Hammer House of horrors Inspected

[Taffny]

Hi Guys,

Just thought I'd share a few highlights of my day.

It started well with an a test and inspection of a house that had been purchased 2 weeks earlier, it started well because I was offered a cuppa within minutes of walking in.....

I had a look around to familiarise my self with the layout, find the C.U., Meter, Gas Meter and Stop cock etc, no dramas.

Then got busy with my screwdriver and the inspection.

Not a grommet in sight, ring main earths connected into the knockout boxes, wrong but not too many suprises there.

The owner had already mentioned that there shouldn't be too many problems as it was rewired about 8 years prior???? Just for his peace of mind.

I had already asked him if there was any previous paperwork, nothing.

I carried on with the inspection, when I got to a socket in the study I noticed a spur coming off the ring, the spur was going into a 2 pole unfused switch on 1.5 mm T&E and feeding an outside light(well at least it was on an RCD!!), I callled the home owner over so he could witness the wire being cut out.

It transpires that the previous owner was a builder and had carried out the work himself, hense no paperwork.

Anyway, the inspection carried on until it reached the landing 2 way lighting. Our intrepid builder had evidently not heared of 3 core and earth, so when things didn't go as planned he used the earth as one of the lives(at least he used red sleeving to identify it!!!!!!!!!) the sleeving however was in 2 short pieces, taped together with brown tape????? 8 years ago! Mmm, the mind boggles at his forsight.

I'm sure there are a million stories out there similar and worse than mine, but being relatively new to inspecting and testing i was stunned into writing this post.

Also made me think, Never buy a house off a bloody builder.

 

[NozSpark]

Hi Guys,Just thought I'd share a few highlights of my day.

It started well with an a test and inspection of a house that had been purchased 2 weeks earlier, it started well because I was offered a cuppa within minutes of walking in.....

I had a look around to familiarise my self with the layout, find the C.U., Meter, Gas Meter and Stop cock etc, no dramas.

Then got busy with my screwdriver and the inspection.

Not a grommet in sight, ring main earths connected into the knockout boxes, wrong but not too many suprises there.

The owner had already mentioned that there shouldn't be too many problems as it was rewired about 8 years prior???? Just for his peace of mind.

I had already asked him if there was any previous paperwork, nothing.

I carried on with the inspection, when I got to a socket in the study I noticed a spur coming off the ring, the spur was going into a 2 pole unfused switch on 1.5 mm T&E and feeding an outside light(well at least it was on an RCD!!), I callled the home owner over so he could witness the wire being cut out.

It transpires that the previous owner was a builder and had carried out the work himself, hense no paperwork.

Anyway, the inspection carried on until it reached the landing 2 way lighting. Our intrepid builder had evidently not heared of 3 core and earth, so when things didn't go as planned he used the earth as one of the lives(at least he used red sleeving to identify it!!!!!!!!!) the sleeving however was in 2 short pieces, taped together with brown tape????? 8 years ago! Mmm, the mind boggles at his forsight.

I'm sure there are a million stories out there similar and worse than mine, but being relatively new to inspecting and testing i was stunned into writing this post.

Also made me think, Never buy a house off a bloody builder.

Never a truer word said...

house that jack built with all the left overs from others, why use a single piece of T&E when 5 will do

I had a CPC being used as a switched live the other day between a PIR and a bulkhead.... unfortunately they had even sleeved it G/Y

 

[revjames]

In NZ it was common practice to use the CPC as a live conductor. The earth conductor in the T&E is not bare like in the UK so as long at is correctly identified each end its OK.

The message about electricity being a killer does not get through to some people. Usually DIYers or builders!

 

[steptoe]

In NZ it was common practice to use the CPC as a live conductor. The earth conductor in the T&E is not bare like in the UK so as long at is correctly identified each end its OK. The message about electricity being a killer does not get through to some people. Usually DIYers or builders!

mmmmm,

slightly different experience to what I had rev,

but then again you were there a bit longer so maybe you learnt things/ways I didnt.

 

[revjames]

You been in NZ steps?

 

[steptoe]

short time rev, North island, I had a chance to actually get all my papers and be there permanent, but its a long and (to be quite honest), painful reason as to why I didnt stay,

 

[Megaohm7]

In NZ it was common practice to use the CPC as a live conductor. The earth conductor in the T&E is not bare like in the UK so as long at is correctly identified each end its OK. The message about electricity being a killer does not get through to some people. Usually DIYers or builders!

Hi Rev

The T&E that you used in NZ Was the cpc the same CSA and the live conductors?

 

[Apache]

I carried on with the inspection, when I got to a socket in the study I noticed a spur coming off the ring, the spur was going into a 2 pole unfused switch on 1.5 mm T&E and feeding an outside light(well at least it was on an RCD!!), I callled the home owner over so he could witness the wire being cut out.

Couldn't you just have swapped it for a switched fused spur? Has it actually broken any regs, although I can see an issue with 1.5mm on a 32A breaker thought technically you could do it. Fixed load on the other end. :C

 

[revjames]

Hi RevThe T&E that you used in NZ Was the cpc the same CSA and the live conductors?

Yes 3 conductors same size all insulated. Strange thing is that every house has to provide its own earth via a rod. Even stranger is that the N-E bars are linked in the CU so on one hand its TT on the other its TNCS and no requirement for RCD either.

Steps - I moved there in 96. Had to do a course on NZ regs/codes and then a stage 3 practical assessement before I could become a registered electrician. Then you had to pay a licensing fee every year and be tested on codes/cpr every 2 years to remain licensed. Moved back to the UK in 2001 and not regretted it....

 

[pickleye]

Yes 3 conductors same size all insulated. Strange thing is that every house has to provide its own earth via a rod. Even stranger is that the N-E bars are linked in the CU so on one hand its TT on the other its TNCS and no requirement for RCD either.

That sounds like what i saw the DNO do recently - PME, if you replace every house with every joint. I may have cought the wrong end of the stick though.

 

[revjames]

I'm not aware that TT systems ever link N-E Pickles. I do know from experience of working for the DNO that a high Ze on a TNS system would often be rectified (in the short term) by linking N-E at the cut out until the problem (joint as you say) was rectified.

 

[pickleye]

No No, thats not what i meant. We had a new supply to a school where the distributor brought a new 3 phase supply TNC-S. Just outside the building they drove a spike and brought an earth into their Service connection. In the ISC (industrial service unit) (i think that was their term) they linked the neutral and earth. The rod was buried.

He said that the rod was to prevent the danger, in the event of loosing the neutral, and all the installation metalwork becoming live. Also to stop a pd between N&E. He said this system is PME, but we call it TNC-S.

I meant there is a similarity in what op said is done in nz, but the distributor links to customers rod.

In pic you can hopefully see N&E liked, the earth is connected to a rod driven just outside building.

I apologise if I'm wrong on this but I have no reason to doubt what the guy told me. I'm keen to learn, he seemed genuine happy days.

 

[steptoe]

pickleye,

that is a proper PME system, presented to you as TNCS.

if you understand the term T N C S then you will know why it differs from the N E being linked inside the CU, which would be TNC , and then the rod being TT also, - TTNC anyone.?