When to re-wire??

[Strickers]

Hi guys, when would you consider a re-wire was nesscesary?? I recently when to a property to have a look at a consumer unit change to find in my a opinion a mess!! The consumer unit (old wylex re-wireable type) hanginging off the wall no bonding at all. So on further investigation i found a few pieces of old black rubber for switch drops some dodgy diy type work i.e cables just laid across carpets etc... and told the client its a bit of a dog and it needs a re-wire.1 day before i was to start customer cancelled and i found out that an electrician had done the remedial work and board change for her for £450. Im i just unlucky or im i just a little bit keen to re-wire houses!!!

help

 

[Guest123]

Hey strickers.

Any sniff of rubber cables mate and you have to re-wire no two ways about it.

Problem is you cant really tell for sure that the rubber hasn't just been jointed under the floor somewhere with new T& E run in for new sockets/lights etc.

Do you think the other guy supplied a new c.u, earthing and bonding and replaced all old rubber for £450?? course he didn't.

Your better off sleeping soundly in your bed knowing that you offered the correct advice.

Cheers.

 

[Strickers]

Thanks lenny, just still a little raw about the fact that i lost a weeks work. And trust me as much as you want to do a job right they'll always be some idiot that will come and cut corners. Cheers i'll just have to keep telling myself im fighting for the good guys.

 

[Guest123]

Absolutely.

It just saddens me to think that there are people, who at the end of the day are willing to put peoples lives in danger just to make a fast buck!!

It also makes it harder for the rest of us because it gives us a bad name also as we are all tarred with the same brush.

As you were Strickers mate, as you were.

 

[sivoodoo]

I agree, really stupid of the client really, its their life at stake, people should be a bit more aware.
But, unfortunately everyone is feeling the downturn and our prices have to refelect that too.

 

[Strickers]

I can understand that it's a cut thoat world out there at the moment but i charge £20 per/hr for my services. It really isn't possible to go any cheaper if i did i might as well just jack it in and stack shelves at asda!

 

[Spudnik]

I can understand that it's a cut thoat world out there at the moment but i charge £20 per/hr for my services. It really isn't possible to go any cheaper if i did i might as well just jack it in and stack shelves at asda!

An opinion shared by many sparks im afraid.

 

[hughesy]

I always do the work then fail it on the cert and inform the customer of what repairs need to be carried out and give them an eatsimate for the total cost of repair or re wire in most cases.

 

[Strickers]

But aren't you supposed to do a periodic before you do a board change, i know i wouldn't be happy if someone expected me to have a re-wire if i thought i was just paying for a board change.

 

[hughesy]

But aren't you supposed to do a periodic before you do a board change, i know i wouldn't be happy if someone expected me to have a re-wire if i thought i was just paying for a board change.

not sure on wether you have to or not, and i tell the customer when i have installed the new board i will test the whole installation and issue a report on its condition with an estimate for cost of repairs if any are needed and they are always happy with that also whilst doing estimate for new mains i include for installing bonding if needed as we arent meant to carry out work in a property with out bonding in place.(i carry out many mains changes and have allways done it like this with no repercussions as long as you are honest and carry out good work and issue all the right certificates the customer should be happy as its not our fault their house requires rewiring(if it does) but thanks for making it that bit safer by installing a new 17th edition mains board.

 

[pushrod]

I always do the work then fail it on the cert and inform the customer of what repairs need to be carried out and give them an eatsimate for the total cost of repair or re wire in most cases.

How do you organise/manage that? Do they get the certificate in the post after they have paid or do you tell them in advance that there is a good chance of you having to fail your work because of the state of the circuits/installation in the rest of the house? I could imagine that people might be reluctant to payout for work that doesn't get a pass certificate unless you really spend ages explaining it all to them.

 

[hughesy]

How do you organise/manage that? Do they get the certificate in the post after they have paid or do you tell them in advance that there is a good chance of you having to fail your work because of the state of the circuits/installation in the rest of the house? I could imagine that people might be reluctant to payout for work that doesn't get a pass certificate unless you really spend ages explaining it all to them.

I don mean fail my, work my work as in the new mains would be fine but when you then test the installation if it is sub standard then it fails and you put what it requires in the comments box , and also i dont send certificates out till the bill has been paid because ive had 1 0r 2 not pay even with a satisfactory cert.and everything the customer needs to know is in the estimate in writing never had any problems yet and most of the time when i send the certs withan estimate for the repairs which need carrying out they have me back to do them

 

[pushrod]

thanks hughesy , i know your work is ok just wondering what the customer would think after paying £300 or £400 . So for example someone says i want a new 17th edition CU but when you price it you notice the lighting doesn't have an earth in it and not all their light fittings are class 2 and they don't want to change the non legal(?) ones or have a rewire of the lighting circuit. Would you go ahead do the job and then just write up the failings on the certificate or should you keep well away?

 

[lockhes]

I don mean fail my, work my work as in the new mains would be fine but when you then test the installation if it is sub standard then it fails and you put what it requires in the comments box , and also i dont send certificates out till the bill has been paid because ive had 1 0r 2 not pay even with a satisfactory cert.and everything the customer needs to know is in the estimate in writing never had any problems yet and most of the time when i send the certs withan estimate for the repairs which need carrying out they have me back to do them

thats what my work does aswel

 

[hughesy]

thanks hughesy , i know your work is ok just wondering what the customer would think after paying £300 or £400 . So for example someone says i want a new 17th edition CU but when you price it you notice the lighting doesn't have an earth in it and not all their light fittings are class 2 and they don't want to change the non legal(?) ones or have a rewire of the lighting circuit. Would you go ahead do the job and then just write up the failings on the certificate or should you keep well away?

do the work and write up the remedial items with an estimate for cost of repair, if you dont how many times are we gonna refuse jobs because the customer wont have all the repairs done some say do a periodic first but this adds more cost to the customer so say you wanted to change the mains some say do a periodic 100+vat up to a 3 bed then you give the estimate for new mains rewire lights upgrade bonding from 6 to 10mm and pass it too the customer and they say omg no thank you so you may have made 100 quid on the test but dont get the mains change and the installation is left in a worse state than if you just did the mains change then carried out the inspection and test after all the new boards are miles safer than the old wylex you replaced.

thats what my work does aswel

cheers mate was beginning to think i was the only one