Tell us about your faults!

[kung]

Hi ALL
Just thought id put this one up for all those faults we find.
heres one to kick it off !
Domestic RCD tripped and wouldnt reset cause was a blown low energy light bulb.
There you go now for yours !

 

[Jurassic Sparks]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

scary its a wonder the place did not catch fire
we have down lighters in our kitchen but I am thinking of removing them as kitchen smells go up through the floor
those things and laminate floors are the biggest pain going

 

[rocker]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

trouble is I had stuck it over my eye and done a pirate impression!!!

This story has had me and the missus in stitches and this comment nearly have me a hernia!

 

[Jurassic Sparks]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

yes my mate kevin, is still calling me names, you can sort of guess
I was once attacked by a pair of bosoms but its too late now to tell that one
a scary one though
a mte of mine rented a workshop for his business, all looked smart and tidy, used to be a paintshop for custom cars, recent 3 phase board with spare ways, only down side sockets were all plastic and run in trunking
no supply was evident at the board, and I was told it ws supplied from an adjoining building that was closed, so I presumed the isolator had been shut off for safety
replaced all the sockets with metal clad fed by heavy gauge conduit, sorted the strip lights out and bonded the pipework
then fitted RCCBos as he was lone working and with trailing leads you need all the help you can get ( 16th ed then) unable to progress any further until access was gained,so we ran a temp supply from his old workshop, a few months later I was told power is on ready for you, I had removed the in line fuses on the 3 phases for safety just in case
when I went into the next door building I found guys working leads all over the place and a massive old 3 phase board from the 50s with no front panel at all, all live, the dis board for my mates workshop was fed from the bus bars off this!! and the main earth terminal was through a nut and bolt onto some rusty dexion shelving
worse the new users of this unit were rewiring it themselves
it was lethal, it turned out the whole industrial estate is like this with users doing their own work!!
I refused to couple the supply until a new dis board was fitted and wired correctly, the new owner moaned he had not budgeted for it??
I pointed out he had a 3 phase board with no front cover no safety cover bugger all earthing adn no means of isolating it as the switch has rusted, plus it was full of asbestos
gave him an ultimatum either get it done or I call the health and safety executive ( he had young kid working in there)
i have some pics someplace and will post them when I get a minute

 

[m25maintenance]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

i was called back to faulty towers today. all power lost on 2 floors. checked the breakers supplying them floors. all good. hummmmmmmmm i thought. o well i will av 2 start pulling up floors at 4pm. so i traced the supply cable from basement up 1st stairs, found a hidden junction box, all ok power reaching there. so follow cable again to next landing, another junction box.all ok then the cable goes off the route up to next floor and goes under wall into a bed room. i followed the cable into the room and would you adam and eve it, behind the fcuking wardrobe is a 2 way consumer unit that no fecker knew was there, and wait 4 it the power was tripped when the girl in the room tidyed up and trew sum stuff behind d wardrobe and it hit the main switch and the rest is history,,,, after pulling all those carpets and boards up. lots of whiskey tonight

 

[Ohmyword]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

a mte of mine rented a workshop for his business, all looked smart and tidy, used to be a paintshop for custom cars, recent 3 phase board with spare ways, only down side sockets were all plastic and run in trunking
no supply was evident at the board, and I was told it was supplied from an adjoining building that was closed, so I presumed the isolator had been shut off for safety

Not trying to teach Granny to suck eggs J.S.
The words "presume" or "assume" in our trade can prove fatal. I'm sure you are well aware of that.

Just this week, got caught out.
I have always used the RED of a 3c.&E cable as the common wire. (I now use the BROWN).
Had to change the programmer on a domestic, fully pumped system this week. Got a Horstmann to replace a Randall.
Customer complained that it wasn't working correctly (by then I had a suspicion about the 3-way valve). Called back and found the actual valve mechanism was seized solid in the pipe work. They called in the plumber who replaced said valve. Still complications. Returned to check on system and found the original cylinder 'stat had been wired using the Yellow as the common. Quite safe, but I never thought to check that! "PRESUMED" ))

 

[Jurassic Sparks]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

oh yes I never trust any one
possibly I worded it badly
their was no supply when I arrived, so I presumed it had been shut off as the premises where empty
thats why I removed the supply fuses on the tails to the board in the new unit
in fact the supply company had cut off the power due to lack of payment
the worse bit is that all the incoming supplies are in a pump house next to a swimming pool ( it was origionally a caravan factory) then each unit has a meter and from that point its the landlords responsibilty
trouble is he ruined the business as a young man and it was left in trust by his parents and he can only collect the rent and maintain it, not sell it
but instead of spending some of the rental updating he leaves it too the tenants
luckily he is ancient and will hopefully pass on adn the site will be shut down and cleared before an accident happens
I walked in to one unit looking for the loo ( it was outside hidden) and found a welder altering the 3 phase wiring ? seems the landlord let him do it in liue of rent
the place needs crushing
thre are open manholes, damaged drains asbestos all over the place
I dont go back any more thankfully

 

[Jurassic Sparks]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

I had to sort out a house for a client, they had owned it for a few years and now wanted to rent the place out
however, the previous owners were 2 ladies in a relationship and both owned huge vans and did DIY at all hours of the night
I had a months work sorting it all out
the bath was falling through the floor ( rotten joists)
fake beams had been installed in the lounge and dining room, when they knocked it through
they nailed them up with 6 inch nails and hit several pipes and several cables
they also fitted a gas fire that was lethal
I removed all the beams and strange bits of wood dangling down from the ceiling ( looked like a pub) ripped out the fireplaces replaced the consumer unit and rewired it
in the kitchen they had fitted a socket behind a radiator ?
i found another one in the well under the bath
and they had drilled through a pipe outside to hang a bracket up, trouble was the pipe was asbestos and it carried the stuff from the toilet, no wonder the flowers grew so well
there were so many weird wires I gave up and just ripped the lot out
but the client loved the finished job, with the ceilings repaired and all the dark stuff gone, it was no problem renting it out
strange thing was afterwards they said the house smelt so much better??
heres a pic of the socket in the kitchen

 

[binsurfing]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

Called to a domestic property with RCD tripping. All socket outlets off as fault was not obvious, further investigation revealed cables behind the plynth at the bottom of the units were chewed by RATS!!

 

[TPES]

Not an electrical problem just yet but I'm sure it won't be long..

 

[Jurassic Sparks]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

oops
rats or squirrels ?

 

[TPES]

oops
rats or squirrels ?

The customer tells me it's mice.

 

[nickblake]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

View attachment 2631View attachment 2630View attachment 2629View attachment 2628View attachment 2627View attachment 2626View attachment 2625View attachment 2631View attachment 2630View attachment 2629View attachment 2628View attachment 2627View attachment 2626View attachment 2625yes my mate kevin, is still calling me names, you can sort of guess
I was once attacked by a pair of bosoms but its too late now to tell that one
a scary one though
a mte of mine rented a workshop for his business, all looked smart and tidy, used to be a paintshop for custom cars, recent 3 phase board with spare ways, only down side sockets were all plastic and run in trunking
no supply was evident at the board, and I was told it ws supplied from an adjoining building that was closed, so I presumed the isolator had been shut off for safety
replaced all the sockets with metal clad fed by heavy gauge conduit, sorted the strip lights out and bonded the pipework
then fitted RCCBos as he was lone working and with trailing leads you need all the help you can get ( 16th ed then) unable to progress any further until access was gained,so we ran a temp supply from his old workshop, a few months later I was told power is on ready for you, I had removed the in line fuses on the 3 phases for safety just in case
when I went into the next door building I found guys working leads all over the place and a massive old 3 phase board from the 50s with no front panel at all, all live, the dis board for my mates workshop was fed from the bus bars off this!! and the main earth terminal was through a nut and bolt onto some rusty dexion shelving
worse the new users of this unit were rewiring it themselves
it was lethal, it turned out the whole industrial estate is like this with users doing their own work!!
I refused to couple the supply until a new dis board was fitted and wired correctly, the new owner moaned he had not budgeted for it??
I pointed out he had a 3 phase board with no front cover no safety cover bugger all earthing adn no means of isolating it as the switch has rusted, plus it was full of asbestos
gave him an ultimatum either get it done or I call the health and safety executive ( he had young kid working in there)
i have some pics someplace and will post them when I get a minute

UM Hope you issued him a danger notification if you didnt get round there and do it as you have seen it it could well be your responcabilty ,you need to cover yourself on this one my friend

 

[electricians]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

We had a problem with a tv amp , the tv engineer wired it up and would not return . Every time we went up the attic to check the supply it was working and the tv had a perfect signal . Came down from the attic and the signal went away . It was only after a couple of tries we realised he had taken the feed from the switch live for the attic light .

We also had a fault where the lighting would trip in a house , the customer claimed it only happened when her daughter was in the house , I right . We could not find any faults on the day .The next time the customer had a fault the electrician turned up and the daughter was in the house , all 22 stone of her . It was only when she ( and only she ) stepped on a certain floorboard that a wire was crushed that the fuse tripped . A new joint box and an invitation to weight watchers and the probelm was fixed

 

[m25maintenance]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

You couldn't make that up.lmbo

we had a problem with a tv amp , the tv engineer wired it up and would not return . Every time we went up the attic to check the supply it was working and the tv had a perfect signal . Came down from the attic and the signal went away . It was only after a couple of tries we realised he had taken the feed from the switch live for the attic light .

We also had a fault where the lighting would trip in a house , the customer claimed it only happened when her daughter was in the house , i right . We could not find any faults on the day .the next time the customer had a fault the electrician turned up and the daughter was in the house , all 22 stone of her . It was only when she ( and only she ) stepped on a certain floorboard that a wire was crushed that the fuse tripped . A new joint box and an invitation to weight watchers and the probelm was fixed

 

[nickblake]

Re: Tell us about your faults !

LOL Sounds like some thing you'd find in a laurel and hardy movie