Nightmare Job....

NozSpark · Aug 4, 2014

Well, today's job started to go wrong quite early and just got worse as the day continued..

I'm meant to be replacing a shower, installing an extractor fan and replacing a light fitting...

1. The board is an old wooden frame wylex

2. The equpotential bonding is old imperial approx =4mm and none on gas

3.The existing shower circuit also supplies the boiler and a socket in the kitchen

4.The lighting circuit CPC had rotted at the board

5.The socket circuit CPCs had rotted at the board

6.There's a double oven.... I don't know if there's a cooker circuit

Appart from the bathroom all the other rooms have been decorated and the carpets cleaned,,, the owners really didn't want me to go in any of the other rooms... I told them I have to!

Oh ... and the mains is in the attached garage which doesn't meet the soffit board and has a flat roof

I've also determined that the cables are copper clad aluminiym, thankfully I can get to them,,, the lights up through the cavity and the socket cct under the floor of the room that backs onto the garage

Sharpend · Aug 4, 2014

You really must survey a job better before jumping in feet first!

NozSpark · Aug 4, 2014

The only survey was when I turned up this morning..... I was just there to do the electrics on a bathroom refurbishment for a plumber mate,,, he also told them that they'd need the board replacing and they have apparently said "just do whatever needs to be done"

As soon as I've found problems I've told them about them and they've given the ok to carry on

I've had to rewire the shower, install equipotential bonding, rewire the lighting feed and rewire the last few meters of the socket circuits

kerching · Aug 4, 2014

Copperclad.....the work of the Devil and ALL his little cohorts

Not that it helps you much

.....just saying

M107 · Aug 4, 2014

Sounds like my Saturday job (and I did survey the job I was tasked with) where the customer is changing a detached garage/office to a one chair hair/beauty salon.

The job: add a single fcu to office radial socket circuit, for plumber to connect a saniflo unit.

I get there & no sign of the plumber but I know what I have to do so crack on, hole through wall fcu back to back with a double socket & connect saniflo, test and cert as required (3036 board with a remote rcd on the socket circuit).

Just get done & plumber turns up "Great while your here can you look at the water heater they have supplied.........I'm a little worried as they want it plugged into the socket using a short length of flex & a plug".

The water heater is 9Kw

the flex was an IEC lead with the end cut off, :slap it was fused though with the original 5amp fuse

msl1:

So now we have:

Instead of connecting to the house cu 30A 3036 as the existing submain is, I have to split the meter tails add 100mA s type & mcb as a switch fuse.

Upgrade the existing submain that's currently a mix of 2.5mm T/E & swa for it's 18 mtr run from the house cu (house on TT 100mA rcd) to the cu in the garage.

Swap the existing 3036 board in the garage for new SBS board & CRCBO's.

Install new water heater circuit.

Add MEB to new water supply that's been put into garage.

Forgot to say customers are booked in for grand opening & hair do's on Thursday.................I should say were, I cant get to do the work until a week Sunday at the earliest......opening has been postponed.....

NozSpark · Aug 4, 2014

This is the first time that I've come across copper clad in the 10years (almost to the day) that I've been self employed

I was thinking WTF was going on with having a rotting cpc,,,, I've never seen that before