Bugging my happiness

[mogga]

I do commercial PIRs most of the working week with a few remedials thrown in Iv found a few things that are common practice that just BUG the keech oot of me

1 twisted earths of a twe ring some can be 2ft long at db so end up doing from socket

2 no numbering of cables at db and neutrals out of sequence ( ok when its 5 but a right royal pain when theres 36 circuits n cant turn some off )

3 over tightening of screws had a few today that have nearly cut cores in 2

4 general bad maintenance of electrical systems ( sockets switches light fittings chipped cracked ect)

5 maintenenct men who through no fault of theirs arent qualified to do the work but are forced to do it by gaffers

here endeth the rant for today

 

[IQ Electrical]

I do commercial PIRs most of the working week with a few remedials thrown in Iv found a few things that are common practice that just BUG the keech oot of me

1 twisted earths of a twe ring some can be 2ft long at db so end up doing from socket

2 no numbering of cables at db and neutrals out of sequence ( ok when its 5 but a right royal pain when theres 36 circuits n cant turn some off )

3 over tightening of screws had a few today that have nearly cut cores in 2

4 general bad maintenance of electrical systems ( sockets switches light fittings chipped cracked ect)

5 maintenenct men who through no fault of theirs arent qualified to do the work but are forced to do it by gaffers

here endeth the rant for today

Ha, welcome to my world!

Also unmarked circuits, who installs a circuit in say a 24 way DB and then just walks away without spending 10 seconds amending the DB schedule? Pathetic!

Also BS 3036 fuse wire in BS 88 holders, no flash guards either!

Also external emergency lighting fitted without the weatherproof gasket, fittings nicely filled with water!

Long may it continue though, it's good for business lol!

 

[malcolmsanford]

Have to admit being guilty of the twisting the bare CPC of the T+E together mate, that was how I was taught, It took me ages to get out of the habit, so I think it is a generation thing.

Yes the over tightening of the terminal is one of mine as well, I think it's the sign of a macho sparks that you do up the terminals with a torque wrench attached to the screwdriver blade. There is tight and then there is "Bloody hell".............

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Plenty of work on then mogga...?...lol.....

 

[malcolmsanford]

IQ don't a piece of red insulation tape with "32A Iso by front shutter" written in smeary blue biro stuck across the MCB count as updated board schedule???

 

[telectrix]

iv'e broke the casing of several MCBs trying to undo over tight terminals. bugger if ain't got the correct spare on the van.

 

[IQ Electrical]

IQ don't a piece of red insulation tape with "32A Iso by front shutter" written in smeary blue biro stuck across the MCB count as updated board schedule???

I'd be happy with that most of the time, we provide completed DB schedules on completion but it's the extra time and effort locating these unmarked circuits that gets me!

It's amazing how good you get at finding these things, on and off, listening for the faintest of beeps or mechanical movement of a printer etc. lights off looking for an LED or a neon, it's an aquired art!

 

[GLENNSPARK]

I have to admit i can be a bit half-arsed with the screwdriver sometimes on terminals. I ALWAYS double the ends over as i was shown but the amount of times i`v seen 1mm, 1.5, 2.5 etc cables made off without being doubled over: some on recent installs and poor/no id on final circuits too.........

 

[mogga]

another one just found 3.5mm x 75 screw used where a 25mm would have done or cut down 75 ffs

 

[malcolmsanford]

I'd be happy with that most of the time, we provide completed DB schedules on completion but it's the extra time and effort locating these unmarked circuits that gets me!

It's amazing how good you get at finding these things, on and off, listening for the faintest of beeps or mechanical movement of a printer etc. lights off looking for an LED or a neon, it's an aquired art!

When I did a contract job for the "Blue Pill" company, before you could work on anything you had a 2 day H&S induction, you could not pass wind without PPE, I opened up the front cover of a Merin Gerin 32 way TP+N board, with most supplies single phase and I reckon 90% of the circuit identification was the red tape stuck on an MCB, it was always a case of is that 32amp really "toilet Lights" or that 6 amp "3kw Kitchen Immersion heater" lol

 

[Knobhead]

I spent months on end just going around the main switchboards (not distribution boards) on a 50 year old plant just correcting and updating switch labels and drawings. I turned an 800A feeder off and waited for someone to scream out, nothing, god knows where it went.

The place was a bloody death trap!

 

[GLENNSPARK]

another one just found 3.5mm x 75 screw used where a 25mm would have done or cut down 75 ffs

Yeah mate like "i ran out of 3.5x25s and couldn`t be ****** to go to the van and get the right uns........

 

[timo1]

I have to admit i can be a bit half-arsed with the screwdriver sometimes on terminals. I ALWAYS double the ends over as i was shown but the amount of times i`v seen 1mm, 1.5, 2.5 etc cables made off without being doubled over: some on recent installs and poor/no id on final circuits too.........

Just a general question...I was told to not double the ends over, is this a bad practice? I thought it was an old school thing like the twisting of CPC's...

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Just a general question...I was told to not double the ends over, is this a bad practice? I thought it was an old school thing like the twisting of CPC's...

we`v been shown to do it as you reduce the chances of "guillotining" the ends off with the termination screws and you get reduced resistance/impedence at joints.........

 

[Des 56]

If you have an interest in astronomy.you will find the Eagle Nebulae in the M16 galaxy easier to identify than the female sanitary towel disposal machine in the office loo

 

[Knobhead]

That’s one subject I never, ever want to go in to again! Only one part time girl in the office block and she managed to block the dammed thing solid.

 

[mattmoo1974]

Did a domestic PIR the other day.
MCB marked up for cooker fed 2 db sockest in the kitchen, I noticed this when i pulled the gas cooker and and i thought ermz DOH
Loads of circuits stacked into 1 MCB, And surely the person fitting must realise the numbers on the netural bar are there for some reason or another?
No stickers of any kind, All i got from the customer when i rang up was "It passed the last time"
And was nt over keen to buy a RCD until i explained it would fail because it didnt trip at all 1x and 60Ms on 5x and it was a TT system.