Discuss Estate Agents says Fit For Purpose in the DIY Electrical Advice area at ElectriciansForums.net

Welcome to ElectriciansForums.net - The American Electrical Advice Forum
Head straight to the main forums to chat by click here:   American Electrical Advice Forum

Look @S Hughes sounds like you have been through a hard time. Sorry to hear of your troubles. I am sure no one really means to be unkind. And I feel it may be that banter is taken as insult as you are no doubt stressed but think of us again if you do have problems relating to electrics when you are settled in.
 
I'm afraid there's is absolutely nothing you can do. There is no spec on how many sockets or lights or anything like it a garage should have. I'm afraid if you want any work like that done then you'll probably have to pay for it yourself.
 
Hi - keeping with the garage and it's power - it turns out that compressor motors are a heavy starting load. This means it can trip circuit breakers during starting that you perhaps would not have thought. In your case it seems the circuit doesn't have the capacity you need. As the LL is happy as is, I would ask if you could engage his Electrician to add a new 32A circuit for the garage.
 
Assuming the socket is spurred directly from one of those BS3036 30A fuses I would be surprised if it ruptured it.
 
YOU as the tennant should have checked these special needs BEFORE you signed the lease, how does the agent know what you need ?
Your stuff up, not his, There is a working outlet in the garage/shed,that is reasonable and fit for purpose.
 
Your compressor requires a 16A socket and you plugged it into a 13A socket and it overloaded and activated he ocpd? The electrician is right in my opinion
What sort of plug came with the compressor? if it states it requires 16A have you swapped the plug over to fit the socket in the garage?
 
What sort of plug came with the compressor? if it states it requires 16A have you swapped the plug over to fit the socket in the garage?
think from a previous post by OP, it came without a plug fitted, but recommended 16A.
 
another problem with theses compressors that nobody has mentioned, is that if volt drop is excessive due to long cable run or undersized cable, they refuse to start and the windings burn out.
 
Ask your landlord for a copy of the electrical installation condition report (EICR) for the property.
This should tell you if there are any defects, faults, or non compliances and it's safe for continued use.

Unfortunately it is not a legal requirement for land lords to do this, but he does have a legal duty of care to ensure his property is safe electrically. By doing an EICR this ensures it is.

Any decent landlord would get this done.

It is a recommendation to have one done every 5 years or less and change of occupancy.
 
The odd fire in room is about aesthetics, not an electrical issue.

The possitioning of the lights is also about aesthetics, not an electrical issue.

Having one socket in garage is normal. Unless you specified to the agent or landlord your requirements how could they know you wanted more.

Compresors have a very high start up kick. Difficult to comment on as the garage circuit is spured of a house circuit. I don't know what else was in use on that circuit at the same time or what size and type breaker it is on.

You've just gone through a stressful move. All moves are stressful, we all can sympathise with that.
On top of that you moved in a hurry so you didn't have the time to look for and get the property you really wanted.

It may be worth taking your time now and look for a property that would suit your needs better. This time specifying to agent and landlord your requirements.

I did get a very rare dumb from me earlier, but I'm going to remove it as its not very constructive and I can tell your in a bit of a fettle, so maybe a bit more sensitive to issues than normal.
 
another problem with theses compressors that nobody has mentioned, is that if volt drop is excessive due to long cable run or undersized cable, they refuse to start and the windings burn out.

And if the temperature is low and or the compressor has been standing for a while, the compressor oil will be thick and the startup current will be high.
My 2hp compressor needed a "Special" 13amp fuse to guarantee starting when cold.
 
Ask your landlord for a copy of the electrical installation condition report (EICR) for the property.
This should tell you if there are any defects, faults, or non compliances and it's safe for continued use.

Unfortunately it is not a legal requirement for land lords to do this, but he does have a legal duty of care to ensure his property is safe electrically. By doing an EICR this ensures it is.

Any decent landlord would get this done.

It is a recommendation to have one done every 5 years or less and change of occupancy.
Although these are often done for rental properties it would be highly unusual for the landlord to give the tenant a copy of it.
 
Mr Hughes,

I have sympathy for you, as I moved recently and had a not dissimilar problem.

The kitchen has a gas hob that has only two working electric ignitors and in fairness the landlord has said that he will resolve that issue - maybe a replacement hob. Now personally we prefer an electric hob, so I agreed with the landlord that if we supply the hob, he will let me fit it. So far so good, however....

When I pulled the oven unit out, I find that some ---- has installed 2.5 T&E when the house was rewired 5 years ago, and the hob requires a 27A supply. The circuit MCB has been downrated to 20A

Speak to the landlord and tell him that his cooker circuit is not suitable and will need an upgrade, and offer to do the work. However the landlord's Agent has told him in no uncertain terms never to allow a tenant to do any work whatsoever.

So on Monday the landlord's electrician shows up - only an hour and a half late - tells me that it is fine to use 2.5 T&E on a cooker circuit on the basis as the Landlord must have agreed to this when the oven and hob were installed. He decides it will take a day and a half to do the work and obviously the landlord's view on the cost quoted is why should he pay for us wanting an electric hob. I am pretty certain based on the conversations that this is the electrician who fitted this arrangement

Now I have never seen a cooker cct ever wired in to less than a 30 or 45 Amp supply and without a copy of the 17th or I cannot confirm what the requirement is for Cooker circuits and whether or not there is sufficient grounds to claim that it should have been installed to facilitate a high demand cooker. As I see it the cct MCB has been downrated and although not ideal, there is no safety issue here.

Currently I am trying to negotiate that I do the work and the landlords electrician do the testing.

Frankly it leaves a poor taste in the mouth but I am sitting with an electric hob and a wife who does not like gas. Irrespective of that I am going to have to spend my time and money bringing the cooker cct up to the required standard when this is something I should never have to do.

On the basis that the electrician turned up without a MFM and left his voltage tester at a previous job, and so worked live on the other repair jobs I wonder what other little gems await.

Unfortunately the landlord thinks the world to this long established electrician, who from what I gather has not even brought himself up-to-date with the new 18th Edition, and who charges a lot of money for crap like that.

So my friend you have my sympathies and unless you pay for it yourself or can reach an agreement with the landlord you may have to find somewhere else - or get a small generator
 
The garage is fit for purpose because it probably was ok to put a car in it when it was built, but as is often the case nowadays, older garages can't really accommodate modern, bigger cars. As an aside, I once successfully made a claim for a client who bought a brand new build house (UGHH!!) and couldn't fit his Toyota Aygo in the garage...he got several thousand pounds in an out of court settlement. However, if the single socket in the garage meets normal specs then it is fit for purpose. If it isn't safe however, then clearly it isn't. Here in Scotland landlords have to provide an EICR and provide a copy to the tenant...I think this is a good law.
 
Mr Hughes,

I have sympathy for you, as I moved recently and had a not dissimilar problem.

The kitchen has a gas hob that has only two working electric ignitors and in fairness the landlord has said that he will resolve that issue - maybe a replacement hob. Now personally we prefer an electric hob, so I agreed with the landlord that if we supply the hob, he will let me fit it. So far so good, however....

When I pulled the oven unit out, I find that some **** has installed 2.5 T&E when the house was rewired 5 years ago, and the hob requires a 27A supply. The circuit MCB has been downrated to 20A

Speak to the landlord and tell him that his cooker circuit is not suitable and will need an upgrade, and offer to do the work. However the landlord's Agent has told him in no uncertain terms never to allow a tenant to do any work whatsoever.

So on Monday the landlord's electrician shows up - only an hour and a half late - tells me that it is fine to use 2.5 T&E on a cooker circuit on the basis as the Landlord must have agreed to this when the oven and hob were installed. He decides it will take a day and a half to do the work and obviously the landlord's view on the cost quoted is why should he pay for us wanting an electric hob. I am pretty certain based on the conversations that this is the electrician who fitted this arrangement

Now I have never seen a cooker cct ever wired in to less than a 30 or 45 Amp supply and without a copy of the 17th or I cannot confirm what the requirement is for Cooker circuits and whether or not there is sufficient grounds to claim that it should have been installed to facilitate a high demand cooker. As I see it the cct MCB has been downrated and although not ideal, there is no safety issue here.

Currently I am trying to negotiate that I do the work and the landlords electrician do the testing.

Frankly it leaves a poor taste in the mouth but I am sitting with an electric hob and a wife who does not like gas. Irrespective of that I am going to have to spend my time and money bringing the cooker cct up to the required standard when this is something I should never have to do.

On the basis that the electrician turned up without a MFM and left his voltage tester at a previous job, and so worked live on the other repair jobs I wonder what other little gems await.

Unfortunately the landlord thinks the world to this long established electrician, who from what I gather has not even brought himself up-to-date with the new 18th Edition, and who charges a lot of money for crap like that.

So my friend you have my sympathies and unless you pay for it yourself or can reach an agreement with the landlord you may have to find somewhere else - or get a small generator

Why did you accept a place with a gas hob if your wife wants electric? No sympathy I'm afraid. 2.5mm is perfectly OK for an oven which it was installed for.
 
The fire place is the centre of the room because that's where whoever installed decided they wanted it.

While a lot of LL can rb a hole sounds like yours is allright. But if you want to change things it's up to pay for the changes not your LL.
 
Ask to see the electrical test report for the property you are renting to prove it has been tested properly and to confirm it is "fit for purpose".
 
I use a compressor myself and feel for the chap, once you use one they become indispensable. Loss is a sad thing, we shouldn't be so hard. Sadness aside, I think perhaps it was damaged in the move - did the new compressor work on the same socket, no reason why it shouldn't do if fitted with a 13A plug. The op is right to ask this question here. Was the old compressor dated, some old motors can be more inductive and look like a short when first connected - tripping a B type mcb pretty easily - noticed more perhaps with welding machines rather than compressors. Welders are of course a different story... ;)
 

Reply to Estate Agents says Fit For Purpose in the DIY Electrical Advice area at ElectriciansForums.net

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc
This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by Untold Media. Operating under the name Untold Media since 2001.
Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock