It makes you shudder!

[wildgoose]

Was in a rental property in the week preparing for a long overdue rewiring of the house. Junk piled high in all rooms which needed to by tidied up before we even thought about starting the job. Also some horrible stinking cats - hate cats!

Managed to open the meter cupboard door and there were wires patched in everywhere. The 3 small fuse boxes were the old black MEM cast versions - cobwebs in abundance ! Did't appear to be any earth at all, apart from the 4mm bond to water pipe but evidence that a TNS earth connection had at some time been clamped to the incoming supply line. Two loosely fitted Henley blocks dangled around with a lengths of the old 'Vulcanised Indian Rubber' cable connected into it (2.5mm/1.5mm equivalent cable). This cable looked like the 1940's stuff with crumbling rubber outer sheath and cloth covered cores.

People were living in this place and they were actually arsey because we asked for it to be tidied up to give us access for the rewire.

This is the sort of situation that really annoys me - people just don't perceive or care about safety?? There will have to be a few more electrocutions happening to force legislation through so that installations like this have to get fixed by law long before they reach this state!

 

[telectrix]

as long as the telly comes on when you press the button, who cares? it works, dunnit?

 

[needasparks]

as long as the telly comes on when you press the button, who cares? it works, dunnit?

That would be the 50 inch plasma and xbox that they use when they get out of bed at lunchtime then.

 

[telectrix]

you mean the one that was paid for with the incapacity benefit - the guy with the bad back - bad because he spent too much time lying on it?

 

[Paul.M]

It woud be great if the insurnce companies didnt pay out on electrical fault claims unless you had a cert for an in date EICR but i cant see that happening any time soon.

 

[Guitarist]

Why should they tidy up for you mate? I bet they don't even want the rewire!
Very sad state this Country is in....

 

[wildgoose]

What particularly annoyed me was the crumbling old rubber socket power cable, feeding the fuse boxes directly off the 100amp service fuse !!!!!!!!!!!

The house was also in a Terrace, so if there was a fire then there's a real risk to adjoining properties each side.

 

[oldtimer]

I do work in rental properties and it can come down to good landlords and bad ones also one other point yes we are big on electrical safety but Joe Public would rather spend £900 on that big telly as he does not care about that wee box under the stair

 

[wildgoose]

Unfortunately our trade has little percieved value until things go wrong.

Customers can have a cheap emulsion job done and all the friends will notice - "Oh that looks nice", but saying to them that your fusebox has just been renewed giving RCD protection throughout and they go "Ur - what's that mean - how much????"

Too many people are proud to be dumb - it's trendy.

 

[Guitarist]

Unfortunately our trade has little percieved value until things go wrong.

Customers can have a cheap emulsion job done and all the friends will notice - "Oh that looks nice", but saying to them that your fusebox has just been renewed giving RCD protection throughout and they go "Ur - what's that mean - how much????"

Too many people are proud to be dumb - it's trendy.

It's all a front. Everyone wants to be smart, but when they're not, they get defensive and say things like "ooo, listen to Mr smartypants. Thinks he's so much cleverer than us."
Agree that there's little value in things you can't see though. What do people see for a 3 grand rewire? A few new sockets and switches...

 

[Adam W]

It woud be great if the insurnce companies didnt pay out on electrical fault claims unless you had a cert for an in date EICR but i cant see that happening any time soon.

... You mean how the same insurance companies won't pay out on your car insurance, or will at least reduce the value of the payout if you haven't got a valid MOT certificate?
Sounds very sensible to me.

 

[ipf]

It's all a front. Everyone wants to be smart, but when they're not, they get defensive and say things like "ooo, listen to Mr smartypants. Thinks he's so much cleverer than us."
Agree that there's little value in things you can't see though. What do people see for a 3 grand rewire? A few new sockets and switches...

And a certificate.....sometimes.

 

[Adam W]

Apart from being a rental property with some arsey messy tenants and some cats, what is there to suggest they are dole-dossing layabouts?
In a rental property you would almost expect everything to have been cobbled together on the cheap, because these landlords see the property as an investment rather than somewhere nice to live.
I should know - I live in a rented property. I'm not the tidiest guy in the world either, but I work at least 40 hours most weeks.

My telly is 15" BTW. I don't really watch it, it usually just sits there, "on".

 

[oldtimer]

Mind you we should take up painting these guys can charge £400 a room with you supplying the materials yet dont have to bother about certifying the job and no come backs yet we have to do more training and the customer does not want to pay more than £250 as this is the average cost they seen on the internet

 

[oldtimer]

Apart from being a rental property with some arsey messy tenants and some cats, what is there to suggest they are dole-dossing layabouts?
In a rental property you would almost expect everything to have been cobbled together on the cheap, because these landlords see the property as an investment rather than somewhere nice to live.
I should know - I live in a rented property. I'm not the tidiest guy in the world either, but I work at least 40 hours most weeks.



My telly is 15" BTW. I don't really watch it, it usually just sits there, "on".

You have a point Adam I have been in some houses where the owner is letting it all hang out so its not fair to say that all rentals are wasters

 

[Guitarist]

Apart from being a rental property with some arsey messy tenants and some cats, what is there to suggest they are dole-dossing layabouts?
In a rental property you would almost expect everything to have been cobbled together on the cheap, because these landlords see the property as an investment rather than somewhere nice to live.
I should know - I live in a rented property. I'm not the tidiest guy in the world either, but I work at least 40 hours most weeks.

My telly is 15" BTW. I don't really watch it, it usually just sits there, "on".

You are right Adam...we shouldn't generalise. Next we'll be generalising that plumbers earn more than electricians for doing a bit of "big boy" mechano.

 

[wildgoose]

You are right Adam...we shouldn't generalise. Next we'll be generalising that plumbers earn more than electricians for doing a bit of "big boy" mechano.

Or that Gas Safe fitters are far more important than electricians - well they are around here and they can charge a lot more and don't forget, you can't buy their very very specialised gear in the big sheds either!

 

[needasparks]

I also do many rented properties and have come up against the same issues of them not wanting the work carried out.
Must admit on some occasions i have said to the tennants ''I bet your electric bill must behuge using these old cables, It should be much better when the new ones are in'' Amazing how helpful they then become.

 

[Guitarist]

I also do many rented properties and have come up against the same issues of them not wanting the work carried out.
Must admit on some occasions i have said to the tennants ''I bet your electric bill must behuge using these old cables, It should be much better when the new ones are in'' Amazing how helpful they then become.

That's just cheeky....I like it

 

[needasparks]

That's just cheeky....I like it

You have to get up early to catch me out, unfortunately for them its not an option.