Freelance kitchen fitter doing electrical work.

Andy-1960 · Dec 15, 2018

Popped in my Sisters house earlier today to see how she was getting on having a new kitchen fitted.
First impressions were quite good, install of units so far seemed good, new floor was good, my sister then pointed out the new sockets that he had installed.
Sockets were loose ready for him to tile behind, had a quick look - radial feed from existing socket outlet feeding three doubles and the spur for the cooker extractor and earth sleeving in sight, cables run diagonally, so many errors in such a small job. Highlighted this to my sister, but she just wants kitchen finished for Christmas and doesn’t want it to cost her any more money as putting it right now means undoing quite a lot of work.
I’m not happy, but guess this guy will get away with it as he has many times before no doubt.
I know where he’s fed it all from, so I will fit a spur on the radial when he’s gone.
Oh.. his method for proving dead... a neon screwdriver!
Thing is, how do we stop these people doing this?

SparkieMarky · Dec 17, 2018

I seem to come across a lot of this sort of thing (like everyone else here I suspect). Sadly it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference whether they are part of a scheme or not as I see some atrocious work supposedly carried out by competent persons. Personally I don't think part P works at all and is just another pointless money ground. It certainly hasn't done much to drive poor workmanship out of domestic electrical work!

Most recent job was on a house that had been rewired around 5 years ago, homeowner had building control cert but hadn't been given an electrical installation certificate. Considering the quality of workmanship I wasn't surprised and they were supposedly a member of one of the more reputable schemes!

Considering it was modest 3 bedroom house that had been extended to include a fourth bedroom they had been left with 5 socket circuits and 4 lighting circuits, a new cooker cable that had been damaged when it was pulled in, hidden non maintenance free junction boxes all over the place, unsupported cables, undersized main earth and more. The image below shows the state that the service head etc. was left in.

[ElectriciansForums.net] Freelance kitchen fitter doing electrical work.

telectrix · Dec 17, 2018

SparkieMarky said:
I seem to come across a lot of this sort of thing (like everyone else here I suspect). Sadly it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference whether they are part of a scheme or not as I see some atrocious work supposedly carried out by competent persons. Personally I don't think part P works at all and is just another pointless money ground. It certainly hasn't done much to drive poor workmanship out of domestic electrical work!

Most recent job was on a house that had been rewired around 5 years ago, homeowner had building control cert but hadn't been given an electrical installation certificate. Considering the quality of workmanship I wasn't surprised and they were supposedly a member of one of the more reputable schemes!

Considering it was modest 3 bedroom house that had been extended to include a fourth bedroom they had been left with 5 socket circuits and 4 lighting circuits, a new cooker cable that had been damaged when it was pulled in, hidden non maintenance free junction boxes all over the place, unsupported cables, undersized main earth and more. The image below shows the state that the service head etc. was left in.

View attachment 46523

did spiderman install that mess?

Deuce · Dec 17, 2018

Andy-1960 said:
...
Oh.. his method for proving dead... a neon screwdriver!
Thing is, how do we stop these people doing this?

Just wait for their screwdriver to give a false negative.. It'll happen at some point.

I actually had to steal my old mans one and replace it with a cheap tester to stop him using it!!

I had already pointed out that they were far from infallible. "What if the lamp fails or the connection fails, how would you know!?" I said. "I would know as it wouldn't light up anymore" was the reply.

pe2dave · Dec 22, 2018

You can see your sisters pov? I want it done - not do it twice?
I guess the advice would have held at the start, tell him your brother will be doing a full inspection afterwards, or something similar?

Malcolm · Dec 22, 2018

We got a call from a customer saying a socket in the living room had stopped working a couple of weeks ago. Could we sort it out by xmas.
The socket turned out to be a spur from a socket in the kitchen which was done about 12 years ago.
I wish I had taken a picture, but inside there were three 2.5 T&E cables and three, 3 terminal, terminal blocks. So each of the three lives were in its own terminal block. With the same for the neutrals and the earths. Then in the middle terminal block of each they had a two inch piece of 4mm which went into the socket. So the two outer cores did nothing.
When we took the kitchen socket off, four of the wire fell out. Obviously there was no testing when the kitchen was done otherwise it would have been picked up.

briand · Dec 23, 2018

Dave OCD said:
And that kind of customer are the sort that watch your every move and penny pinch Lee, very frustrating when you're the only good tradesman that's been in their house !

They could be even more penny pinching by cancelling their home insurance as a fire caused by poor quality electrical work would probably invalidate it anyway.

Colin33 · Dec 23, 2018

I've been stripping my own kitchen, and this is what I found behind the tiles.

Colin33 · Dec 23, 2018

I believe this one is fully compliant, as it has a protective cardboard cover.

Pete999 · Dec 23, 2018

Kev been around has he? what a lash up whoever did that shambles wants horsewhipping.

Colin33 · Dec 23, 2018

Pete999 said:
Kev been around has he? what a lash up whoever did that shambles wants horsewhipping.

Now sure who was responsible for this masterpiece, but at least it tested the functionality of my rcbo, which tripped in good time after my demolition hammer struck the cable. Fortunately it was plugged into a different circuit so I was able to continue work unhindered..

pirate · Dec 23, 2018

O M G! That mortarwork is appalling!
I bet the electrician was cringing as he installed his masterpiece beside that lot!

richy3333 · Dec 24, 2018

rough as a badgers a1SE

MFS Electrical · Jan 8, 2019

Andy-1960 said:
Popped in my Sisters house earlier today to see how she was getting on having a new kitchen fitted.
First impressions were quite good, install of units so far seemed good, new floor was good, my sister then pointed out the new sockets that he had installed.
Sockets were loose ready for him to tile behind, had a quick look - radial feed from existing socket outlet feeding three doubles and the spur for the cooker extractor and earth sleeving in sight, cables run diagonally, so many errors in such a small job. Highlighted this to my sister, but she just wants kitchen finished for Christmas and doesn’t want it to cost her any more money as putting it right now means undoing quite a lot of work.
I’m not happy, but guess this guy will get away with it as he has many times before no doubt.
I know where he’s fed it all from, so I will fit a spur on the radial when he’s gone.
Oh.. his method for proving dead... a neon screwdriver!
Thing is, how do we stop these people doing this?

Would part P be applicable? His scheme or building control?

Freelance kitchen fitter doing electrical work.

Andy-1960

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SparkieMarky

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telectrix

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Deuce

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pe2dave

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Malcolm

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briand

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Colin33

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Colin33

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Pete999

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Colin33

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pirate

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richy3333

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MFS Electrical

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