Aldi now selling accessories

[trev]

We needed some yorkshire puds today so off I went up the road to Aldi. While looking for them I passed a big basket of 120 watt halogen pir light fittings billed as security light, right next to them were chrome switches and sockets.
One of the halogen boxes was open so I took a look, a little bit of info about making the terminations but nothing at all about EG can the existing circuit take the extra load, how to make sure it's got a connection to earth. Of course there was the bog standard if in doubt consult a suitably qualified electrician but I just thought the whole world is going to hell in a handcart.
Now I know that an extra 120w is not going to put much of an extra load on a lighting circuit but that's hardly the issue is it?
With hindsight I propably should have put this in the deskilling thread.
I think I'll hang up my test gear and go sweep the streets or something

 

[telectrix]

but the other side of the coin is that when it goes ---- up and all his lights go out, we get the call out to fix it properly.

 

[ipf]

BMW will be selling them next!

 

[Engineer54]

We needed some yorkshire puds today so off I went up the road to Aldi. While looking for them I passed a big basket of 120 watt halogen pir light fittings billed as security light, right next to them were chrome switches and sockets.
One of the halogen boxes was open so I took a look, a little bit of info about making the terminations but nothing at all about EG can the existing circuit take the extra load, how to make sure it's got a connection to earth. Of course there was the bog standard if in doubt consult a suitably qualified electrician but I just thought the whole world is going to hell in a handcart.
Now I know that an extra 120w is not going to put much of an extra load on a lighting circuit but that's hardly the issue is it?
With hindsight I propably should have put this in the deskilling thread.
I think I'll hang up my test gear and go sweep the streets or something

What's wrong with Aldi selling wall accessories, or PIR light fittings come to that??, They probably sell chrome kitchen/bathroom taps as well... What's that got to do with deskilling?? All these things have been available from the retail sector before anyone here was born. ...So what's so different all of a sudden??

 

[ipf]

What's wrong with Aldi selling wall accessories, or PIR light fittings come to that??, They probably sell chrome kitchen/bathroom taps as well... What's that got to do with deskilling?? All these things have been available from the retail sector before anyone here was born. ...So what's so different all of a sudden??

Nothing wrong at all. Only difference is they were always dearer than the wholesaler.

 

[Engineer54]

Nothing wrong at all. Only difference is they were always dearer than the wholesaler.

That then, is down to the wholesalers, no-one else!! I dare say, that if these electrical wall accessories Aldi are presently selling are any good, there will be a good few electricians buying them up and using them in there ongoing installations, ... at an increased mark-up, everyones happy!! lol!!

 

[ipf]

I'll not be. Prefer the wholesalers going off fittings provided by various clients. Cheap crap with 2amp connectors. But, each to his own, some of it must be ok.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Woolworths used to do accessories.
Quite cheap and fairly good quality as I remember.
Used to have a customer who insisted on using 150W incandescent lamps.
The lamp holders in Woolworths were ideal, as the bayonet part was all metal, not mostley plastic like most are.

 

[ipf]

That's going back a bit Spin. Good old Woollys, got me outa the myre when desperate more than once.

 

[Engineer54]

Woolworths used to do accessories.
Quite cheap and fairly good quality as I remember.
Used to have a customer who insisted on using 150W incandescent lamps.
The lamp holders in Woolworths were ideal, as the bayonet part was all metal, not mostley plastic like most are.

Your right, ...it used to be one of the very few places you could buy the old Besa box fitting DS 13A socket outlets and light switches. That most of the council housing stock were wired with in the 50's, along with the pin fuses the DS plug tops used...lol!!! Good ole Woollies!!! lol!

 

[MarkieSparkie]

We needed some yorkshire puds today so off I went up the road to Aldi. While looking for them I passed a big basket of 120 watt halogen pir light fittings billed as security light, right next to them were chrome switches and sockets.
One of the halogen boxes was open so I took a look, a little bit of info about making the terminations but nothing at all about EG can the existing circuit take the extra load, how to make sure it's got a connection to earth. Of course there was the bog standard if in doubt consult a suitably qualified electrician but I just thought the whole world is going to hell in a handcart.
Now I know that an extra 120w is not going to put much of an extra load on a lighting circuit but that's hardly the issue is it?
With hindsight I propably should have put this in the deskilling thread.
I think I'll hang up my test gear and go sweep the streets or something

You could become a train driver with London Underground @£50k/year.

 

[Paul.M]

Can't believe you went to a shop to buy Yorkshire puddings. Just make them yourself! Lol.

On the same issue, can't believe that supermarkets sell ready made mashed potatoes! Eerrmm peel spuds, put in boiling water, drain, add a bit of butter and mash. It's not rocket science.

 

[Rockingit]

Can't believe you went to a shop to buy Yorkshire puddings. Just make them yourself! Lol.

On the same issue, can't believe that supermarkets sell ready made mashed potatoes! Eerrmm peel spuds, put in boiling water, drain, add a bit of butter and mash. It's not rocket science.

Hang on a minute! You can't go saying that!! It put's a decent qualified chef out of work.......... which is kind of where we have the problem, isn't it?

 

[UNG]

You never find boilers or gas fires or plumbing fittings on offer in any of these shops I wonder why

 

[Rockingit]

You never find boilers or gas fires or plumbing fittings on offer in any of these shops I wonder why

Because Gas goes bang and water gets everywhere. Such a shame that we work with an invisible danger, if people could actually 'see' electrical energy it would be a different story. Ignorance is bliss.

 

[stevie2011]

as long as it has been manufactured to british standards who cares.

 

[Rockingit]

as long as it has been manufactured to british standards who cares.

I do. I would no more encourage a DIY'er to play with electricity than I would give my 10 month old daughter a razor blade to play with. Just because we CAN (or think we can) doesn't mean that we SHOULD.

CU's are still on general sale to the public, even though the public can't fit them (cutting swathes of Part P aside). Why?

 

[stevie2011]

electricity is dangerous and i would add that people, even though supposedly being taught a basic level of physics at school, still are not aware of how dangerous it is, but what can you do?

people often pick up bits from wickes or the supermarket after just looking and get an electrician to fit it. people shouldn't fit things the arn't competent to do, but people do. Nobody can stop DIYer tinkering with electricity anymore than we can stop people speeding, there are laws in place but people still do it. furthermore it would be useless to campaign to create new legislation so that only people registered with the NIC or NAPIT or whoever can buy electrical accessories and materials from certified wholesalers.

my point is, since nothing can be done about it, its not worth getting stressed about.

 

[Rockingit]

LOL - I don't do stress. I leave that for the missus. But I think you're wrong in thinking that nothing can be done about the problem. The government legislated about Gas safety, introduced Corgi/Gas Safe and withdrew boilers from public sale. Ergo, you don't see much about gas explosions on the news anymore.

I'm not one for nanny states, but I do think there could be a fair chance that as Part P is being looked at again, either 1) it'll be scrapped or reduced to a level of complete pointlessness (can't see that happening) or 2) improved and vastly tightened.

We have laws in this country about gas, chemicals, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, driving, guns, knives, glue...... etc etc all intended to keep the population safe (and raise a bit of tax cash) but not on the one thing that surrounds all of us 24/7 and can arguably kill us the quickest. It does seem a bit daft.

 

[Engineer54]

CU's are still on general sale to the public, even though the public can't fit them (cutting swathes of Part P aside). Why?

Who's to say the general public are buying these CU'S?? Far more likely it's electricians buying them to cut down on costs etc!! Could even be a homeowner buying one, along with everything else to rewire a house, saving him money on materials and having an electrician install on a labour only basis. Who are you, or anyone else, to say that a homeowner can't try and save himself money in this way??

Of course you are going to get the odd one or two numbties that will try to take it all on themselves, but your never going to stop them... Then of course, the electrician comes along to put things right, everybody's happy again!!

We work in the electrical industry, we are NOT the electrical Police, and nor should we be!!