Unsecured wiring

[flipples]

Hi all.

Since NEC IEC are closed over Christmas and i really need some advice i was hoping for some help.

We have had a terrible month with an awful electrician who has been lying and trying to cheat money out of us all the way.

We are finished with him and he says he can now certify the work.

However i'm not sure something he has done is ok and wanted some advice.

Our kitchen is being replaced and the electrician has rewired. He has drilled holes through the existing units which are coming out, (and he knows this), and fed the cables through these. With the new units there will be no holes, can the wires be left to hang free hidden behind the units or is there some regulation that the wire have to be secured?

All i can find is rules about the wires going vertically into sockets.

Any advice would be great.

 

[amlu]

some pictures will explain the situation better. should be possible to fix the cables into the wall after old units gone?

 

[telectrix]

from how you explain it, it is quite OK to secure the cables to the walls before fitting the new units. just have to cut the old units to release the cable when removing the units.

 

[Octopus]

How can an electrician sensibly rewire a kitchen with "old" units in that you and he know will be taken out. Is this a wind up. Most sparks work after the old units are ripped out and before the new ones are fitted.

 

[Paul.M]

"Our kitchen is being replaced and the electrician has rewired. He has drilled holes through the existing units which are coming out, (and he knows this), and fed the cables through these. With the new units there will be no holes, can the wires be left to hang free hidden behind the units or is there some regulation that the wire have to be secured?"

If he is aware that the existing units are to be removed and he has done his cable run through them, Its only going to cost you more to have them removed and installed again. Are you sure he is an electrician or just a kitchen fitter that knows a bit about wires? Sounds like you are having trouble with your selected electrician, my best advice would be to call a local Electrician (registered with a scheme membership) and ask for a quote from the stage you are at now and tell him/her everything.


2nd part of your question. Yes cables need to be supported. This depends of the size of cable, the amount in the same run, grouping factors (if this applies in your case we do not know, doubt it for just a kitchen). As above, a picture will tell us a thousand words. Give us more information and we can help out better.

 

[telectrix]

good point, murdoch, but maybe the client wanted the old kitchen rewired and usable for crimbo, the new kitchen could be a month or 2 yet.

 

[Paul.M]

Good point Tel, more info needed.



Murdoch and Tel posted at the same time I did. 2 great minds, then there is me lol.

I think the sparky is bumping up the job but I may be wrong.

 

[flipples]

So this is what he has done. He specifically asked for the unit to be unscrewed so he could get behind them and just hasn't bothered. You'd be amazed at the chasing he has done, 6 inches wide for a double socket?
I'm getting the impression he's an idiot. From your comments wiring must be supported\secured?

Good point Tel, more info needed.



Murdoch and Tel posted at the same time I did. 2 great minds, then there is me lol.

I think the sparky is bumping up the job but I may be wrong.

 

[flipples]

This is an example of one of the sockets. Just the one clip on this. I'm meeting him on Monday. Any chance you can tell me what regs I need to quote at him if needed?

 

[Octopus]

I'm still puzzled why you asked for this work to be done prior to the kitchen being ripped out..... it was always likely to end in tears.

 

[onions1066]

Why do you need to quote regs at him just tell him your not happy and work from there. If a homeowner started quoting regs at me it would just get my back up. As above though it seems the problems have been caused with the incorrect sequence of works. But I will say his work looks like he's chucked it from 6ft and its just landed there.

 

[flipples]

One of the previous posters got the answer. Wire were in temporary surface trunking until after Christmas and he would return, chase the wires into the wall and plaster. He always said he intended to move the cabinets out to do this and askedm that I unscrew them so he could get access.

With regards regs if he is going to certify this work I want to know its up to spec and not just him trying to fob me off for payment. I'm not bothered about them being chased in but being secured is surely a minimum?

 

[telectrix]

cables should, at a minimum, be secured by clipping: enclosed in mini trunking if protection required. if chased in , then cables must be directly in line with sockets/switches , either vertically or horizontally. obviously RCD protection is required.

 

[flipples]

cables should, at a minimum, be secured by clipping: enclosed in mini trunking if protection required. if chased in , then cables must be directly in line with sockets/switches , either vertically or horizontally. obviously RCD protection is required.

Thanks for this answer and thanks to you all for your help. This has been a lesson hard learned for me but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[Octopus]

Thanks for this answer and thanks to you all for your help. This has been a lesson hard learned for me but there is light at the end of the tunnel!

I'd still like to know why you wanted this work done before the old kitchen was removed as its made life very difficult!