LandLadyLu saying Howdo

[LandLadyLu]

Hi everyone. I'm the landlady of Railway Inn in Winchester, a grassroots music venue. I requested to join to increase my understanding of what may be causing the various electrical monsters in our building. I am not an electrician, nor do I have any training, and I will categorically not be doing any electrical works myself because I am fond of being alive.

Running a live music venue in a rickety old Victorian building has seen me become a painter, decorator and plumber (capable up to replacing donut between cistern and bowl and replacing all items in a cistern only) over the last nearly 10 years.

We have a problem in our front bar where a bunch of spotlights aren't working (the bulbs work in other fittings, so it's not dodgy bulbs), but everything else in the room including items on the same ring of the spotlights are just ticketyboo. Got fleeced by a local electrican who didn't fix the issue but charged me for the pleasure of having him on site. We now have a gremlin in an outdoor patio heater.

So my reason for being here is to learn terminology and get ideas of what I should be asking local sparks so they can see I'm not to be fleeced.

Thanks for letting me in!

 

[LukeD]

Get a EICR carried out

 

[littlespark]

From I think everyone’s experience on here, the two worst places to work on electrics are farms, and unfortunately, pubs.

You have had a bad experience with one electrician, but please be assured we aren’t all bad.

 

[James]

Patio heater should not be tough to diagnose.

 

[davesparks]

Get a EICR carried out

That won't fix the issues.

 

[timhoward]

I'm trying to get out of my head the thought that @telectrix would probably once have walked to Winchester on the promise of a pint or two and fixed the lights after hours in a lock-in before venturing out to find the nearest kebab shop....

 

[LukeD]

That won't fix the issues.

But they wanted a good "foundation" to try and stop themselves from been ripped off .A Good EICR person will highlight issues .This will allow better knowledge of the building and also warn them of anything else that might be an issue or dangerous .

 

[mainline]

But they wanted a good "foundation" to try and stop themselves from been ripped off .A Good EICR person will highlight issues .This will allow better knowledge of the building and also warn them of anything else that might be an issue or dangerous .

What they want is the lights and patio heater working.
An Eicr is for fixed wiring.

Would you take your car for a mot if the lights aren't working.

 

[bill01803]

Hi Lu, welcome to the forum.

I had a very entertaining evening a couple of years ago in your pub.

Can you not get a recommend of someone local who is qualified and not a rip off artist.

 

[Lou]

Hi welcome to the forum!

We have a lot of really experienced guys and gals on here. Perhaps someone from the forum could pay you a visit in Winchester?

 

[LukeD]

What they want is the lights and patio heater working.
An Eicr is for fixed wiring.

Would you take your car for a mot if the lights aren't working.

Patio heater.... hows it been fed and what part is the issue ? Has the wiring to the heater connection been fully tested to either prove the heater is the issue of the fixed wiring is the issue . As for the lights .It might just be connections ? If they are surface mounted then dead easy to work out whats wrong . Could be fixed wiring issue or fittings .Just because they are on a FRC does not mean they are really on it . Someone could have spurred off ?

 

[brianmoooore]

Would you take your car for a mot if the lights aren't working.

Plenty do, and fail because of it. Never fails to amaze me how many people submit a car for an MOT with blatantly obvious, easily fixed failure points.

 

[LukeD]

Plenty do, and fail because of it. Never fails to amaze me how many people submit a car for an MOT with blatantly obvious, easily fixed failure points.

True...I use council /government MOT's depot as they have no "vested interest " in failing a Test and hoping for the work to get it through .Shame EICR's are done the same !!!

 

[DefyG]

An Eicr is for fixed wiring.

An EICR could be applied to a single, several or all circuits but in this case carrying out a single circuit EICR would almost certainly identify the fault/cause and may just rectify it at the time and would effectively be just a 'call out' to a single circuit fault!

 

[mainline]

An EICR could be applied to a single, several or all circuits but in this case carrying out a single circuit EICR would almost certainly identify the fault/cause and may just rectify it at the time and would effectively be just a 'call out' to a single circuit fault!

it could take longer to write a report than it would to fix the fault.

 

[DefyG]

Exactly

 

[MDJ]

.

We have a problem in our front bar where a bunch of spotlights aren't working (the bulbs work in other fittings, so it's not dodgy bulbs),

well obviously the issue is the lights, there can be many reasons why, a dodgy switch, a dodgy connection, a dodgy circuit breaker, the only way is to bite the bullet and get an electrician in, forget the first one you employed, he sounds like a bad one, they are rare, there is no way we can sort this out for you on here without seeing it.

 

[LukeD]

well obviously the issue is the lights, there can be many reasons why, a dodgy switch, a dodgy connection, a dodgy circuit breaker, the only way is to bite the bullet and get an electrician in, forget the first one you employed, he sounds like a bad one, they are rare, there is no way we can sort this out for you on here without seeing it.

Having said that ...Photos can help/ My first check would be to see what type of fitting or fittings are used. Then also to see how they have been connected .Chances are its a "spur" . If it is and its disconnected . if its a track system etc for pro lighting etc etc . Just buy a new one and have it fitted .Who ever fits it should test it all back to the consumer anyway .

 

[LukeD]

2 mins of Google and its obvious you seem to have pro lighting . Do you not have a house engineer/electrician at hand ? . Looks a lovely place !