help please

[bonnerston]

hi guys-im from the carpet forum-this work was carried out 18months ago to bring us up to current spec-ths sparky says this is a common fault with this product and that a screw has come loose and wants to charge to replace.my opinion is that if that is the case he should not have used it.You can see he has cut deep into the casing when stripping the wire too.I would value your comments guys.:lipsrsealed2:

 

[truckster]

It's more of a common install fault in that the screws weren't tightened properly , as the instructions say 'Tighten all screws including manufacturers'

 

[malcolmsanford]

What often happens on these split boards is that the large Blue/Brown cables that are looped from the main switch to each RCD in turn, have either not been completely tightened in manufacture, or have worked loose in transit.

I think most experienced sparks on here now as root always check these connections to make sure they are sound. It maybe your sparks never.

It could also be that he never connected a cable up securely and that is the result. Unfortunately as it is out or warranty now you will have an hard job making him do the repairs FOC.

I would ask what you suggested, if he knew these units are faulty why did he use it, and could he supply you with documentation from the manufacture if there is a known problem.

Did he tell you. or is there any manufacturers markings on the CU, because if I knew who made the board I would be contacting them asking if they are aware that there is a potentially lethal problem of their boards malfunctioning, and sending the pictures. I would bet your answer will be from them that it was a termination not tightened correctly by the installer. At least then you may have something to fight back with.

Unfortunately bottom line is that you need to get this repaired, and repaired quickly, and by that time you most likely would have paid him.

 

[bonnerston]

thanks for the quick answers guys-just as helpfull as us over on the carpet forum-though

i don,nt think we could walk away from a carpet complaint that easlily .lol

 

[Mr Mike]

Poor termination. As stated above why would anyone use a product knowing there is a problem with it.

 

[MarkieSparkie]

Poor termination of conductors ... poor erection and construction ... installers fault.

 

[cdavies33]

Another thing........ Is that 4 x 1.0mm twin and earth on a 10A mcb?!? Mmmmmmmm

 

[cdavies33]

And another thing, Work was carried out 18 months ago and he's only put a 1 RCD and main switch board. All power on RCD and lighting on the main switch?? Not to the 17th by the look of it!

 

[Des 56]

I fitted one of those cheap consumer units the other week that B+Q were selling for £ 50 ( the customer had bought it)
At the time I thought it was OK
Since then I have been back to connect the cooker Live and neutral
The terminal screw was tight as hell but you know when it has not screwed on to the core because it didn't feel right
I always give a tug on a cable I connect, this one just popped out of the neutral bar
I tried a second and a third before finding a good one

These cheap as chips boards need care to make sure the connections are being made, rather than just extra tight threads,get in the habbit of pulling on your connections

The picture of the board above is abysmal,that shouldn't happen,cheap unit or not
The installer is 100% at fault,he should sort this out free of charge and be ashamed that he even considered charging

Any decent spark who's work eneded up in that mess, would be there like a shot to sort it out, and not have the possibility of that mess becoming known

Whether its out of the 12 months warranty for the consumer unit or not,the problem would probably have began at initial install,then got steadily worse as time progressed

Threaten to take him to trading standards if he wont do a freebie, and certainly report the issue to his registration body
That install stinks in more ways than one

 

[rob121]

Ive fitted a few contactum units and so does the company I used to work for. Usually pretty good quality units, compared to a lot of other big brands. As the others have said looks like he hasnt checked the terminations. If you can dig out the certificate he should of issued you, it will tell you which governing body hes with (NIC,NAPIT,ECA...). Then I would contact them about it, email them the pictures along with a copy of the certificate. Keep us updated as I'd be interested to see if they take any action.
As someone else stated, any decent tradesman wouldnt think twice about rectifying it.

Rob

 

[telectrix]

Des hits the spot. trading standards is your next port of call. no matter that it's out of warranty, it's "not fit for the purpose for which it was sold/installed." if it were me that had installed that, i'd have replaced it FOC the next day.