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Exposed copper wire under the floorboards after rewire

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JanWilson

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I have just had my house fully rewired. I lifted a few of the loose floorboards to clean and noticed at junctions there is a lot of exposed copper wire. Is this normal or even safe?
[ElectriciansForums.net] Exposed copper wire under the floorboards after rewire
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That is totally not good. First of all, in a complete rewire, there should not be any need for joints under the floor.
Secondly, any joints have to be made with all the terminals completely enclosed in a suitable box.
Third, the bare copper wires are circuit protective conductors and should be covered in green/yellow sleeving.

I would be seeking some sort of redress.
 
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Exposed wires, should be housed in a joint box/ enclosure, choc blocks are dated wagos would be my choice, no sleeved earth conductors, my advice would be to get them back.
Is the company in an approved CPS (competent persons scheme)
 
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telectrix said:
totally unacceptable bodge. did they arrive on horseback? have you paid them in full? andwhat other horrors might there be lurking?
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Thank you for your response, they have just sent out their invoice....... I found other areas similar. Can I ask, does a full rewire have to be passed by Building Control? and would it be standard to request they come and look at the job if I have concerns? Thanks so much for your help.
 
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loz2754 said:
That is totally not good. First of all, in a complete rewire, there should not be any need for joints under the floor.
Secondly, any joints have to be made with all the terminals completely enclosed in a suitable box.
Third, the bare copper wires are circuit protective conductors and should be covered in green/yellow sleeving.

I would be seeking some sort of redress.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your response, any advice is really helpful.
 
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To expand. The bare copper is not correct but is not the most serious problem. The bare conductor is the CPC (earth) core and should be sleeved for identification purposes. However it is unlikely to be live or dangerous to touch. The first concern is that junctions between cables must be installed in suitable purpose-made enclosures, so that you only see the grey outer sheath of the cable entering, not the blue and brown cores nor the connectors joining them. Leaving those exposed is unacceptable as they are not mechanically secure nor protected against being touched.

'The second concern is that 'work' of that standard, as hinted at above, indicates a general disregard of both the regulations and accepted practice, even if it does not present an immediate threat to life. You just don't do it like that (although it's certainly not the first time nor will it be the last.) Also as mentioned above, hidden joints are undesirable and usually a sign of bad planning or damaged cables. They are often a sign of modifications to existing wiring; in normal circumstances they should not be found in new work, as there are usually better ways to arrange things so that all connections are made inside fittings where they are accessible.
 
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Lucien Nunes said:
To expand. The bare copper is not correct but is not the most serious problem. The bare conductor is the CPC (earth) core and should be sleeved for identification pusrposes, however it should not be live or dangerous to touch. But all junctions between cables must be installed in suitable purpose-made enclosures, so that you only see the grey outer sheath of the cable entering, not the blue and brown cores nor the connectors joining them. Leaving those exposed is unacceptable as they are not mechanically secure nor protected against being touched.

'Work' of that standard, as hinted at above, indicates a general disregard of both the regulations and accepted practice, even if it does not present an immediate threat to life. You just don't do it like that (although it's certainly not the first time nor will it be the last.) And also as mentioned above, hidden joints are undesirable and usually a sign of bad planning or damaged cables. They are often a sign of modifications to existing wiring; in normal circumstances the should not be found in new work as there are usually better ways to arrange things, so that all connections are made inside fittings where they are accessible.
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Thank you, this is so helpful. I don't really understand electrical installations but as somebody who is used to seeing houses slightly deconstructed for refurb purposes this doesn't look as I would expect. Any further advice from anybody reading these threads is really useful. Thanks!
 
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JanWilson said:
Thank you for your response, they have just sent out their invoice....... I found other areas similar. Can I ask, does a full rewire have to be passed by Building Control? and would it be standard to request they come and look at the job if I have concerns? Thanks so much for your help.
Click to expand...
from the one photo you have posted, i have a mental image of the guy's that did this and it is not good.

did they have free reign to remove plaster etc. to drop cables to light switches and other fittings?

Before the invoice is paid, email them with a list of your concerns so far.
are they a member of a scheme like nappit or niceic? they should be otherwise they will find it hard to get part p of building regs adhered to.

did you have any form of quote for the work detailing what was to be done and for how much?

from the single picture it is clear that they have not adhered to the letter or the spirit of the regulations
some more pictures would be great and the collective team will let you know just how bad it is.
 
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James said:
from the one photo you have posted, i have a mental image of the guy's that did this and it is not good.

did they have free reign to remove plaster etc. to drop cables to light switches and other fittings?

Before the invoice is paid, email them with a list of your concerns so far.
are they a member of a scheme like nappit or niceic? they should be otherwise they will find it hard to get part p of building regs adhered to.

did you have any form of quote for the work detailing what was to be done and for how much?

from the single picture it is clear that they have not adhered to the letter or the spirit of the regulations
some more pictures would be great and the collective team will let you know just how bad it is.
Click to expand...
Thank you James. I will post more pictures tomorrow. I have just finished clearing up after eight days of mess and in answer to your question, yes, sadly they have removed plaster, dropped wires and replaced everything. I bought my childhood home from my mother who had to go into a home as she has dementia - they knew this. I feel as though they have wrecked her house. Very sad.
 
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For the time being, DO NOT PAY THE BILL.

I have a horrible feeling that when we see the rest of the pictures the advice may well be to involve trading standards.
If they are a member of a scheme then there should be some redress available from them.

We await your next batch of pictures and hope that it is not as bad as i fear it may be.
 
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The first part of the complaints process is to approach this contractor with what you have found to seek a resolution however I wouldn't want them anywhere near my electrics as what they have done is disgraceful. If no success approach the NICEIC with the evidence however the work is so bad they may address this without you approaching the contractor.
 
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James said:
For the time being, DO NOT PAY THE BILL.

I have a horrible feeling that when we see the rest of the pictures the advice may well be to involve trading standards.
If they are a member of a scheme then there should be some redress available from them.

We await your next batch of pictures and hope that it is not as bad as i fear it may be.
Click to expand...
Thank you - worryingly they left my job to start another 'full rewire' on another property bigger than mine, so they claimed.
 
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westward10 said:
The first part of the complaints process is to approach this contractor with what you have found to seek a resolution however I wouldn't want them anywhere near my electrics as what they have done is disgraceful. If no success approach the NICEIC with the evidence however the work is so bad they may address this without you approaching the contractor.
Click to expand...
Thank you, this is really helpful. After receiving the invoice this evening - I paid 50% deposit upfront unfortunately - I sent them the image and a list of other concerns, they have not responded as yet.
 
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JanWilson said:
Thank you for your response. I believe the main contractor is a member of NICEIC
Click to expand...

Have you checked on the NICEIC website that they are actually a member? Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there that claim to be part of especially NICEIC as its the most recognised competent persons scheme however they are not.. If they are not then you could be in a world of pain and I would involve trading standards..
 
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