Terrible discoveries

[David M]

What terrible discoveries have you made over the years in the trade?

This one I discovered plastered over (literally) in a bathroom.

These cables came into the box from all angles. The junction turned out to be used for the ring circuit, immersion heater, central heating control and some upstairs lighting.Some of which had been interconnected.

A few Years back I went out to a house in town. The young lady there had just taken over the tenancy along with her new born baby. Her lighting had tripped and she could not get in contact with the landlord, so she phoned a friend for help who turned out to be one of my previous customers. Anyway I agreed to take a look, I could not believe what I was seeing when I got there. The complete electrical installation was still in, what was now a totally eroded v.i.r wiring system with the old wood and baker light fittings! After I'd isolated the whole supply I did a little bit of inspection. As I pulled up the already exposed landing floor boards there was a whoosh of air. Who ever had nailed down the boards had nailed through the lead gas main running across the landing joists! The pipe now resembled a long flute! also the now exposed conductors of the lighting circuits were draped over and in places wrapped around the pipe, it was madness

Hasten to say the young lady moved out that night and in with friends, the landlord was contacted and agreed to have a full re-wire and replace the gas pipes. In my opinion the tight git should have been prosecuted for letting out such a hazardous property. He had been the proprietor for many years so should have been aware it desperately needed upgrading!

 

[Geordie Spark]

Pah!!

I can beat that!!

I discovered that my maternal granny was a Scouser and I could be distantly related to Tel.

 

[Silly Sausage]

I discovered that my maternal granny was a Scouser and I could be distantly related to Tel.

NO NO NO, tell me it isn't true!!!

 

[JD6400]

Pah!!

I can beat that!!

I discovered that my maternal granny was a Scouser and I could be distantly related to Tel.

GASP !!!

Sorry Mike , but needs must sometimes .:ihih:

 

[bigdavs83]

Doing my apprenticeship with the local authority and went to change an old boys storage heater. It was the big 3.4 kW number in the living room. It's behind that couch he says. No problem I'll move the couch and get the old one disconnected. Moved the couch to be greeted with an almighty mound of cat ---- directly in front of the heater!! Popped the couch back and informed the old boy we would be back another day. Managed to back heel it to one of the other boys!! Result!!

 

[kingeri]

A fake 'anti-arcing' device installed next to CU, customer was charged loads of money for an empty adaptable box.

 

[Doomed]

etc etc etc

 

[R G]

I went to a job with an apprentice , and the lady says she has just moved in and all 3 of her TVs have packed up , when we took a closer look at the wiring at the mains position under the stairs we spotted some coax cables joined into a biscuit tin on the floor and a supply wired straight from the old porcelain fuses in an old wooden board , traced this under the floor boards to all coax points in each room that were fed from this board , the previous owner had obviously done some DIY and this new owner had assumed they were coax tv points , livening up the aerial inputs .had to disconnect it all there and then .....

 

[ian.settle1]

NO NO NO, tell me it isn't true!!!

Could be worse she could be related to a Manc

 

[Silly Sausage]

Could be worse she could be related to a Manc

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/laughing/laughing-my-----off-smiley-emoticon.gif

 

[PEG]

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etc etc etc

Dear Doomed, when i gave you those two free weeks in my holiday let,i had no idea you would be bringing your camera.
Please be advised that your booking for next August,has been cancelled. Yours, Mr.Fiddler. :icon12:

 

[TJ Anderson]

Oh, I thought this was a Land Rover thread.

 

[guest119]

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Wrong thread D, belongs in Show us Your Installs:ack2: ...

 

[trev]

The guy I was apprenticed to was a nasty mean tempered bugger who would lash out if and when I made a mistake (that's the back story btw) (most of you know it anyway)
So we went to a very nice victorian terraced house to do a rewire. Mr was a councillor, Mrs was a college lecturer (might have been the other way round but never mind) She was very heavily pregnant. All the furniture apart from a few odds and sods had been put in storage so we were looking at a pretty free reign on this one.
We kept finding these cotton wool balls lying around with some sort of strange cream coloured residue on them.
So I've got my arm under the floor boards one day when my mentor comes barging in to the room, blue with rage, he screams at me to pack my tools and leave right now (only a little more direct than that). Now I'm wondering what the hell I've done and I'm trying to ask him what the problem was but he just screamed at me again, pack your tools and go. Eventually he told me to wait by his car.
So now I'm thinking maybe it's not something so bad that I've done.
It wasn't me at all.
Bill had found a leaflet which explained how a cream to combat a "downstairs" infection should be used.
We refused to go back until the whole place was cleared.

 

[David M]

A few years back as we began to pull up floorboards in a house we were going to re-wire my colleague discovered bees and lots of them. He ran outside screaming like a girl and I followed not far behind. It turned out that there was a hive under the suspended downstairs floor. the owner of the property claimed to have no knowledge of the hive and put down the number of bees as due to the large flower garden surrounding the property.
I was amazed by it mg_smile:

 

[Leesparkykent]

The guy I was apprenticed to was a nasty mean tempered bugger who would lash out if and when I made a mistake (that's the back story btw) (most of you know it anyway)
So we went to a very nice victorian terraced house to do a rewire. Mr was a councillor, Mrs was a college lecturer (might have been the other way round but never mind) She was very heavily pregnant. All the furniture apart from a few odds and sods had been put in storage so we were looking at a pretty free reign on this one.
We kept finding these cotton wool balls lying around with some sort of strange cream coloured residue on them.
So I've got my arm under the floor boards one day when my mentor comes barging in to the room, blue with rage, he screams at me to pack my tools and leave right now (only a little more direct than that). Now I'm wondering what the hell I've done and I'm trying to ask him what the problem was but he just screamed at me again, pack your tools and go. Eventually he told me to wait by his car.
So now I'm thinking maybe it's not something so bad that I've done.
It wasn't me at all.
Bill had found a leaflet which explained how a cream to combat a "downstairs" infection should be used.
We refused to go back until the whole place was cleared.

haha, reminds me about a time i was wiring a new build block of flats, the brick layers were still on site as was timber frame and they was putting the brick skin round the outside. there was a general site labourer, we was all sat in the site hut having lunch and the site labourer pipes up and says i keep finding wet wipes dotted around the scaffolding, it peeing me off having to pick them up, then one of the brick layers ( just to add he was the loud and proud type) proceeded to tell the labourer that when hes working and his arse crack gets sweaty he gives it a wipe and lobs them of the scaffolding for him to pick up, it was also the end of July and blazing hot. what an absolute wrongen! lol

 

[Knobhead]

Being told I had three teenage daughters knocked me back a bit.

 

[trev]

Being told I had three teenage daughters knocked me back a bit.

Try being told your 16 yo daughter is presenting you with a grandson in a few weeks.
The day before an I&T practical. That was a fun day out

 

[Knobhead]

I’ve given up all hope of ever being a granddad.

 

[trev]

I’ve given up all hope of ever being a granddad.

Best job I ever had mate. My boss is a bit demanding though
You'll get your turn sooner or later