Wiring left High and Dry - Please Help!

[Dilby]

High all - I recently had an electrician do all the wiring for a new kitchen we had done, and as part of the project he ran a new wire intro the adjacent entrance room so it could be ran outside for an outdoor light.

The only problem is that it required him drilling through the wall and he said his drill was flat and asked if I could do that part to which I said yes and he'd be back to sort it. Unfortunately he keeps making excuses and it doesn't look like I'll be able to get him back without taking things further that it's worth.

The ultimate objective was to be able to use a 3-gang switch to control 2 lighst inside and the new light outside.

He has said to me on the phone that i could do it (it is after all just wiring a switch in) but the problem is that the new wire he added isn't live - I'm not sure if this is for a particular reason but if I wire my new light directly off it or put a tester on it it's just dead. I told him this one the phone while trying to get him up to which is said I 'just need to pick the live up off the switch.'

I really need to find out first if what he's done makes sense and it is recoverable - I have done most of the small electrics jobs in the house (ie: changing ceiling roses etc) but not sure if I should do this technically or if all you qualified electricians out there are going to tear their hair out at the thought of it. It's an annoying thought to have to get another person in to finish the job but at least I can see where the job is at perhaps. (Ie if the new wire serves any purpose at all?!)

Please see my (awful) diagram and photo:



Thanks so much!

 

[Specialist]

To be honest that looks a bit of a mess, as it's for an outside light & you don't know what that wire is it might be a better idea to get another Electrician in to check it out & wire it up for you. Make sure that the Electrician you get in is Part P registered, wonder why he did'nt take the trunking all the way to the switch as he should have ?

 

[sjhall]

From what I can see ( not a lot on my phone) you need to see if there is a neutral in the switch ( this will be in a connector block ) ... If so, it's an easy job, if not you will need a neutral pulling to the light or switch to start.

Ste

 

[telectrix]

you would have to trace that loose cable. see if it goes to the outside light. has your electrician given yo any sort of certificate for the work he's done? to be honest, your best bet would be to get another sparks in to sort this out. if you post your location, i;m sure one of us is near enough to have a look at it.

 

[Paul.M]

Your electrician should not have left you in this position, nor ask you to drill holes and never should have told you to connect up his inadequate wiring (cable 2 looks like it snaged, trunking to short, switch needs renewing).

As above is there a neutral? Have you got any certs? Have you paid him in full before completion? Is this outside light on an rcd protected circuit?

This is something that an electrician can sort out in no time, post up your area and get one of us lot in to do the job correctly. Not one of us would tell a customer to wire up his own light switch or drill a hole because his battery is dead! Don't attempt this yourself please (although you sound very good at DIY, this goes beyond DIY skills and knowledge I'm afraid).

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Dilby]

Hi all - No certificate.. what does that mean. I have recently moved to the UK from Australia so I'm afraid I may have been a bit of a sucker with the regs over here and just trusted what I was told. Specialist: The back box simply isn't fitted to the wall at the moment which explains the gap. In regards to the neutral block, I'm unsure about that but both wires from the lights have the common connected in the box if that's what you mean? Also, just to clear up my ambiguous description, nothing is connected the outside light yet, there isn't even one there, we running this new wire in order to connect it to one we mount there (I just connected the light that i'll put there straight to the mystery wire to see if it was working ok.) So does it make sense at all that that wire is dead? Is that a definite problem or can that happen according to this layout somehow? (I just need to know this as I'm talking to him tomorrow and would be good to tell him that there's definitely a problem as he's wiping his hands at the moment.)

 

[Paul.M]

Post up your area and get this done properly. (not by me btw, my next full day off is Xmas eve!).

 

[Specialist]

Hi Dilby: As Paul has said above, you really need to get all the work looked at by a good Electrician. As for Certification, basically it shows that the work has been tested for Electrical safety & also complies with Building Regs, if your Electrician was doing work in your kitchen then he needs to be Part P certified.

YOU REALLY DO NEED TO GET THIS LOOKED AT FOR YOUR SAFETY.

 

[mo the test]

was your electrician from a registered body ie NICEIC NAPIT ECA ELECSA if so contact them and they will ensure that he comes back and corrects this work. If not then trading standards could be involved, no electrical work should be attempted unless you are competent. All work in a kitchen has to be notified to building control. There are unfortunately a few sparks that give the business a bad name, but do not be put off the remaining work if it is as you say then the repair will not be to costly even done by a registered electrician.

 

[alarm man]

Hi all - No certificate.. what does that mean. I have recently moved to the UK from Australia so I'm afraid I may have been a bit of a sucker with the regs over here and just trusted what I was told. Specialist: The back box simply isn't fitted to the wall at the moment which explains the gap. In regards to the neutral block, I'm unsure about that but both wires from the lights have the common connected in the box if that's what you mean? Also, just to clear up my ambiguous description, nothing is connected the outside light yet, there isn't even one there, we running this new wire in order to connect it to one we mount there (I just connected the light that i'll put there straight to the mystery wire to see if it was working ok.) So does it make sense at all that that wire is dead? Is that a definite problem or can that happen according to this layout somehow? (I just need to know this as I'm talking to him tomorrow and would be good to tell him that there's definitely a problem as he's wiping his hands at the moment.)

are you doing this work yourself,that switch looks familiar.

 

[Paul.M]

are you doing this work yourself,that switch looks familiar.

LOL

http://www.electriciansforums.net/e...al-forum/21070-can-anyone-help-me-please.html

 

[cbw]

No neutrals at switch....Cant work!

Guess you must have employed the services of Bob, my mate at the pub.

You are going to have to employ the services of a proper electrician.

Same old thing, Buy cheap buy twice!