A non-DIY-er thurst into DIY!

[TheCorm]

Hi There,

I'm Jamie, bought our first family house in September after owning our flat since 2006, didn't ever really do a lot of DIY in that place especially in the electrical area but having successfully changed all the mains sockets around the place, i'm starting to tinker here and there as long as I don't think it's dangerous and having read some posts about a similar pump staying on issue I have here on the forums, i've posted in the central heating section

Jamie

 

[Technician]

Jamie if I have time I will tell you about the guy who

tinkered in my first house and how he tagged PVC

conductors onto the older VIR system.

I ended up having it re-wired.

 

[Terry W]

i'm starting to tinker here and there as long as I don't think it's dangerous

what if you don't really know what is dangerous ?

 

[Doc Hudson]

Hi There,I'm Jamie, bought our first family house in September after owning our flat since 2006, didn't ever really do a lot of DIY in that place especially in the electrical area but having successfully changed all the mains sockets around the place, i'm starting to tinker here and there as long as I don't think it's dangerous and having read some posts about a similar pump staying on issue I have here on the forums, i've posted in the central heating section

Jamie

Welcome to the forum Jamie. Just a short note of caution. Please remember that probably most of the people who did the work shown in our black museum photographs thought they knew what they were doing and it wasn't dangerous. Just as most people who are killed or kill others due to tinkering with drink driving, think they are alright and they are not dangerous. A very small amount of electricity can kill a healthy adult in less than half a second. Many electrical jobs can be performed safely by a competent DIY person. Others require some essential test equipment to verify the circuit is safe and will not endanger people, property or livestock. By all means ask any questions on the forum and I am sure you will get good practical safe advice, but remember some work cannot be described over the internet safely to a non-competent person.

Doc H.

 

[Technician]

A short cautionary tale.....

I found the joint while repairing rain damage.

I investigated and found these joints all over the house.

All lighting points had PVC at all terminations.

The VIR was intact at the centre of the installation.

There were PVC conductors within the CU which was

BS3036 (mid 1970's).

His tinkering was so good that there was no evidence

of any fuse rupture. (signs of burning, silver blobs, brown

skidmarks; that kind of thing.)

While investigating I found a charred floor joist under the

living room floor (House build 1865; deep joist)

I wondered if this had anything to do with the said

tinkering.

Like I said, this led to a re-wire but he probably undertook

the tinkering for the sake of appearances.

HTH

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

A few years back i looked at a lighting fault. All original VIR cables, nearly all the insulation had disintegrated so the diyer had taped up some and extended others by twisting wires together, then fitted new switches screwed direct into the lathe & plaster. When i said it needed rewiring & there was nothing else i could do he said 'its only the insulation thats worn, nothing wrong with the wiring' and he sincerely meant it, thats diyers.

 

[Robin Spark]

When I'm not doing DIY, I like to thrust into something

 

[Technician]

Robin Spark...

 

[TheCorm]

Don't worry, I may be new to DIY and household electrics but I am a Broadcast Engineer, I don't go fiddling with stuff that's still live.