Builder safety worry

[reddwarf4ever]

in 2003 i engaged a builder to extend my property.

1-when I asked for 3 light switches to control 1 light, it took him a week to find out how to do it....he ran multiple cables , just in case, until he found out how it should be done...
2-he fitted a consumer unit, but immediately it kept tripping every time an appliance was used.....this went on for many many many hours, eventually he disconnected some protection within the box, think it looked for difference between live and neutral, he said it wasn’t needed anyway, after 2-3 years it suddenly started emitting smoke.....I called an electrician and he said it had been wired up wrong and replaced it completely...
3-today I removed some flooring and skirting board in my spare room, for decorating and a plumbing change, but found he had used a domestic light switch as a junction box below the floorboards and behind the skirting I found a 2.5 cable supplying a socket running behind the skirting, it had a connecting block joining it to another cable, which was buried into the floorboard.

In my builders defence, he once said to me, when I enquirer about an electrical issue “ well I am not an electrician” says it all I guess, I should have said, get a real one then, but at the time tensions were high and the the extension was taking far longer than expected and costing a lot lot more, so couldn’t afford to rock the boat......I wonder what other surprises await me in the future.......

Is my experience typical ?......scares the hell out of me

Thanks Alex rybak whereever your are

 

[telectrix]

unfortunately this is what happens when you let builders mess with something beyond their simiam brain power.

 

[buzzlightyear]

that why part p was brought out to stop f88king t**ts killing people .

 

[Octopus]

I recommend your have a comprehensive EICR done on your installation ....

 

[telectrix]

wor

that why part p was brought out to stop f88king t**ts killing people .

worked well didn't it? still got bob the builder/kev kitchen/wayne wet-pants/ diy dave/ "doing electrics".

 

[buzzlightyear]

and the customer think we are pulling their pants down when we price for a jobs .

 

[buzzlightyear]

In my builders defence, he once said to me, when I enquirer about an electrical issue “ well I am not an electrician

yeah, must done the job cheep. you could taken you car to a butcher down the road and see if he could fix you car!

 

[pirate]

ah, the wonders of "having the builders in"! No, my friend, you are not alone...far from it!
You have been lucky, having found these problems before a major catastrophe. OK we all have our "Builders disaster" story...fact is, they get there electrician mates in, pay them buttons, and off they all go to the pub, splitting the cash...
I had an extension put up a few years ago. I am fussy, and told them so..."Do not take this job if you don't want me on your back" I said...
Every evening when I got home from work, I would ask them to undo the wiring they had done, and spent ages typing notes (OMG, I hear you experienced guys say!) but next evening...ignored! I asked the chief "electrician" why he had undone my telephone cabling and junction boxes...he said, "you don't need them there, they are fine over here"

and when the stair goes in over them..that'll be fine? Perfectly accessible? He said he didn't know about the stair...job and finish, get the cash and go...
I sacked him... gave him a week to finish off...and 3 weeks later, as I was fixing the hall flooring ready for the carpet fitter, I looked under the floor to see the 2.5mm T+E wrapped a few times round the hot water feed from the CH boiler...
So, paranoid? Me? I sympathise with all you proper professionals out there, but the cowboys are killing you, and that is why, DIY'er that I am, I am glad to be a member of this forum where expertise and common sense rule the roost...
I love electrics, have learned so much from your banter, but I do know my limitations...however, I also do know a "proper job" and it is heartening to see on this site that the vast majority, rather than going for the cheapest fix, advocate the "best practice" route, and a few pence on the job is not an issue.
Builders?
New builds?
Cheap parts?
UGGH!
Rant over....

 

[buzzlightyear]

rather than going for the cheapest fix,

yeah, pay cheap pay twice!

 

[reddwarf4ever]

Wasn’t just the electrics, found almost zero insulation on the 1/2” copper piping, was run so close together I barely managed to squeeze some of the thinner foam insulation as far as I could reach.....when I took out an electrical socket, the piping from the boiler could be seen in the cavity again no insulation.....but on the plus side I do get nice warm walls and floors OMG
I often worry about buying a non new house in case of DIY muck ups, but builders can be just as bad....

Had no end of rows with Alex.....I started a builders book, where each evening I wrote any concerns / expectations, he was meant to respond each day....a response only happened only once or twice in the year.....was a 3 month job, don’t get me started on the roof.........he was going to hire a professional roof tiler, but was too expensive, so done it himself “ how difficult can it be ?”
The roofer who came round said the roof joists were not spaced correctly.....” doesn’t know what he’s talking about says my Alex.....OMG

 

[telectrix]

i though roof joist spacing was automatic these days. a lego roof truss kit ready assembled so even the roughest builder can get it right, or am i dreaming?

 

[reddwarf4ever]

Don’t know, if it could have gone wrong it did......was the worst experience of my life.....including two divorces.......

 

[123]

I recommend your have a comprehensive EICR done on your installation ....

Unless the the inspector is allowed to lift floors etc, s/he will not find half of the mess that's hidden away on that install

 

[1Justin]

I would say your experience is not uncommon. There are loads of small builders out there still badly fudging electrics.

 

[Octopus]

Unless the the inspector is allowed to lift floors etc, s/he will not find half of the mess that's hidden away on that install

You never know ..... The boiler circuitry could be interesting

 

[rolyberkin]

My friend had builders do her electrics as it was 'in with the price' they left her without power for three days despite two electricians attending to fault find. In the end I went around there to sort it out and it took me an hour to find the faults and put them right. I now only work for two local builders (who I trust and are personally known to me) for any other building jobs I insist on working for the client direct, they engage and pay me on completion of work. That way I am not anything to do with the vast majority of muppets out there who call themselves builders.

 

[reddwarf4ever]

Just thought I would throw this in for good measure, had an old potterton 20+ year old boiler, contacted a ‘ professional CH “ installer, very nice sign painted van....anyway he installed the new boiler, but once installed he said “ the boiler requires 3 wires, as the new boilers require 3 wires, the two I had plus a permanent live, to allow the run on when the CH pump gets a signal to stop, to prevent the boiler cooking......I asked if he could do this , then I got the now infamous phrase “ I am not an electrician “.....the boiler system had been partly drained for the install and kept banging and crashing and cutting out.....without the run on...
( valant later informed me that installing without the 3rd run on wire invalidated the warranty )
The installer tried to remove the air with some hose from the boiler vent.....but after an hour or so decided he could do no more and left.....
I phoned a know electrician who said he would wire up both ends if I ran the cable from the boiler to the CH programmer......I then got a plumber to look at the air problem and he married the make up tank vent with the outlet pipe and the problems disappeared.....a lot of the issues with air was how Alex changed the airing cupboard to the other side of the house but left the make up tanks where they were, lots of long pipe runs, back and forth....oh well it’s ok now.....
I really like to have tradesmen I can trust, jack of all trades master of none builders can KMA.......
Also had a professional tiler tile my kitchen 3 times, each time the tiles sloped down.....I told him I was fussy and would pay extra for a 100% job, he said “ no need that's the quality I do” ........4th time the tiles were ok........it’s so hard to get a good reliable tradesman.....it really is......

 

[reddwarf4ever]

Moving off topic now, so will end it there, thanks for being patient, listening to my rants and your observations......

 

[Octopus]

Unfortunately when you need a decent tradesman, you will probably have to wait as their diaries are quite full, and they won't be the cheapest either ....

 

[dmxtothemax]

Whilst we understand your concern, we also know that you get what you pay for ! There is a reason why good electricians cost good money ! You choose/accept cheap, you get cheap ! And as most of it is probably hidden away ? there is no easy way to check it all, short of ripping it all out, All you can do now is be sure you have the highest level of protection and wait n see !