Subtle DIYer giveaways

[mattg4321]

I was thinking today that there are a few things you come across that aren't necessarily wrong but are a pretty certain giveaway to me that a job has been DIYed or probably bodged elsewhere by Kev the kitchen fitter or Pete the p***head from the pub.

It'll be interesting to see if everyone agrees with this one...

When they've used the knockout on the back of a dry lining box.

Any more from anyone else before I add more?!

 

[telectrix]

white twin and earth cable

a lot of LSF was white though.

 

[Dave OCD]

white twin and earth cable

That's all that was readily available in the South West for many years so not really relevant.

 

[Dave OCD]

I used to like white T&E, much more discreet than grey when surface clipped.

 

[telectrix]

they used to have a lot of orange cable in essex..........

till they realised that the fake tan machines had developed leaks.

 

[telectrix]

I used to like white T&E, much more discreet than grey when surface clipped.

bet you bought white clips for it as well.

 

[Dave OCD]

Of course , always Thorsmans too. Blue box 1/1.5mm ,pink 2.5,green 4/6 and brown 10/16. I like double clips too.

 

[KEV 1 N]

Connector blocks wrapped in tape.

It’s normally sellotape or sometimes masking tape they use..

 

[multimick]

relevant to me i live in north west

 

[KEV 1 N]

Another sign of DIY is when you unscrew an accessory and all the cables have been cut to different lengths and have been scrunched up to make them fit in the box...

 

[kingeri]

I was thinking today that there are a few things you come across that aren't necessarily wrong but are a pretty certain giveaway to me that a job has been DIYed or probably bodged elsewhere by Kev the kitchen fitter or Pete the p***head from the pub.

It'll be interesting to see if everyone agrees with this one...

When they've used the knockout on the back of a dry lining box.

Any more from anyone else before I add more?!

Why can't you use the knockout on the back? I sometimes do, you can put a grommet in there and if you have for example 2 x 2.5mm^2 t&e going in, they are held quite firmly instead of flopping out of the bottom. Admittedly you need to beware of pushing the cables out when screwing the accessory back.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

No rubber grommets to protect the cables entering the backboxes
Excessive amounts of insulation tape covering terminations.
Junction boxes suspended in the middle of cavitys, not fixed down, and held midair by cables that are just long enough to reach.
You could still be writing this next christmas...

 

[Richard Burns]

No rubber grommets to protect the cables entering the backboxes
Excessive amounts of insulation tape covering terminations.
Junction boxes suspended in the middle of cavitys, not fixed down, and held midair by cables that are just long enough to reach.
You could still be writing this next christmas...

The cables just long enough to reach is a good one. Got to save money on this expensive cable!

 

[sparkdog]

Not very tight terminals.
Wires to sockets so short its almost impossible to fit a new one. Found half the sockets in a house like that, they must have fitted the sockets and then pulled the slack back out.

 

[123]

Bell Wire for Lighting additions

 

[mattg4321]

Why can't you use the knockout on the back? I sometimes do, you can put a grommet in there and if you have for example 2 x 2.5mm^2 t&e going in, they are held quite firmly instead of flopping out of the bottom. Admittedly you need to beware of pushing the cables out when screwing the accessory back.

I think some of you (most!) are missing the point I was trying to make.

It wasn't - what cock ups do DIYers make

It was - what do DIYers do that isn't against any regulations but just makes you think you're not sure about the quality of the rest of the installation

I agree kingeri, there is no reason why you can't use the knockout on the back but I never do because it doesn't feel right and as you say it's more difficult to dress the cables in the box nicely.