Another scenario

[Deleted member 9648]

Following on from Durhams scenario consider the following....
You are called out to a house with no power in the middle of winter.
Old lady lives alone and when you arrive you find the ancient wooden fuseboard has burnt out....Further investigation shows the wiring is a mixture of crumbling rubber and lead sheathed....there's no way you can energise it...or is there?....Old lady has no family or friends to speak of,neighbours cant help ,i'ts minus 5 outside and there is no power at all..........What to do?

 

[Knobhead]

Call social services, not a nice thing to have to do but they are obliged to assist.

 

[BeardedOne]

Thats really a tough call isn't it!!

 

[johnboy6083]

could you not install a spare 6A MCB and 16A MCB, and string flex across anything you can hammer a clip into, and wire it to some lights and a scoket or 2, just to keep her from freezing. everyone has spare MCB's and artic flex around, ive got some in my garage, and i dont even work for myself. As for the MCB's even if they are not in a board, just on a bit of rail ect. i suppose it depends on location of board ect. and what you have available in van.

obviously this would be a temp for a night or 2, until someone like social services could help her.

 

[Guest123]

I'd leave her my geney and a can of unleaded!!!

 

[Hawk81]

i wouldn't leave until i had powered up her heating and t least a couple of lights and a temporary socket or 2. it might be a few leads clipped about with trailing sockets etc. but would get her through the night

 

[johnboy6083]

good idea lenny, if you got one! i would try anything to keep her warm, as long as it was safe, even if messy, as it would only be temp.

 

[nickblake]

Thats simple ,keep using that and youll soon be warm ,no sorry that wasnt called for , i have come across that exact sit uation a socket getting hot , i removed it from the wall and all the insulation dropped off the wire and then went bang yes i know i should have switched it off at the board first , checking the fuse board i almost fell over it was one dating back to the 1930's most of the insulation was perished and falling off the wire , i had no choice but to issue a danger notification , the lady was 92 , and very frail , i range her daughter , then social services , who both came to see the situation , i had to switch the power off , so what i did under the instruction of daughter and social services , was to install a radial for the heating , install a temp supply to the light in the kitchen , lounge and 1 bed room , and install 2 sockets , so she could stay where she was , went out of the way to help was paid for the work , got the job house rewired , elderly lady went to he daughters for 2 weeks , got myself and a few guys in chased patched redecorated , paid , and do you know the best thing about the job was when she came home she looked at me burst into tears and gave me a hug and said thank you ,she couldnt have paid me a million pounds ,for what those words ment to me

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Thanks for the thoughts lads.....think I'd go down the social service route as well......nice outcome Nickblake...that was one REALLY satisfied customer!!

 

[rocker]

good idea lenny, if you got one! i would try anything to keep her warm, as long as it was safe, even if messy, as it would only be temp.

That sounds disgusting!

I'd leave my 'builder's board' there - it's just a dp isolator, a 32a rcbo and a single S/O jammed into the cowling of an old wylex rewirable board - stick that on the existing tails, run extension leads and wander lights about the place bish bash bosh.

For a more permanent but not brilliant finish as has been said already I'd tack some T+E about the place, a bit of 6mil from an existing 30A fuse into a modular enclosure with a 6A and a 16A breaker, got loads of old sockets I've taken out of houses but can't bring myself to get rid of for this very reason, pop a double s/o in a patress in each room, couple of pendants about the place, few hours work and at least she's got a bit of power.

 

[ezzzekiel]

answer d:
call back in summer see if she survived

 

[Adam W]

I think it was someone on here who said "there's nothing more permanent than a temporary solution".
I can't see the little old lady wanting to fork out for a complete rewire just before she goes, particularly if she's got nobody to leave it to.
Imagine this situation - you go out of your way to help a little old lady in her hour of need, on the provisio that she gets the job done properly at the first available opportunity. 6 months later she dies without getting it done, a young couple come to view the house and are horrified at the web of arctic flex strung around the place, no proper cu just a bit of DIN rail screwed to the wall.... And whose name on the cert?
You had a good reason for doing it, but the young couple are unlikely to call you to give you a chance to explain, and seeing the mess you've left are unlikely to get you to do the rewire.

I would also go for the social services option.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Thats simple ,keep using that and youll soon be warm ,no sorry that wasnt called for , i have come across that exact sit uation a socket getting hot , i removed it from the wall and all the insulation dropped off the wire and then went bang yes i know i should have switched it off at the board first , checking the fuse board i almost fell over it was one dating back to the 1930's most of the insulation was perished and falling off the wire , i had no choice but to issue a danger notification , the lady was 92 , and very frail , i range her daughter , then social services , who both came to see the situation , i had to switch the power off , so what i did under the instruction of daughter and social services , was to install a radial for the heating , install a temp supply to the light in the kitchen , lounge and 1 bed room , and install 2 sockets , so she could stay where she was , went out of the way to help was paid for the work , got the job house rewired , elderly lady went to he daughters for 2 weeks , got myself and a few guys in chased patched redecorated , paid , and do you know the best thing about the job was when she came home she looked at me burst into tears and gave me a hug and said thank you ,she couldnt have paid me a million pounds ,for what those words ment to me

Thats how you get a good reputation, go the extra mile.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

answer d:
Call back in summer see if she survived

lol

 

[Des 56]

I'd leave her my geney and a can of unleaded!!!

What if she brought it in, thinking she had better keep it safe


On the news next morning

"Poor old Granny Smith died of Carbon monoxide poisoning"