scenario to answer

[DurhamSparky]

ok this crossed my mind other day and where do you stand?? answer honestly in you opinion

you install a new CU with RCBO's for a little old lady who has not much money and her old box is damaged due to mechanical damage!

you do the usual pre checks to see if it will change out ok! you upgrade bonding and earth along with tails,

you install the new box replacing a pre-dated rewirable one and power up, for some reason one of the circuits is tripping the Lighting RCBO's (discover borrowed neutral and and group them in to same rcbo!

you re power and after seconds it trips again! further investigation you find a N-E fault but the old lady does not want you to find it and only wants her power back on as "it worked before you touched it" and she has no money left to pay you to fix or fault find..!!

do you

A) Leave disconnected and tell her her lights will only work when she pays you to fix them
B) Install a 6amp MCB and note the certificate as a deviation and recomend she has it looked at ASAP when she has money
C) Fix it for free knowing it will cost you 6 hours and £150 quid to replace cables and re plaster
D) Just walk away from job with RCBO installed but no power!

 

[nickblake]

What would i do ,well i would spend a little while seeing if i can trace the fault may be an hour ,if that fails the as has been said it would be B ,

 

[ukpablo]

leave isolated, give her a box of candles and some matches.............!
dod eat dog world out there!

only kiddin by the way!

 

[flukey]

What would i do ,well i would spend a little while seeing if i can trace the fault may be an hour ,if that fails the as has been said it would be B ,

op found the fault and estimated it would take 6 hours (£150) to repair definitely option B

 

[Ross Trician]

I would go for B to, had very similar situation earlier this year. did C/U swap due to damage and left it with one of the power circuits on non rcd side of board due to a N-E fault. customer insisted that he would sort it and didn't want the extra hassle or cost...

you can only do so much in this job and ultimately I think do your best and also cover your ---!!!!!!!

if customer wont pay, we could all work for free eh.......(but not me...lol)

 

[DurhamSparky]

think that debate is well and truly one sided..! no sure about the candles mind!! they probably cost you just as much as a mcb any way £2

i will now go away and think of the next scenario for us to ponder over..!!

still upset nobody would leave her with out lights!! lol

 

[nickblake]

think that debate is well and truly one sided..! no sure about the candles mind!! they probably cost you just as much as a mcb any way £2

i will now go away and think of the next scenario for us to ponder over..!!

still upset nobody would leave her with out lights!! lol

We wouldnt do that id give her a torch oh i was joking

 

[ian]

option B for me too.

 

[BeardedOne]

Option B for me too.... out of interest this senario was purely hypothetical right?

 

[rocker]

I've never considered option B before really, but I have spent a hell of a lot of unpaid time sorting faults in similar situations - it's nice to see that you lot would go option B, it gives me the confidence to do it if I'm in this situation again.

I always want to get everything 100%, but it really can be disheartening working til 10 at night, slugging your guts out for a customer who knows he's got you over a barrel (and demands you pay a plasterer to fix the channels you've had to cut out on top of sorting his fault gratis )h

 

[JUD]

not a answer, imagine you checked it ok and went back 5 days later!!

In that case I would go with Option B

 

[DurhamSparky]

Option B for me too.... out of interest this senario was purely hypothetical right?

the scenario was totally made up....!! nothing to do with any work i did or am going to do i was just think other night when on nights wonder what other sparks would do...!!


p.s the old ladies house in the next village that burnt down was just a coincidence