A Post Found On Facebook

[JK-Electrical]

My apprentice found this post on a Facebook group:

Last week we were called to a house to swap a couple of pendants for customers' own lights. Easy peasy, or so we thought. After changing the hall light (aboout 1.5 metres from the CCU in the cloakroom, none of the ground floor lights would work. Checked and found that the neutral in the cable from the CCU to the hall light had somehow disconnected somewhere along its length. Cut it back as far as possible and still no joy. The (chipboard) floor above the light is the tiled bathroom floor and above the CCU is the airing cupboard with the hot water tank, and masses of pipes, so no access from above to replace the cable. The only option was to cut holes in the ceilings, but the customer said that he was having the tank and pipework removed in a couple of weeks which would allow us access, so as a temporary measure (to get them some downstairs lighting) I connected the neutrals in the hall light to the CPCs (16th editon board, so no RCD). Left them working and now just had a text to say that the ground floor lights have stopped working and nothing has tripped. back there tomorrow to see what has happened now. Possibly the live is now disconnected? Never known anything like this before.

 

[Wilko]

There may be a slew of other regs, but 543.4.3 seems to prohibit this circuit arrangement.

 

[123]

@JK-Electrical NICEIC Approved Contractor's status doesn't mean it's clean of cowboys, there are plenty of them I can assure you. Local to me I've seen a recent rewire - no bonding, 100mA up front RCD the only RCD and 40A MCB for Ring Final Circuit installed by a NICEIC AC. Oh, and some diagonal tracking on the same job.

Another local to me seems to have no clue to what safe zones are as cables drop down a foot then go horizontal and back up to next socket on kitchen installs.

You'd have much more joy getting them to take action against someone not registered (paying their fees) that use their logo than you would against bad, terrible, downright dangerous workmanship from someone that pays their fees. The wall of shame only has them naming and shaming non fee paying logo users, nothing for horrendous workmanship by members they have kicked out.

 

[JK-Electrical]

@JK-Electrical NICEIC Approved Contractor's status doesn't mean it's clean of cowboys, there are plenty of them I can assure you. Local to me I've seen a recent rewire - no bonding, 100mA up front RCD the only RCD and 40A MCB for Ring Final Circuit installed by a NICEIC AC. Oh, and some diagonal tracking on the same job.

Another local to me seems to have no clue to what safe zones are as cables drop down a foot then go horizontal and back up to next socket on kitchen installs.

You'd have much more joy getting them to take action against someone not registered (paying their fees) that use their logo than you would against bad, terrible, downright dangerous workmanship from someone that pays their fees. The wall of shame only has them naming and shaming non fee paying logo users, nothing for horrendous workmanship by members they have kicked out.

Thanks for the clarification, 123. I'm with SELECT, and one of the membership requirements is that you are, or would be eligible to apply for, approved electrician grade. I had assumed that the membership criteria for joining NICEIC was the same, but having now looked, I see that it isn't.

So rather than discipline member companies who carry-out sub-standard, non-compliant work, NICEIC merely sweep this under the rug and ignore it? Incredible. If so, then what moral right do these people have to act as overseers of the electrical contracting industry? Indeed, who appointed them in the first place? I'm glad I chose SELECT instead of these money-grabbing charlatans.

 

[Strima]

We have a few NIC ACs work for us on day rate on various projects where we can't justify recruiting someone full time.

How some of these people get through their annual visit is beyond me, even down to the basics of filling a cert out is beyond them.

 

[johnduffell]

"I had a circuit with a fault in a run of hidden wiring, so I thought I'd bypass one of the other safety measures to make it extra dangerous"

 

[123]

@JK-Electrical I don't think it matters. I've seen plenty of JIB Approved Electricians I wouldn't let wire a plug. Gas Safe is the same, seen plenty of idiots in that trade with that badge on. I tried once to complain on behalf of someone about one, 3-4 years on nothing has ever been done about it. It appears leaking gas and crap workmanship doesn't count as enough, you have to give them a chance to come back and sort it.

 

[The Ghost]

As it was so close to the CU could have run a surface supply in trunking as a temporary measure and remove the supply cable completely. Would have seemed simpler pro tem?

 

[SJD]

So the way i read the post is the lights were working.
He changed the lights and now nonof the lights work.
Yeah, right neutral cable must have snapped ???

I have on the odd occasion been asked to change a light fitting, when there is a problem with the supply. I always check the original light is either working or has a satisfactory supply first. I wouldn't put it past some customers to try to get a free repair of a faulty circuit by asking for a fitting to be changed.