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

LewisM · Jul 7, 2023

Dodgy trade pic goes to Europa for £160 they could definitely make it 15-20mm taller, was a struggled with 6mm, 10mm would be a nightmare

westward10 · Jul 7, 2023

I wouldn't use junk like that, poor quality and poor design.

LewisM · Jul 7, 2023

westward10 said:
I wouldn't use junk like that, poor quality and poor design.

Yeah I think I'll stick to Lewden

nicebutdim · Jul 7, 2023

Some RCD sockets are very poorly designed. Scame Advance are well thought out, but it seems as though good design attracts a substantial financial premium.

Simon47 · Jul 8, 2023

LewisM said:
... Europa for £160 they could definitely make it 15-20mm taller, was a struggled with 6mm, 10mm would be a nightmare

Yeah, that's tight. Is that a bare earth bar floating around near live terminals in the middle ?

nicebutdim said:
... it seems as though good design attracts a substantial financial premium.

Obvious really. The sort of manufacturer that employs people with a clue has higher R&D costs and overheads; while the cheap makes cut every corner they can, including on people with experience how their stuff is actually used.

littlespark · Jul 8, 2023

Simon47 said:
Yeah, that's tight. Is that a bare earth bar floating around near live terminals in the middle ?

I think that’s the clear plastic of a push in connector.

LewisM · Jul 8, 2023

It's a

Simon47 said:
Yeah, that's tight. Is that a bare earth bar floating around near live terminals in the middle ?

Obvious really. The sort of manufacturer that employs people with a clue has higher R&D costs and overheads; while the cheap makes cut every corner they can, including on people with experience how their stuff is actually used.

It's a 6mm 3 way wago as I couldn't fit 3 6mms in the connector block they supplied

Flanders · Jul 8, 2023

They could of saved some money not fitting the bubble level and made the box 20mm larger.

freddo · Jul 8, 2023

These insightful stickers were on/in a number of control panels.

nicebutdim · Jul 8, 2023

freddo · Jul 8, 2023

Only a plumber would get away with hacking so much of a joist out to fit a soil pipe.

nicebutdim · Jul 8, 2023

freddo said:
Only a plumber would get away with hacking so much of a joist out to fit a soil pipe.
View attachment 109294

Looks as though they came close to cutting through a few cables, too.

Raptor0014 · Jul 9, 2023

Customer says my tiling isn't great and the socket is wonky. I've had enough of this. They watch Grand Designs and suddenly they're all experts!

mainline · Jul 9, 2023

Raptor0014 said:
Customer says my tiling isn't great and the socket is wonky. I've had enough of this. They watch Grand Designs and suddenly they're all experts!

View attachment 109296

That’s terrible again no planning.
A shaver outlet would have been much more useful.

Raptor0014 · Jul 9, 2023

mainline said:
That’s terrible again no planning.
A shaver outlet would have been much more useful.

Was working to a budget.

James · Jul 9, 2023

Could at least of changed it to a usb socket so they can charge the phone whilst in there

mainline · Jul 9, 2023

Raptor0014 said:
Was working to a budget.

Must be a relative.

littlespark · Jul 10, 2023

Good that the previous electrician left his insulated Allen key for live Henley’s for me to use…. But I’d much rather just turn off the service isolator.

mainline · Jul 10, 2023

Dodgy or inventive ?

Fazz711 · Jul 10, 2023

mainline said:
View attachment 109331

Dodgy or inventive ?

Why Dodgy?

Raptor0014 · Jul 10, 2023

mainline said:
View attachment 109331

Dodgy or inventive ?

Assuming there is a 13a plug on the other side of that flex going out the box then I see no problem.

I have a similar setup from the inverter in my van (although it’s not boxed It’s just 2G socket fixed to the ply lining). I’m guessing this is just a way for them to charge the batteries whilst on the move and not worry about having to pack them away when they stop somewhere if they’re not using them.

DPG · Jul 10, 2023

The next version of the regs has a new section in the special locations part for electrical installations in tool boxes

littlespark · Jul 10, 2023

Perfect.

Stops the less honest on the building site swapping out their dodgy battery’s for your good ones.

freddo · Jul 10, 2023

This fan is supposed to extract from 3 WCs.

mainline · Jul 10, 2023

Apprentices aren't like they used to be.

MJPD29 · Jul 10, 2023

freddo said:
These insightful stickers were on/in a number of control panels.
View attachment 109290

The most generic sticker in history. Need to get myself some of these to cover all situations.

mainline · Jul 11, 2023

Simon47 said:
Plumbers, don't you just love 'em.
We have a rental flat, with another above. Tenant told us that there was water dripping from kitchen ceiling - so I go upstairs and inform the owner, he says he'll call out his plumber. His plumber says there's no leak he can find.
Water still dripping from our ceiling, so go and see chap upstairs who lets me have a look - a few seconds later I've found the leak (from the cold water connection to the WC ballcock). OK, it wasn't an obvious leak, as in visibly dripping, as the water was running down the pipe and disappearing into the boxed off bit hiding all the pipes. So leave him to call his useless plumber out again to fix it. But, the delays have meant that our kitchen ceiling is now sagging.
Roll forward a bit, chap upstairs rings me (while I'm on holiday elsewhere in the country) asking if I know where his stop tap is - which as it happens I did from when I'd been looking into the previous leak. No idea if I could blame his plumber, but the chap was watching TV when he heard a bang and water was gushing out from under his kitchen units. Turned out one of the flexibles to the taps had failed - no idea if it was pipe failure or not connected properly. So that's the end of half of our kitchen ceiling which we pull down so it doesn't fall down when it feels like it.

So when the tenant moves out (moving onwards and upwards) we get the kitchen ceiling replaced, as well as applying multiple coats of paint to cover the water marks in other rooms.

Roll forward a couple of months, water dripping from ceiling again. Chap upstairs gets his plumber out - who can't find a leak. Plumber asks me if he can make a hole in our bathroom ceiling (where the bulk of the water is coming through this time) and I agree a small hole "say, an inch or so" for him to put a camera through.
So, what do I find when the tenant tells me the water hasn't stopped ? He's left the fan dangling on it's cable, partially dismantled the ducting, and cut a hole about a foot square in the ceiling and left it. The **** told me that the water wasn't coming from upstairs, it was coming in through the fan ducting - despite the fan ducting being dry, and the concrete blocks ABOVE it being wet. Yes, a plumber who believes in water flowing uphill on it's own.
Upstairs to see the neighbour again - we do actually get on alright. For some unrelated reason he has the bath panel off, and with a torch and mirror I can see up the box and see a pipe going drip ... drip ... drip.
So that's the new kitchen ceiling with water marks, a gaping hole in the bathroom ceiling, and water marks across the living room ceiling.

I sometimes get asked if I know a tradesman for something or other. As I tend to do most work myself I don't really know what any of the locals are like - apart from the handful of plumbers I wouldn't trust to change a tap washer without supervision.

When a spark does a plumbers job.

Raptor0014 · Jul 15, 2023

mainline said:
When a spark does a plumbers job.View attachment 109353

That was me. Got tired of seeing dodgy wiring from plumbers. So thought I’d get my own back and give them a taste of their own medicine!

mainline · Jul 15, 2023

Raptor0014 said:
That was me. Got tired of seeing dodgy wiring from plumbers. So thought I’d get my own back and give them a taste of their own medicine!

It can’t have been you as those pipes would have been buried in the wall > 50mm with a load of cross bonding

Welchyboy1 · Jul 23, 2023

Lucky escape! found this in a ceiling void, nice VIR-PVC joint with crumbling insulation

Live conductor within a whisker of the bathroom towel rail pipework

LewisM · Jul 23, 2023

Damn that was almost the next story they tell in college

ipf · Jul 23, 2023

Welchyboy1 said:
Lucky escape! found this in a ceiling void, nice VIR-PVC joint with crumbling insulation

Live conductor within a whisker of the bathroom towel rail pipework

A good method of secure cable suspension, too.

steviethepar · Jul 27, 2023

Called by customer to help a flat was being part rewired after a flood - the chap doing it hasn’t come back - spent half a day trying to figure out ring main cables and sort out rerun cables - anyway found 3 crimped joints new onto old cable this is one of them …… had several joints like this…

By time I had finished rewriting there were no joined cables

steviethepar · Jul 27, 2023

Welchyboy1 said:
Lucky escape! found this in a ceiling void, nice VIR-PVC joint with crumbling insulation

Live conductor within a whisker of the bathroom towel rail pipework

was at a property the other week it still had led sheathed VRI cable for lights was surprised I got 20meg on IR testing, and no earth leakage - though VRI cable starting to deteriorate where it bends into connections at the switches.

5 years ago they changed all light fittings to class 2 and backboxes to plastic - but getting closer to rewire
Maybe last another 80 years

Dustydazzler · Jul 27, 2023

steviethepar said:
Called by customer to help a flat was being part rewired after a flood - the chap doing it hasn’t come back - spent half a day trying to figure out ring main cables and sort out rerun cables - anyway found 3 crimped joints new onto old cable this is one of them …… had several joints like this…

By time I had finished rewriting there were no joined cables

View attachment 109607

Tell me that Crimp joint wasn't the finished 'signed off' job...

steviethepar · Jul 27, 2023

Dustydazzler said:
Tell me that Crimp joint wasn't the finished 'signed off' job...

Hi nope ‘half job’was still to be finished when I arrived 3 rooms still had old cables and original sockets. However, this was a finished joint as it was covered in insulating tape and tucked away under floor board - spotted when trying to trace ends of the ring main and figure out what had been done.

U will be pleased to know I ripped out all all the old cables (and scary joints) and replaced with new ones only took us a couple of hours once sussed out.

Also what was also disturbing - at the consumer unit the ends of the wires were still connected into the breaker (switched off but no lock off) - should’ve been disconnected - which i immediately did for testing and safety..

timhoward · Jul 29, 2023

Was here a week ago, didn't take cover off box last time. New outdoor socket requested.

Last time I found the other end of the circuit:

It was still live, so I turned off the breaker marked "Shed", it went dead, and I arranged to come back.

A week later I return, and am told that the freezer stopped working after my last visit.
What I failed to spot was it also goes through the wall, and back in, into a lone double socket. Genius circuit design, sticking the freezer on with the shed on a shared RCD.....

Simon47 · Jul 30, 2023

steviethepar said:
... found 3 crimped joints new onto old cable this is one of them …… had several joints like this…

Nice to see he is careful to use the right crimping tool for the terminals !

DPG · Jul 30, 2023

steviethepar said:
Called by customer to help a flat was being part rewired after a flood - the chap doing it hasn’t come back - spent half a day trying to figure out ring main cables and sort out rerun cables - anyway found 3 crimped joints new onto old cable this is one of them …… had several joints like this…

By time I had finished rewriting there were no joined cables

View attachment 109607

Screwdriver looks a bit well worn!

nicebutdim · Jul 30, 2023

Simon47 said:
Nice to see he is careful to use the right crimping tool for the terminals !

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