Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views!

[Darkwood]

Right ... Just been nudged to set this up by Paul.M and sounds a good idea following recent threads I've done in the Arms..

Rules....No Offensive material... edit if required before posting as this is the public arena.
Anything to do with the trade or in and around it ...H&S pic's welcome.



I've posted this a few times and this is at a mates house following a kitchen refirb several yrs ago. mg_smile:

 

[Pete999]

That is actually an intrinsically safe volt stick for use in hazardous atmosphere. View attachment 50066

Now you have gone and done it Westy, where, and how much? I have to have one, or are you pulling our legs? well no I guess not.

 

[GBDamo]

Good old YY cable.

10 twin 6tf fluorescents wired in one end out the other in lovely YY.

All charred as it was resting on the ballasts.

IR tested all and found 5 out of the 9 runs were dead short LN to E

The stuff was so hard you could have grown beans up it.

 

[DPG]

I'm going to have to use your phrase at some point.

'Look at that, it's so hard you could grow beans up it love'

 

[leep82]

Went to look at a couple of small jobs recently, customer tells me they had a new consumer unit fitted last year but now cant get in touch with the “ electrician “ that did it. At this point the alarm bells were already ringing in my head.

Once i arrived at the property i asked to see the consumer unit only to find the cover wasn't fitted properly as the board had been pulled out of shape when it had been fixed back to the wall. The attached picture is what i found when i removed the cover.

You cant tell from the picture but none of the cable entry's into the consumer unit have any form of grommet protecting them. Multiple circuits are stuffed into the same MCB, despite there being spare ways availble. The first MCB had 2 x 2.5mm and a 6mm T&E made off into it. This turned out to be a ring circuit and a redundant feed that had only been taped up in an attempt to make it safe. It took me about 5 minutes to find this feed as its clipped exterior to the building so there is absolutely no way whoever replaced this consumer unit carried out any form of testing. Also notice the excessive copper on show where it is terminated into the MCB.

I asked the elderly lady if she could remember what she had paid for the work she seemed to think it was around £150. It doesn't sound a lot of money but to her im sure it would have been. Makes me mad that people will install this standard of work and take peoples money.

 

[freddo]

Why is it always BG boards with the unused breakers left in place?

 

[DPG]

What was the problem that was reported by the customer?

 

[Toneyz]

And they said Part P and belonging to one of these schemes would put an end to all this. This installation has not been done by someone competent.

 

[leep82]

What was the problem that was reported by the customer?

No problem, they wanted some extra work doing.

 

[Toneyz]

No problem, they wanted some extra work doing.

What like the consumer unit being reinstalled correctly and circuits tested as I will have a guess that there is no certificate available.

 

[Pete999]

Why is it always BG boards with the unused breakers left in place?

Screwfix where Bodgers get their stuff????

 

[Dustydazzler]

The good thing is the board looks perfectly reusable and not butchered beyond repair.
So I would just strip all the cables out , re do the board and fitting the correct grommets etc.
Thorough test on all circuits and remove any redundant stuff , re label up the board and complete eicr.
Nice clean days work...

 

[leep82]

What like the consumer unit being reinstalled correctly and circuits tested as I will have a guess that there is no certificate available.

What like the consumer unit being reinstalled correctly and circuits tested as I will have a guess that there is no certificate available.

The good thing is the board looks perfectly reusable and not butchered beyond repair.
So I would just strip all the cables out , re do the board and fitting the correct grommets etc.
Thorough test on all circuits and remove any redundant stuff , re label up the board and complete eicr.
Nice clean days work...

Currently in the process of doing just that. I forgot to mention that there are no labels currently on the board cover, other than one below the main switch. How anybody can make such a poor job of replacing such a consumer unit is beyond me, its not like theres much in it. This was probably all done in less than hour, literally swapped like for like with no concern what any of the circuits might be doing.

Ive also got to check the main gas/water bonds as the clamps aren't visible. The system is a TT ( although it seems PME is a available) with a 6mm to the rod. There is a 16mm green/yellow that you can see in the picture and ive no idea where it goes or what it does. Luckily the customer is very understanding and wants it all put right, its just a shame she has already spent good money on something so poorly done.

 

[Dustydazzler]

She got lucky if she only paid £150 ish for this bodge up...

The board would have been about £50 in screwfix , so really she only got taken for about a £100 which isn’t good but not terrible. I have known customers get scammed for much much more than that.

At least you can reuse the consumers unit and now put it right.

 

[Marcus Vaughan]

And they said Part P and belonging to one of these schemes would put an end to all this. This installation has not been done by someone competent.

And they said Part P and belonging to one of these schemes would put an end to all this. This installation has not been done by someone competent.

Trouble is the customer needs to know that work needs to be compliant with the regs, and Part P. How many customers know that they should be expecting certificates or could have difficulties if they or their electricians don’t notify?

Not enough public knowledge.

I suspect the guy throwing consumer units at a wall for £150 a pop is getting more work than me.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Trouble is the customer needs to know that work needs to be compliant with the regs, and Part P. How many customers know that they should be expecting certificates or could have difficulties if they or their electricians don’t notify?

Not enough public knowledge.

I suspect the guy throwing consumer units at a wall for £150 a pop is getting more work than me.

£150 board change is ridiculous...

I recently priced a 6 way fuse board change to an all rcbo board and spd) the materials alone 'cost' to me come out at £275+vat and say I can knock it out in 2 hours + 1 hour to do cert and notify. At a push I could do the whole job for £450.00

So if the same customer is 'offered' a board swap at £150 CASH JOB , there is absolutely no way a legit scam reg sparks can compete...the customer has no idea what the difference is other than the price. So 99% of the time will opt for the £150 CASH JOB fella.
To them a consumer unit swap is exactly the same no matter who does it.

Urgggg