Image showing effects of consumer unit fire!

[Gavin John Hyde]

This popper up on my twitter feed tonight, shows a house gutted in Greater London from fire due to a consumer unit fire.... Make sure you double check your terminations and installs and it can almost always be avoided if you do things properly.

 

[Dillb]

Fire brigades are noturious for blaming fires on electrical faults, without actually pinpointing exactly what it was so probalbly woryh taki g this with a pinch of salt.

As for telling us to double check tightness I would like to think that people do that as a second nature without actually having to think about it.

 

[Adam W]

Have you ever noticed how whenever there is a fire anywhere the fire brigade are always hanging around nearby?
Just saying...

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Have you ever noticed how whenever there is a fire anywhere the fire brigade are always hanging around nearby?
Just saying...

They always get into fights with them..they cant help it.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Fire brigades are noturious for blaming fires on electrical faults, without actually pinpointing exactly what it was so probalbly woryh taki g this with a pinch of salt.

As for telling us to double check tightness I would like to think that people do that as a second nature without actually having to think about it.

I would like to think its 2nd nature too. See far too many loose wires though.

 

[123]

I see far too many loose wires, and connections. Seen many a faceplate connections burnt out, and many MCB's, RCD's, Fuses etc burnt out. Never seen a house burnt down due to them though, or anything close.

 

[elsparko]

Fire brigades are noturious for blaming fires on electrical faults, without actually pinpointing exactly what it was so probalbly woryh taki g this with a pinch of salt.

As for telling us to double check tightness I would like to think that people do that as a second nature without actually having to think about it.

not true, i was doing an eicr on a very new property that was about to be leased out, cooker mcb had about 15mm of copper showing above terminal, switched it off and gave it a little pull and out it came

only decent sparkies check their connections are tight

 

[123]

not true, i was doing an eicr on a very new property that was about to be leased out, cooker mcb had about 15mm of copper showing above terminal, switched it off and gave it a little pull and out it came

only decent sparkies check their connections are tight

You are an apprentice, why the hell are you doing an EICR???

 

[elsparko]

You are an apprentice, why the hell are you doing an EICR???

because im very good.

 

[cliffed]

Well said

 

[Pete999]

Fire brigades are noturious for blaming fires on electrical faults, without actually pinpointing exactly what it was so probalbly woryh taki g this with a pinch of salt.

As for telling us to double check tightness I would like to think that people do that as a second nature without actually having to think about it.

Agree Dillb, we all used to check, but today? who knows what or who is doing electrical work?

 

[Dillb]

Agree Dillb, we all used to check, but today? who knows what or who is doing electrical work?

But hey a fire rated enclosure or DB will help solve the problem wont it

 

[Midwest]

Over the course of a working lifetime, connecting & double checking thousands, possibly millions of terminations, do you not think you might just leave the odd one or two loose?

We are all human, prone to make mistakes.

 

[Pete999]

But hey a fire rated enclosure or DB will help solve the problem wont it

Now you are taking the proverbial? best way would be to improve training.
Because in my opinion, poor training and Plastic Electricians are the main cause of consumers unit fires. Seems that the main thing these days is to make the install of CUs look pretty, cable tie all the conductors together, take pictures and post them on line, hoping they will get brownie points, rather than, ensuring the connections etc are done properly.
Saying that, doesn't mean it should look carp, but safety is the best option, By the way, good morning, have a good day.

 

[littlespark]

I did a board change a couple months ago - everything hunky dory.
Got a call back to same house last week, asked the guy what was wrong. He said the shower wasn't working. I asked what actually was happening with the shower?
"Some smoke" was the reply.
A "friend of the family" had changed the guys shower since my board change.
Cover off, the neutral was black instead of blue.... crispy and brittle insulation. A little tug and it just falls out the terminal block. Same with the c.p.c.
Pulled spare cable out the wall, new bit of block, reterminated, tested and everything good again.

Sorry, no photos. But it shows you how easy a loose termination can start overheating, and may, in the right circumstances, cause a serious fire.

 

[Pete999]

I did a board change a couple months ago - everything hunky dory.
Got a call back to same house last week, asked the guy what was wrong. He said the shower wasn't working. I asked what actually was happening with the shower?
"Some smoke" was the reply.
A "friend of the family" had changed the guys shower since my board change.
Cover off, the neutral was black instead of blue.... crispy and brittle insulation. A little tug and it just falls out the terminal block. Same with the c.p.c.
Pulled spare cable out the wall, new bit of block, reterminated, tested and everything good again.

Sorry, no photos. But it shows you how easy a loose termination can start overheating, and may, in the right circumstances, cause a serious fire.

Hope you charged him, did he start to blame you for the problem? bet the answer is in the affirmative, be surprised if it isn't.

 

[littlespark]

He paid me over what I asked for because I came out so quick.
He didn't blame me at all... he blamed his "family friend"
Good customer, and hopefully i'll get more work from him as he's lost trust in getting non-qualified people in

 

[elsparko]

He paid me over what I asked for because I came out so quick.
He didn't blame me at all... he blamed his "family friend"
Good customer, and hopefully i'll get more work from him as he's lost trust in getting non-qualified people in

get the guy who installed the shower to come back round, grab him by the finger, and push his finger the wrong way and try to make it touch his wrist, see if he still wants to be an electrician after that

 

[westward10]

You need anger management.

 

[Adam W]

get the guy who installed the shower to come back round, grab him by the finger, and push his finger the wrong way and try to make it touch his wrist, see if he still wants to be an electrician after that

 

[elsparko]

You need anger management.

 

[elsparko]

 

[Midwest]

You need anger management.

I'd suggest elsparko tries some prayer beads.

 

[7029 dave]

I have had loads of tails drop out off DP isolator, the wylex type flat compression, the cable needs to be flat and not kept in its round form. (tip)

 

[johnduffell]

As long as you twist them together enough they should be ok.

 

[a-z electrics]

Heres one I looked at just last week.. I was only checking out cooker circuit tripping rcd and big melted hole in kitchen rfc fuse holder!! Thought it was an overload at first but no, just loose phase wires.