DIY Electrical Work

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

God only knows what I tapped into. Because I sure as hell didn't.

[John Rumm]

Should have linked to before, the latest state of play:

[ARW]

If I went to the barbers I would be charged for a search fee not for a hair cut.

[Chris French]

In message , charles writes

I remember my Nan used to power her hoover from the light (circa 1970 I guess, but I don't know how long she had had the hoover at that point

[Tim Watts]

My neurologist said something like that. Don't know what he meant...

[RJH]

He is an idiot most of the time :-)

I do (did) generally pay him some attention, as one of his claims is an early life 'on the tools' - which by a process of deduction I assumed to be about 20 years. Transpires after some questioning it was 'about a year', and the only thing he remembers doing is mixing concrete.

So, it turns out, he's not that qualified to tell anyone anything.

Well, that's my question really. The guidance must have been written with something in mind. What does 'certificated in accordance with BS7671' actually mean?!

Thanks, link in other post noted.

[Brian-Gaff]

Out in the real world, many installations, probably far less well designed than yours have been put in and still work tens of years later. As one might imagine, any buried cables could well be dangerous as the plans if they actually existed, are long gone and no doubt from a previous owner, who is now dead.

I do think, in the vast scheme of things, that its the rarity that fails and causes fires etc. It can just as well be a professionals work gnawed through by a mouse as any kind of bodgers work. I and my late father would hold up our hands at the time of fitting stuff that we did it the Frank Sinatra method.

However alight in a small box room which I know to have been fed with 5 amp black red double insulated pvc cable from a spur on the ring main is still up and running and the fuse blew when a bulb went short protecting the cable which is just as well as its buried in the wall!

I actually feel today's tendency to use daisy chained extension leads is far more dangerous not just from electrical failure but from trip hazard than almost all the bodges I've ever seen. as long as you do not use the Spanish method of joining cables with sticky tape, mostly its pretty safe. I just wish the same could be said of modern appliances. I have had most trouble with washing machines emitting magic smoke and noxious smells, and vacuum cleaners catching fire, so carry on bodging its nowhere near as dangerous as some of the so called safety marked appliances. However watch out for the fitted kitchen brigade who are no averse to hiding connections behind wall cupboards with no kind of insulation or means to get at them.

Brian

[Brian-Gaff]

Yess I still have one of those bayonet two port adaptors and a bayonet self wire plug. You could buy them at Woolworths in those days. There was even a device as you describe with a pull switch attached for one of the outputs with dire warnings not to power heating from it as it was not fused. Of course my mother then plugged her Iron into it and fused the lighting circuit. Brian

[Tim Watts]

That particular "guidance" was probably written by someone with 5 GCSE's or a media studies graduate (which is about the same thing really).

No one gave it any real thought - it is just some stuff on a web page that happens to say .gov.uk

[Andy Burns]

If it MUST be inspected etc, it would say must, the "should be .... blah" seems like an arse covering afterthought.

[Cursitor Doom]

Yeah, and you'd be doing it in worn-out carpet slippers on a damp floor in all probability. That's how we rolled back then. ;-)

[Cursitor Doom]

Yeah. Those ingenious Y - shaped adapters with one outlet for a light bulb and the other for a plug for your telly or hoover. Once connected for the first time, some forgetful kid would invariably run across the cable path and pull the ceiling rose out, deluging us all with plaster dust. Great days!

[Andrew Gabriel]

Parents bought their house in 1955 (IIRC). It was only partially built, so they could change some things. It was spec'ed with one socket per room, except for living room and kitchen which had 2. Dad paid £1 each to have the living room and kitchen increased to 3.

At least it was all done with PVC and ring circuits, which was not yet universal in mid 1950's. The original cable is all still fine too. The only part which actually failed during that time was the Bakelite Wylex rewirable fuse box, which I replaced in 1999 with a metal MEMshield2 one with RCBOs.

[ARW]

Probably meant that insanity is hereditary. You catch it off your children.

[Peter Johnson]

My 1988-built house was equipped with single unswitched sockets throughout, which I attribute to lazy electricians, lack of oversight by the clerk of works and the original purchaser not having the sense to complain to the builder. I have changed most of them and have the bits to change others when I feel in the mood. (The houses either side had double sockets installed.)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

On a new build, I doubt the electrician would have much of a say. He'd install what he was supplied with.

Be down to whoever bought the house being a cheapskate, unless bought after building was completed.

[Tony Bryer]

Same on my mum's new home - a 1970s Crest Homes bungalow. Unswitched singles and cables run diagonally across ceiling joists in the loft.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Pal's place - also new in the '70s - has the lighting wiring all done in double insulated single cables (like meter tails, but 1mm)

[ARW]

Still used today by Doncaster council on their hosung stock (well the 1.5mm size). Using "singles" does have some benefits.

[ARW]

Or work to the spec if supplying their own materials!