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Discuss Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views! in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net
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For a kitchen circuit? toaster and kettle.... pop!
Just shows that wylex breakers do NOT fit an MK board
Just shows that wylex breakers do NOT fit an MK board
Yes. Why I was called!
That's assuming they knew such a thing was available. I've come across a few sparkys who have no idea what's available - and won't enquire. One example :
I was doing a network install for a client, and their contractor's sparks was doing the dado trunking - some rather nice Rehau stuff. I quite likes some of the details, like the way the lid for the bottom section was integral to the back, so formed a tray that cables would stay in by gravity rather than the usual faff trying to get the cables to stay put while you get the bottom cover on.
On one run I had to fit 24 network cables plus a 10 pair phone cable in, and he'd left me just the small section at the top - while using all the rest for 2xRFCs (4off 2.5mm T&E) and a 10mm bonding cable ? First thing he was 110% certain of was that only the mains can go in the middle/bottom section and network cables must go in the top section - otherwise they aren't isolated. Apparently, the plastic used in this trunking only insulated one way round ?
So I mentioned adding a divider to make it into 3 section trunking. "Doesn't exist" he stated with complete authority. Unfortunately, back then I still had a rather basic phone, and that together with a poor signal meant I couldn't look it up on site - to find that yes, they do in fact do a divider. Had I known I'd have just insisted on getting the divider, but not being able to say "yes it exists" there and then, there wasn't enough time without holding the whole job up.
Luckily there was an alternative route I could take the phone cable, it was just more work.
TBH, his workmanship was top notch, he was just an idiot who didn't understand how sectioned trunking works or what's available.
And for good measure, he said "it must be nice when someone else does all the hard work for you". In a rare case of self control (bear in mind I'm autistic and tend to say exactly what I'm thinking), I managed not to give him some rather painful instructions as to what he could do to himself.
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I like the way they carefully notched the plastic to achieve a perfect fit ...
9/10 for effort
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PTFE......plumbers tape for everything
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Met a few like that brilliant at what they could do, but when you need to think outside the box a bit to find solution absolutely pants.
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some diy disasters for your viewing pleasure.
This one is from a factory how many bodges!
Mm earth not long enough then!
Yes that is 1.5mm t&e into .75mm flex from a 30a ring final?
Same again mix of .75 and 1mm flex feeding multiple socket outlets all off 3036 30a fuse!
Pond spaghetti anyone, all outside in a dripping wet brick pillar no rcd all in 1.5 t&e no earth connected and the black flex was cut off in the garden still live inches from metal railings around the pond. Lethal! All this was also from 3036 30a fuse. Not any more all removed!
Sy
This one is from a factory how many bodges!
Mm earth not long enough then!
Yes that is 1.5mm t&e into .75mm flex from a 30a ring final?
Same again mix of .75 and 1mm flex feeding multiple socket outlets all off 3036 30a fuse!
Pond spaghetti anyone, all outside in a dripping wet brick pillar no rcd all in 1.5 t&e no earth connected and the black flex was cut off in the garden still live inches from metal railings around the pond. Lethal! All this was also from 3036 30a fuse. Not any more all removed!
Sy
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Good haul, remind me not to visit.
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Ohh dear, time for a rewire then.
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bit of
The electrical equivalent of "Its just a flesh wound"?
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yeah, it's only 2 arms.
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That wiring is still good for another 30 years
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Got 9 bollards with a 0.08 N-E IR, all jointed underground with a flex coming through a concrete block. Mini digger coming tomorrow to break the lot of these out and to be re done in proper torpedos , or where possible both armoured brought into the new bollards. Installation less than 3 years old
yes that is a flex through a SWA gland with some tape to thicken it up.
yes that is a flex through a SWA gland with some tape to thicken it up.
Attachments
So they are normal non-sealed boxes with some attempt to pot with resin or whatever?
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Galv Tees with some form of resin poorly poured. Best thing about the job is the Wagos. Honestly I’ve spent a day trying to break this circuit down, from the R1R2 reading we estimate this circuit is about 250 metres long 2.5mm lighting circuit.
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Fixed that for you.
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Ah..... the 62nd of January, 2000..... what a day!
Yes, I remember it as well. The 62nd day of my Y2K hangover...
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Try waiting for an appointment for a consultant to let you drive after an operation.
Got a brand new van outside house and cannot take it out the driveway till I get the OK.
Appointment is 9th February (called early January and that was the next one available)
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Losing the will to live. 2 of us spent a few weeks at a commercial site disconnecting/removing unsafe wiring and testing repairing what could be saved when a company opened a new depot in an older unused site.
Half of the site was separated to be rented out, so we split the circuits on that side into a new DB via a sub meter, all thoroughly tested and inspected as quite a number of shoddy/unsafe diy alterations had been carried out by the previous owners, a shame as the original ~50 year old installation was installed to an exemplary standard. All defects were removed or faulty circuits disconnected for future repair if they were needed, and the area was safe to use by the new tenants.
Back there today, new tenants moved in a week or 2 ago, and we are being contracted by the landlord to repair the lighting in the workshop area of the rented side as this was now required, previously disconnected by us due to unsafe switching alterations that led to shared neutrals, circuits from different mcbs linked and other serious defects.
One of the parts disconnected was this:
When the wall was there there was a buried steel conduit going into and one going out of a socket. The wall was removed at some point, the conduits were cut at floor level and the singles were run buried direct in a chase to some wall sockets, the earth was by the metal back box touching the conduits. Of course there was now no earth continuity to any of the new sockets or the ongoing existing one after this alteration. There was enough sockets in the room from a fairly recent dado installation so these low level sockets were stripped out. I thought that would be the end of it.
I was wrong again. A new stud wall has been fitted and the wiring shown above has been joined onto some singles, (I think one of the cut off ring legs pulled out of the butchered conduit) up the stud wall to a new socket position. No CPC either. I just couldn't believe it, I couldn't fu****g believe it.
I don't know why I wasted my time removing the defects if they were going to be put back in even worse than before. I don't know where they planned to get the supply from as the entire circuit is chopped out at the other end.
Half of the site was separated to be rented out, so we split the circuits on that side into a new DB via a sub meter, all thoroughly tested and inspected as quite a number of shoddy/unsafe diy alterations had been carried out by the previous owners, a shame as the original ~50 year old installation was installed to an exemplary standard. All defects were removed or faulty circuits disconnected for future repair if they were needed, and the area was safe to use by the new tenants.
Back there today, new tenants moved in a week or 2 ago, and we are being contracted by the landlord to repair the lighting in the workshop area of the rented side as this was now required, previously disconnected by us due to unsafe switching alterations that led to shared neutrals, circuits from different mcbs linked and other serious defects.
One of the parts disconnected was this:
When the wall was there there was a buried steel conduit going into and one going out of a socket. The wall was removed at some point, the conduits were cut at floor level and the singles were run buried direct in a chase to some wall sockets, the earth was by the metal back box touching the conduits. Of course there was now no earth continuity to any of the new sockets or the ongoing existing one after this alteration. There was enough sockets in the room from a fairly recent dado installation so these low level sockets were stripped out. I thought that would be the end of it.
I was wrong again. A new stud wall has been fitted and the wiring shown above has been joined onto some singles, (I think one of the cut off ring legs pulled out of the butchered conduit) up the stud wall to a new socket position. No CPC either. I just couldn't believe it, I couldn't fu****g believe it.
I don't know why I wasted my time removing the defects if they were going to be put back in even worse than before. I don't know where they planned to get the supply from as the entire circuit is chopped out at the other end.
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I honestly would keep the wiska box above around attached to small wooden spike
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Nice work , exactly how I would do it ...
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looks good.
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I do love the storm glands they are great, much better than the cw ones. @ChrisElectrical88 do you not use the wiska earthing plates or piranha nuts for the swa glands? They too make life soo much easier!
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I normally will use the Piranha nuts mate, wholesalers run out though and this was sort of dropped on me yesterday. Banjos are bolted on the outside rear of the Wiska box, bit rough, but all I could do with what was available
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Didn't think earthing nuts fitted those boxes which is why Wiska developed those earthing plates.
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@ChrisElectrical88 sounds typical of the wholesalers at the moment. All you can do is the best with what's available!
@westward10 Quite possibly not on the 308 size box I think you are right that is why the earth plates were created, but I'm sure I've used earth nuts on either the wiska or wago box of one size or another and they worked in the past.
@westward10 Quite possibly not on the 308 size box I think you are right that is why the earth plates were created, but I'm sure I've used earth nuts on either the wiska or wago box of one size or another and they worked in the past.
Micktw68
Arms
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Yep, piranhas don't fit. Also the Wiska earth bars are different for the two sizes of boxes ( ask me how I found out)
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Curious to know if most Sparks keep a stock of items like this, if they're only used periodically, or if they prefer to buy as and when required?
Not trying to be critical, but genuinely curious about the approach that people take. My mindset demands that every possible eventuality is covered in my own work, rather than having to run errands, but the downside of that is having a lot of money tied up all the time.
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I nearly always have two black Wiska 308s and a couple of packs of earthing plates, they can get you out of all sorts.
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It was this thread that got me thinking, but over the years the tradesmen I've employed generally have to run to a wholesaler, even on relatively minor jobs.
Last year I had a tiler stretch an estimated 2 day job to 5 days, with probably 8-10 wholesaler runs in total. Don't ask me what a tiler could possibly need that necessitated so many supply runs!
Unbelievable isn’t it, we all need to wholesaler runs but I’m on a job with kitchen/bathroom installation with a company I’ve not worked with before and they are taking the p**s with timescale and progression of job when they were pressuring me with the electrics I’ve done a couple of late nights to ensure their next day isn’t hampered and then they let customer down and turn up for little bit swan off and is frustrating anyway rant over wrong thread to rant ??
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kitchen / bathroom fitters are the worst for dragging things out , the times I made wasted trips to go to a job to find it’s no ready or the stupid fitters have forgotten to meet me and I can’t get in the house...
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Correct, the nuts dont fit that size of Wiska box
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We keep several sizes of Wiska box on the van in black and white. Earthing nuts, gel, 20 x wago boxes in lite and normal, large Wago boxes and Hager MF boxes etc. Saying that the nearest wholesaler is 1.45 hours away so we cant just 'nip anywhere ?
Micktw68
Arms
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I do a couple of days a week for a firm of kitchen fitters, these boys are the exception to the rule, they do a pre fit survey-usually a fortnight to a month in advance ,send me a list of currently installed accessories/CU and what condition its in (visual). I then get a copy of the drawings showing new positions and any new equipment thats to be installed along with decent photos of board etc etc allowing me to make a decision on whether the installation may need upgrading or existing can be utilised (invariably its rewired) and allowing me to get the required parts before arriving onsite .They send in a rip out crew on the Monday, taking all the old kitchen out, bash off tiles and expose any of the usually crappy previous install. I go in on Tuesday and start performing usually allowed two days to get my part done. No delays or waiting around for parts.....now working for builders/developer, thats another story ?
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You're a lucky man, most builders/kitchen fitters I have been involved with have no consideration except for themselves.
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