Sockets on a chimney breast!

[sparks72]

Hi folks

been to a customer today (pensioner)
she had some work done by the council sparks, they did a partial rewire
of her house & told her that sockets aren't permitted on the chimney breast & removed them,
she would like them put back on the chimney breast.
I could understand it if it was an open fire but it's a gas fire!!
can anyone shed some light on the subject.

Thanks

 

[saveloy]

Can't see why they're not allowed. Can't think of any reg that says so. Where were they -on the side or the front? I've seen sockets on the side of loads of chimney breasts.

BTW is it owner occupied or a council owned place?

 

[sparks72]

Can't see why they're not allowed. Can't think of any reg that says so. Where were they -on the side or the front? I've seen sockets on the side of loads of chimney breasts.

BTW is it owner occupied or a council owned place?

Hi saveloy,

It's an owner occupied house.
The sockets were on the side of the chimney breast, the chimney is around 5ft wide,
the so-called council sparks left the place in a bit of a mess to be honest, they
put the other sockets on top of the skirting board, telling her that's where they had to go!
the consumer unit isn't split load, the 6mm electric cooker cable was being fed from a ring main in the kitchen
along with the garage & they should have condemed the 25 year old electric shower!
all this was done in 2006, I don't know how they got a way with it!

 

[wattsup]

I have known cables dropped down the chimney to a socket, which i would presume is what the old lady forgot to mention

 

[saveloy]

Big no no if cables dropped down the chimney. But as to the locatiing sockets on the side of the chimney, I can,t see a problem if installed to current regs RCD , cable routes etc etc.

Sounds like you may have a bit of work putting the other bits right as well.

The standard of electrical work in alot of domestic properties in this country astounds me most of the time.
Don't think I've worked in a place yet where something has'nt been bodged or cobbled together at some point.

 

[sparks72]

Cables aren't dropped down fortunatly, all come up from old wooden floor with a void underneath,
just the laminate to take up.
you would expect a decent standard (ish) from council contractors, what they did in the old ladys house
beggars belief!

 

[Eggster71]

you would expect a decent standard (ish) from council contractors, what they did in the old ladys house
beggars belief!

Really? Someone I know of, admittedly quite a few years ago, had a big ish council contract rewiring flats, for about the first 3 weeks he did 1 a day. One evening he walked into the site office with his jobsheet/ test data and offered it to the clerk or whatever only to be told to "shove it in that drawer there, we don't bother with them actually, the flats are the same, we just copy the certificates"!!!!
The bloke telling me the story was a boss I used to work for and a while after this the sparkie was offering half price cable, he was cutting the existing cable under the floor, dropping tails from the switches/ lights/ sockets and sticking them in JBs. Not only did he walk out with MILES of cable but went from 1 to 3 flats a day.
The first bloke I did electrics told me he got called to a similar bodge once too apparently.

 

[ian.settle1]

If it is a council house then it may be their own rulling that socket outlets can not be put on the chimney breast.

 

[Spudnik]

the consumer unit isn't split load, ----- all this was done in 2006

17th Edition was brought in 2008.

As for sockets on the side of the chimney, cant see a problem.

 

[Des 56]

It was probably easier and less hastle for them where they sited them
They are on contract and may well look for the easiest option rather than the tennants prefered location

Landlords can insist on what is put where and by whom
The tennants dont have much say,why not take your concerns to the council inspector who is looking after the contract
It sounds a little like a couldn't care less attitude to me

 

[sparks72]

17th Edition was brought in 2008.

As for sockets on the side of the chimney, cant see a problem.

Split load 16th edition not dual RCD 17th edition

Really? Someone I know of, admittedly quite a few years ago, had a big ish council contract rewiring flats, for about the first 3 weeks he did 1 a day. One evening he walked into the site office with his jobsheet/ test data and offered it to the clerk or whatever only to be told to "shove it in that drawer there, we don't bother with them actually, the flats are the same, we just copy the certificates"!!!!
The bloke telling me the story was a boss I used to work for and a while after this the sparkie was offering half price cable, he was cutting the existing cable under the floor, dropping tails from the switches/ lights/ sockets and sticking them in JBs. Not only did he walk out with MILES of cable but went from 1 to 3 flats a day.
The first bloke I did electrics told me he got called to a similar bodge once too apparently.

If thats the case he shouldn't be in this game.

If it is a council house then it may be their own rulling that socket outlets can not be put on the chimney breast.

Your a bit late one that one ian, I already stated the house is owner occupied.

 

[deanovilla]

hi all . l worked for birmingham councill for 10 years and l may know why they came up with that excuse , to get the cables to them sockets is a bit of a barsteward as there is a joist running right next to the brickwork and sometimes its about half inch under the bricks , also the council started to bring in outside contractors and the work we had to go back and sort out after these clowns had been on the job it was a joke and now the council dont run the work ,it has all been contracted out , and my god its disgraceful whats going on , l went to a job to move a socket for a council tenant and she had some work done by these contractors and they had run a ring main and put the ends in the CU into 2 different 16 amp mcbs . marvellous !!! and they had handed in a nic test cert , ,

 

[sparks1234]

Load of old codswallop

 

[sparks72]

hi all . l worked for birmingham councill for 10 years and l may know why they came up with that excuse , to get the cables to them sockets is a bit of a barsteward as there is a joist running right next to the brickwork and sometimes its about half inch under the bricks , also the council started to bring in outside contractors and the work we had to go back and sort out after these clowns had been on the job it was a joke and now the council dont run the work ,it has all been contracted out , and my god its disgraceful whats going on , l went to a job to move a socket for a council tenant and she had some work done by these contractors and they had run a ring main and put the ends in the CU into 2 different 16 amp mcbs . marvellous !!! and they had handed in a nic test cert , ,

I know what your saying,
makes you wonder how any of these clowns get approved.
What makes me laugh is all the rules & regs that are put into place are broken
on a daily basis & no one gives a ----, not even the council!

 

[deanovilla]

SPARKS what do you mean??