YouTube electricians

[co00okie]

OK, I'm still as green as a baby's nappy with all of this. I decided to change career and took a part-time night course (More on this later if your interested.) I'm no where near as good as someone who has done a full apprenticeship. Took my 17th edition and ran with it. Admittedly to the wrong industry (gates and security/access control etc.) BUT I have found my way back to house bashing and nothing prepared me for this....

After watching numerous electricians on YouTube I find myself trawling the regs to see what they call shocking! Or shody workmanship to see if its against the regs and find them quite minor to what I've landed myself in.

First House - fault find upstairs sockets not working
Easy right, straight to the consumer unit. Burnt out busbar on mcb. Loose connection. Whilst there though, Tennant complained about 2 downstairs lights, when turning them on at the switch lights pop and trip on cu. Belled out every cable and rewired what looked like 18 different electricians who had come and patched and patched and patched work. Changed light fittings and all seems OK.

This one screwed me.... No idea not a clue. Sent to fit x3 smoke alarms (X2 smokes and a heat alarm in the kitchen to be exact.) wireless so should be a walk in the park. No! So I fit smokes and turn the power back on. Lights work fine, but smokes are not illuminating the led to show power... On all 3. I used existing cabling on hallway and landing smokes. And wired to permenant live on kitchen light fitting for heat alarm. I'm stumped because I'm testing power at smokes and it's there. Tested continuity across live and neutral and bing there's a short somewhere. My issue is why hasn't the rcd tripped? I mean wtf?

So my question is why isn't this classed as "shocking" or "shoddy" to the YouTube electricians. I know I shouldn't be trying to learn this stuff on YouTube but, why is a loose switch face the worst thing these guys have seen when the ---- I've come across in the passed 2 days really worry me?

P.s. Sorry if your a vlogger. Its not really aimed at you. Just shitty landlords that probably do there own eicrs.

 

[Electrics]

Although that was a very bad decision and one that he wont ever live down, the majority of his stuff is alright. Not great but ticks the boxes (most the time)

I guess the problem there is that he knows that he should have done it in the first place. That's just shoddy. Like when someone on a recent video I saw had put grommets in only one of the 4 board knockouts. He knew he had to do it otherwise he wouldn't have done the first one, but he's seen the other three and thought 'can't be arsed'. Very poor.

As for the plumber, most of his work seems alright to me. There is a tendancy of other tradesmen especially online to rip the work of others to shreds when in reality there's nothing wrong with it.

I've seen literally perfect work on youtube by some carpenters get some joey in the comments who just has to complain and say how poor it is and how they can do it better. I think it's just the need by some to feel knowledgeable and important. At the end of the day some are out grafting, earning, and some are sat criticising behind keyboards.

 

[loz2754]

I guess the problem there is that he knows that he should have done it in the first place. That's just shoddy. Like when someone on a recent video I saw had put grommets in only one of the 4 board knockouts. He knew he had to do it otherwise he wouldn't have done the first one, but he's seen the other three and thought 'can't be arsed'. Very poor.

As for the plumber, most of his work seems alright to me. There is a tendancy of other tradesmen especially online to rip the work of others to shreds when in reality there's nothing wrong with it.

I've seen literally perfect work on youtube by some carpenters get some joey in the comments who just has to complain and say how poor it is and how they can do it better. I think it's just the need by some to feel knowledgeable and important. At the end of the day some are out grafting, earning, and some are sat criticising behind keyboards.

Maybe so, but I would suggest that anyone who puts their work on show deliberately for all to see, needs to be exceptionally careful to make sure they follow the rules and produce work to a high standard. Otherwise they get what they deserve in the way of criticism.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I might go on YouTube and do an absolutely shoddy installation with loads of carp practices like tape joints and cables outside zones etc

just for the laughs I get from the comments

 

[Zerax]

Maybe so, but I would suggest that anyone who puts their work on show deliberately for all to see, needs to be exceptionally careful to make sure they follow the rules and produce work to a high standard.

Exactly !! That's why you'll never see any of my work on YouTube...

 

[gazdkw82]

Maybe there is some respect to be given to anyone willing to film themselves and then upload to YouTube.

Almost like boxers, no matter how poor, got to give them respect for having the nuts to put themselves wide open

 

[Dartlec]

I might go on YouTube and do an absolutely shoddy installation with loads of carp practices like tape joints and cables outside zones etc

just for the laughs I get from the comments

A slight twist on the well known rule - the quickest way to find out how to do something correctly is not to ask, but to put up a video doing it wrongly....

 

[nicebutdim]

A slight twist on the well known rule - the quickest way to find out how to do something correctly is not to ask, but to put up a video doing it wrongly....

A bit like Kieran with his outdoor socket install?

Most of the issues raised about Youtube electricians are openly discussed and generally seem to improve awarness and (hopefully) standards. While many viewers will quickly point out these problems, there are probably countless electricians out there making exactly the same mistakes - those who don't care will continue not caring, but hopefully those that don't know will learn and adpat.

I see the whole Youtube issue as a double edged sword for this industry (and probably for many others). On one hand there will be those who decide to undertake tasks they really shouldn't be involved in, but on the other it has opened up debate on many issues that would otherwise go unnoticed and video comments demonstrate that a lot of electricians have learned about some of their own less than ideal practices.

I've commented previously about which of these youtubers (is that now accepted terminology?) I like and which I dont, but that's mostly based on presentation and content, rather than knowledge and ability. Poor Nick Bundy seems like a salt of the earth chap, who takes pride in his work and is stung when mistakes are highlighted, but my criticism is because recent videos seem to feature a lot of irrelevant chat, promotions and in jokes, with much less focus on the electrical work being undertaken.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Once that start banging on about promo codes and online deals for companies I skip to the next video

but I appreciate they have to make money from the vids and they get paid for doing advertising, so it feels a necessary evil

 

[ipf]

I might go on YouTube and do an absolutely shoddy installation with loads of carp practices like tape joints and cables outside zones etc

just for the laughs I get from the comments

I'll come with you and do the filming.....just to make the carp look even worse.

 

[Mike Johnson]

The same when I take photographs they are always upside down. ?

 

[Electrics]

Maybe so, but I would suggest that anyone who puts their work on show deliberately for all to see, needs to be exceptionally careful to make sure they follow the rules and produce work to a high standard. Otherwise they get what they deserve in the way of criticism.

But as i said people criticise and downthumb even those who do an exceptional job. Go and look up a joiner called Paul Sellers who does some of the most fantastic work you will ever see - people literally criticise him and he often gets downthumbed over some of his work and the guy has forgotten more than anyone watching him even knows.

It comes with the territory - you literally can't please people who sit behind screens criticising.

I still don't know, except for that one SWA thing, where his work has actually been shoddy. As far as i see, he always uses wago boxes, always grommets stuff, always does neat CU's etc, seems to be clued up on testing and inspection. I think the problem is people being massively over critical, like most tradesmen are.

Unless there is actual proof of him and others doing really shoddy work? I've never seen a video where there has except for maybe style issues, ie, Bundy putting rigid conduit right down the middle of a wall when i'd have put it down the corner and out of sight. I've certainly never seen any of them do anything outright dangerous unless you can point me there.

 

[nicebutdim]

Unless there is actual proof of him and others doing really shoddy work? I've never seen a video where there has except for maybe style issues, ie, Bundy putting rigid conduit right down the middle of a wall when i'd have put it down the corner and out of sight. I've certainly never seen any of them do anything outright dangerous unless you can point me there.

The worst electrical work I've seen has been in real life.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Nick Bundy recently did a decent ‘how to’ on plumbing in a new shower and even Chris the plumber did a vid on putting in Quinetic switches which was actually quite informative...for a plumber

 

[murpad]

Once that start banging on about promo codes and online deals for companies I skip to the next video

but I appreciate they have to make money from the vids and they get paid for doing advertising, so it feels a necessary evil

Ye, a lot of good websites, forums nd youtubers been spoiled, overrun with advertisements

 

[OnlQQker]

I might go on YouTube and do an absolutely shoddy installation with loads of carp practices like tape joints and cables outside zones etc

just for the laughs I get from the comments

That would be the way to get tons of views ?, and it's the views that get you rich. How Much Do YouTubers Make In 2021 (And How) (bloggingocean.com)