Scarey 'Plumber'.

[acvc]

I was asked to connect up a cooker last week, went round, no water or gas bonding, 6mm main earth, no supp bonding, no RCD in sight. Agreed with the customer to install+upgrade earthing and wire a new circuit for their 10.7kW appliance (as they thought I could just wire it into an adjacent socket). Also the socket circuit was wired as a radial on a BS3871 30A.

Anyway .... a few days earlier a plumber had installed a new combi boiler on this socket circuit, flex running into a smashed FCU that you could put two fingers inside, left unfixed lying on the kitchen worktop right beside the sink, with bare earths and red/blacks outside the FCU box. I told the customer this is pretty shoddy really and she contacted him and lo and behold he turned up today while i was there doing the cooker. VERY FROSTY reception for me!

He said he had come to put right the "problems with the wiring"...... After 5 minutes he turns round and says "That's me then. Can you tell the lady that it's sorted. It's just that there was an excess of earthing conductor that the sleeving couldn't cover, so I've pushed it inside the box". And left.

Gulp. I was speechless.

 

[Sav]

I'm sure he was on "House of Horrors" !!!
I bet if you told him what he done was wrong, he would have started an argument or something !!!
I once went to a house whereby the switched fused unit was not working. If you turned it off the boiler was still on
Turned out that once i removed the unit, the "plumber "gas safe as well, had connected the supply and the flex into 15amp connector blocks, inside the patress and had just screwed the switched fused unit cover on !!!!
Sav

 

[acvc]

Sounds like the same bloke!

Yes he would definitely have been up for a barney if had confronted him. I think he was p****ed of that i was there. I'm not one for confrontations unless really necessary. I've told the customer again that was very poor, and apparantly he told her that all the bonding is on the inside of the boiler too!

 

[pennywise]

Think I would report him to gas safe regardless of consequences and get an independent contractor in to inspect the work just for piece of mind

 

[acvc]

Well before I do that, just to confirm...... He shouldn't be installing on any circuit he hasn't confirmed to be safe and in good condition, and also he needs to confirm adequate earthing - main conductor, main equi water/gas etc., supp bonding, adequate circuit protectio, Ze/Zs..... BEFORE he starts??????

 

[pennywise]

Well before I do that, just to confirm...... He shouldn't be installing on any circuit he hasn't confirmed to be safe and in good condition, and also he needs to confirm adequate earthing - main conductor, main equi water/gas etc., supp bonding, adequate circuit protectio, Ze/Zs..... BEFORE he starts??????

Yep all of that but I was refering to the actual plumbing and gas work who knows what corners he's cut on the bit he should be doing well

 

[ghost]

I see this all the time, it really boils my urine. I'm actually gas safe registered as well as being a spark, the awful quality of jobs I am seeing is shocking. I at risked 2 boilers last week due to shoddy installation. Both landlords were a bit peeved, but I pointed out the dangers and they agreed with me. Not much choice when I'm handing them a warning notice to tell them BY LAW they have to get the problems sorted. If only the same could be done with electrical jobs.

 

[acvc]

Ta ghost.

I've put this post over on the Plumbers' Forum for a general response. The more I think about it ..... the customer is a young widow with nine year-old daughter, pretty hard up..... doesn't matter who it is in danger I know. I would sleep better if i knew the gas side was safe - as Pennywise and your good self say.