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DiscoDave

Just been watching it and apart from the obvious irony of my hammer sponsoring the show one of their cowboy traps has left me a little confused.

They have asked the cowboy to install an outside flood light. so he's taken the lid of a pipe boxing, drilled out and put what looked like 1.5mm twin to a 150 halogen light. on the inside he's run the cable down the inside of the boxing, out through the side of the boxing in to a SFS that is fed from the washing machine socket below the work top.

After he'd gone they called in a part P "qualified" bloke who ripped it to bits. The switch was too near to the sink (probably about 500 to the drainer - 800 to the sink), the back box (surface plastic) had a couple of knockouts missing, Cable run inside a pipe boxing, and finally the bit that confused me was that the two inches of cable out of the wall and into the light was un protected.

In the close up shot I was impressed that the grey actually went right in to the fitting to say he was a cowboy.

So when you are wiring to an outside halogen flood light, especially when it is being retro fitted to an existing installation, how do you protect your twin and earth into the fitting?

To me is seems that the fella was just picking fault for the sake of it - don't get me wrong because i'm not saying it was right or that I would have done it like that, but If i'd been asked to look at it all after the event i'd be looking for size of the fuse, connections into the ring, spur and light fitting. and above all a test cert - none of which were mentioned.

Any thoughts?
 
I personally thought with the distances and the knockout missing he was right and also the cable outside, i normally use ip rated box and flex to the light (So much easier to terminate) suppose you could use flexiable conduit.

The main thing i thought was missed was the paperwork but at least part p was mentioned and not just niceic,
 
Is this an old episode, because there was a very similar post on here a few months back... we ended up all writing to C5 and on the repeat some of their gaffs were deleted!

It's just the same-old-same-old with shows like these, they are consistently wrong in the areas they pick up on, and completely miss other gaping holes! ! As you say, the main concerns should be with what fuse is protecting the cable and what testing has been done - that is what these shows should be showing, but as well all know these shows aren't there for safety, they are there for sensationalism, and certificates are boring.
 
Not sure which episode it was, i've not seen it before but it didn't occur to me that it could have been a repeat :)

I suppose sensationalism is what gets viewers and makes them money, it gripes me when every time I go to look at a job and tell the customer that it's notifiable they look at me as if i've got three heads then think i'm taking the mick.

IMO these shows should be telling the viewer exactly what they mean when they use these terms, instead of just banding them about. It doesn't do the common sparky any good especially when the points raised we not given any justification other then the part p man said no!
 
I think part p man mentioned the cable should not be in the same boxing as the pipes incase the cable made contact with them. Fare enough but the cables were about 3-4 inches away and clipped. As above using shock antics to increase sensationalism. Let me take a look at the house they used, all floor boards up, all connections visible all certs to hand. Bet I could find a few faults of my own.
 
Hang on Paul, it's worth quoting that sensationalism!:

"If the cable in the boxing makes contact with a pipe, it could make the sink a live conductor of a lethal charge of mains electricity"
 
Totally agree IQ, I saw this program last year and think it was an awkward cable run in the kitchen and he had to use the boxing. I would have used pvc trunking in the boxing or find an alternative route. But people want jobs like this cheap and fast. We've probably spent more time discussing this job than what it took him to do.
 
Yea, it could, if all the clips got wobbled out of the wall in one of the earthquakes we get so frequently in the UK, and the outer sheathing and inner insulation were dissolved in some make-believe acid which doesn't run down the wall all the time......
 
Yea, it could, if all the clips got wobbled out of the wall in one of the earthquakes we get so frequently in the UK, and the outer sheathing and inner insulation were dissolved in some make-believe acid which doesn't run down the wall all the time......

Precisely, the murdering *******....
 
Yea, it could, if all the clips got wobbled out of the wall in one of the earthquakes we get so frequently in the UK, and the outer sheathing and inner insulation were dissolved in some make-believe acid which doesn't run down the wall all the time......

and don't forget the mice which will nest round those nice warm pipes and chew the insulation off the cable. not to mention peeing all over it.
 
and don't forget the mice which will nest round those nice warm pipes and chew the insulation off the cable. not to mention peeing all over it.

Yes, the idiot should have used heavy gauge screwed galv conduit on a unistrut frame, I'm sick of these domestic installers with their slap dash selection and erection methods......
 
Yes, the idiot should have used heavy gauge screwed galv conduit on a unistrut frame, I'm sick of these domestic installers with their slap dash selection and erection methods......
so--- an overhead unsupported 1.5mm 3core T/E to feed 3 welders and a 5hp 3phase lathe in the garage is a no go then
 
so--- an overhead unsupported 1.5mm 3core T/E to feed 3 welders and a 5hp 3phase lathe in the garage is a no go then

It's your design, you tell me! :)

But I'd use a 'D' curve breaker.
 
what's wrong with the existing protection, a 4" nail. the installation is just as safe as it was before!!!!!
 
what's wrong with the existing protection, a 4" nail. the installation is just as safe as it was before!!!!!

My mistake, I apologise, sometimes, I just go too far!
 

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C5 Cowboy builders!
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DiscoDave,
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IQ Electrical,
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