Nunes!

Dartlec · Jul 25, 2021

Called out to a cottage on a farm over the weekend where the previous occupant (a "maintenance" engineer) had been fiddling over the years...

Complete basketcase of an install, with one 16A radial socket circuit feeding 2 bedrooms, kitchen and lounge - with various cables cut for no apparent reasons behind sockets and cabling joined randomly up in the loft.

RCD protected (up front) in a Hager board, so I guess I can't complain too much...

Found this joy in the loft though- Running power and lighting to a new conservatory, in new cabling...

This fed by a single 2.5 twin and earth on a 16A MCB from the main board. At least it was in the loft where only the squirrel sized rats can get at it....

freddo · Jul 28, 2021

Lighting contactors installed butted up to one another. They are all working, but buzz loudly. They must be really cooked inside. The installation is mirrored on the opposite side of this building, those were installed with a 1 module gap between each contactor, those all work quietly with no signs of overheating.

freddo · Jul 28, 2021

Cable theft at the same site as above. 500mm2 AWAs connected to the LV side of a 2MVA transformer, the 11Kv VCB was still in the service position and simply tripped, nothing stopping anyone from closing it again.

Paralleled 300mm2 AWAs

All that remains of a 4000A supply to a building, quadrupled 630mm2 AWAs. I measured up the cable run, the cost to purchase new cable came to just under £100K. This 3MVA transformer was still energised when I took this photo.

It's not often terminal boxes are large enough to fit inside...

After some inspection, It would appear that over 30 tonnes of cable has been stolen from this site.

ipf · Jul 28, 2021

Neat job with the 10 singles...

At least the glands are still in place for replacement?

Seriously, though, there are some to$$ers around. Deserve a frying but they really know what they're doing.

MrPupsi · Jul 28, 2021

Out of interest, what would the scrap value of all that end up being?

I’ve never scrapped cable before so have no idea!

freddo · Jul 28, 2021

Stripped cable the current price is about £6.50 per KG, the 630mm2 cable weighs about 7KG per metre...

ipf · Jul 29, 2021

Remember how scrap merchants are supposed to get a signature these days for tracing tax wise.
A. Pikey signed for that lot.

freddo · Jul 29, 2021

ipf said:
Pikey signed for that lot.

There is suspicion that it was by contractors not paid for work carried out during a plant upgrade that was never finished before the previous company went bust, or the management trying to get money back from their huge debts. They knew exactly what they were doing, knew what was fed from where. They switched off only the circuits that they were going to remove, and locked areas/cabinets were all opened by keys and not forced. 2 transformers feed the main building, they had cut the supply from 1 and refed that half of the building by closing a busbar coupling switch so the whole building is now fed from 1 transformer. 70-240mm2 swa cables were taken but only ones that powered plant equipment, not lighting or the overhead cranes. 16 large control panels for the plant were carefully removed and taken away and single and 3 phase maintenance sockets throughout had their cables carefully removed and then the sockets were screwed back on, at a glance the plant looked largely complete!

Either way it doesn't help the new site owners. They wanted to purchase the buildings fed by the 4000A supply but the cost of getting power back in is putting them off.

Mike Johnson · Jul 29, 2021

How long would it have taken for that disassembly?

ipf · Jul 29, 2021

Getting their cash back, to a degree, then?
They must have been sure about not getting caught.

Sounds more of like ' The Italian Job' than 'Bonnie and Clyde'.

Big site. Thinking of plant and transport needed, is it in the middle of nowhere, without security?

nicebutdim · Jul 29, 2021

Getting the feeling it might be owned by a bank and vacant for significant periods of time. Neat removal of 30 tonnes of cable and getting it out of sight didn't happen overnight.

freddo · Jul 29, 2021

Since the site closed there has been a security guard on site 24 hours a day. It must have taken a substantial amount of time as most cables taken had the glands removed too. The scale of it is so large, not the sort of thing you would just chuck in the back of an old Transit van! We have started replacing some of the cables, just one run of 120mm2 4 core weighed 1.25 tonnes...

westward10 · Aug 5, 2021

How to connect a new board to existing conduits which also act as cpcs.

JBW175 · Aug 5, 2021

westward10 said:
How to connect a new board to existing conduits which also act as cpcs.View attachment 88333 View attachment 88334

Jesus, now that's something else. Some people really shouldn't be allowed to carry out electrical work.

DPG · Aug 5, 2021

westward10 said:
How to connect a new board to existing conduits which also act as cpcs.View attachment 88333 View attachment 88334

Obviously a lot of thorough testing was carried out when the work was completed then eh.

telectrix · Aug 5, 2021

it's the new earthing system ITE, intermittent earthing. amendment 2 18th.

telectrix · Aug 5, 2021

if that's his level of competence in screwing, I'd hate to think what his wiffe gets up to when he's at work.

westward10 · Aug 5, 2021

DPG said:
Obviously a lot of thorough testing was carried out when the work was completed then eh.

About five years ago I suggested a rewire as much of the wiring is 50+ years old. Whoever replaced the board have actually made it worse.

westward10 · Aug 5, 2021

Previously there were five sales area lighting circuits but all had interconnected neutrals at the light switch, easy to resolve. Now they have fitted rcbos all 42 lights in the shop are shoved in one rcbo???

timhoward · Aug 5, 2021

“Any chance of a quick look at our cctv while you are here, one of the cameras isn’t working”

First time I’ve seen a cable run inside
a soil stack.

Mike Johnson · Aug 5, 2021

Now that is using your initiative. ?

LewisM · Aug 5, 2021

timhoward said:
“Any chance of a quick look at our cctv while you are here, one of the cameras isn’t working”
View attachment 88362
First time I’ve seen a cable run inside
a soil stack.

4inch water cooled conduit

ipf · Aug 5, 2021

westward10 said:
About five years ago I suggested a rewire as much of the wiring is 50+ years old. Whoever replaced the board have actually made it worse.

Disgrace. How can such people masquerade as electricians?
Damage to the new board, too...carried through with the drill? and that cb, as well?
Was it not a level surface to begin with?
Levitation... or have the two outside conduits grown wings?

westward10 · Aug 5, 2021

Can't quite picture the original board but I can't understand why the conduits don't line up because they cannot be moved.

James · Aug 5, 2021

westward10 said:
Can't quite picture the original board but I can't understand why the conduits don't line up because they cannot be moved.

Could there have been a thread converter on the end of one conduit to suit pre existing holes in the original consumer unit?

Mikegh · Aug 5, 2021

I remember when I started off in industry I used to see a lot of issues with bushings where the conduit is used as CPC

They'd be sparking sometimes when check EFLI at outlets

Dustydazzler · Aug 5, 2021

Are you supposed to use a bushing plate or something ?

Mikegh · Aug 5, 2021

20mm Flange Couplers Galvanised (Sold in 1's)

Complete with BESA bush and lead washer

www.cef.co.uk

I got into the habit of using these

ipf · Aug 5, 2021

Mikegh said:
I remember when I started off in industry I used to see a lot of issues with bushings where the conduit is used as CPC

They'd be sparking sometimes when check EFLI at outlets

50 years in the trade and I've rarely come across anything like that. Since the Millennium, I can see it being much more of an issue. Hence westwood's photos.
Domestic standards aren't just creeping into industry, for sure.

westward10 · Aug 9, 2021

Somethings been getting hot.

Lucien Nunes · Aug 9, 2021

Something being the neutral block of a MEM Exel? Hopefully it didn't let go completely with a 3-phase load on.

westward10 · Aug 9, 2021

Lucien Nunes said:
Something being the neutral block of a MEM Exel? Hopefully it didn't let go completely with a 3-phase load on.

Indeedy but no I don't believe the neutral was lost. Found it by chance just been back to change but must have been hot, new one fitted now.

James · Aug 9, 2021

westward10 said:
Indeedy but no I don't believe the neutral was lost. Found it by chance just been back to change but must have been hot, new one fitted now.View attachment 88504

At least you have not chewed the screw heads up on the new one like someone did with the original.

westward10 · Aug 9, 2021

In 40 odd years I have never replaced one of those and found that on eBay £12.99 and still in its original packaging.

freddo · Aug 9, 2021

The screws are so thin compared to how large the cable entry holes are on that MEM stuff!

westward10 · Aug 9, 2021

freddo said:
The screws are so thin compared to how large the cable entry holes are on that MEM stuff!

The screws in the new block are considerably bigger than the old one which has probably been there since the 60s.

ipf · Aug 9, 2021

freddo said:
The screws are so thin compared to how large the cable entry holes are on that MEM stuff!

Never thought I would be saying it but I agree, they do look narrow.

Although. these days, there'll probably be more dummies trying to connect 2.5's in them.

static zap · Aug 10, 2021

timhoward said:
First time I’ve seen a cable run inside
a soil stack.

It only becomes a Sh-Jobby ,when you call out , dyno rod !

telectrix · Aug 10, 2021

who you gonna call? Sh!tBusters.

nicebutdim

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