PIR last week

[gselectrical]

Just thought i'd share some of last weeks experiences with you all.

Whilst carrying out a PIR on a 3 storey property last week I found there was no earth continuity at a metal fluorescent batten fitting on the top floor. One 1mm T&E so assumed feed was in the switch.

Removed switch on top floor (intermediate switching) Old Red, white & blue 3-core cable. There appeared to be an earth coming from the cable and terminating at the backbox. However a slight pull on this earth cable and one end came out of the 3-core cable.

Some idiot had used 3-core (no earth) and stuck a piece of 1mm earth cable inside the 3-core cable to magically earth the back box. Upon further inspection the other 2 switches where also wired like this. So no wonder there was no bleeding earth continuity at the light fitting!

Things like this really pee me off.

GS

 

[Evans Electric]

Just shows you , in this trade you dare'nt ever assume that things are correct.

 

[sellers]

wont be the first time, wont be the last.

I've seen this once before metal faceplates too.

 

[Ali]

I'm still amazed by this kind of thing. I know that some people are bad electricians, I know that some people don't understand how rubbish they are, there are some people who know so little that they think if it works it must be OK. There are even people in this world who will do a shoddy job just to be out of there quickly and take the cash. What I can't understand is the people who know how to do a proper job and want to look like they've done a good job but spend more time and effort bodging it than they do doing it properly.

There doesn't seem to be enough money in domestic electrics to bother making the effort to be such a cowboy, surely there are easier ways to steal money from people. :C

 

[ProDave]

It's on a par with a water pipe bond that I found once, that was just a short bit of green / yellow, poked through a hole, going nowhere.

Definitely a bodge to make it "look" right.

Better not to do it at all, than pretend to do it.

 

[ktguk]

ive seen a so called upgrade, which was the VIR pulled into the loft JB'd then t&e dropped down......... whats the point might aswell of rewired it than going to all that trouble to rip someone off

 

[gselectrical]

It's on a par with a water pipe bond that I found once, that was just a short bit of green / yellow, poked through a hole, going nowhere.Definitely a bodge to make it "look" right.

Better not to do it at all, than pretend to do it.

Quite right. Why pretend to do it?

What gets me is that who ever did it could have easily pulled in a new 3-core & earth as the 3-core with no earth they had used was wired inside the cavity of a lath and plaster wall. Would have been quite easy to tie a new cable on and pull it down.

Lazy ba5tards.

 

[Manator]

This is one of the reasons why doing a proper PIR is vital. Your experiences are not uncommon, which is why all bonding should be tested for continuity. I once saw a new CU installed, with 10mm bonding to gas and water, and all new cables to the CU. The client had paid for a full rewire. On my inspection it at first looked like a full rewire, but all the new cables were joined just under the floorboards, by the new CU.

Unbelievable, but thats how some people make a quick buck.

I never got any of the remedial works, I guess the owner just could not afford to put anything right.

 

[batty]

This is one of the reasons why doing a proper PIR is vital. Your experiences are not uncommon, which is why all bonding should be tested for continuity. I once saw a new CU installed, with 10mm bonding to gas and water, and all new cables to the CU. The client had paid for a full rewire. On my inspection it at first looked like a full rewire, but all the new cables were joined just under the floorboards, by the new CU.Unbelievable, but thats how some people make a quick buck.

I never got any of the remedial works, I guess the owner just could not afford to put anything right.

How do conmen/women sleep at night?

 

[pickleye]

How do conmen/women sleep at night?

9 pints of horlicks:tongue in cheek

 

[ktguk]

Quite right. Why pretend to do it? What gets me is that who ever did it could have easily pulled in a new 3-core & earth as the 3-core with no earth they had used was wired inside the cavity of a lath and plaster wall. Would have been quite easy to tie a new cable on and pull it down.

Lazy ba5tards.

even worse because they've proved they know it should be there and made an effort to deceive

 

[Robin Spark]

It's on a par with a water pipe bond that I found once, that was just a short bit of green / yellow, poked through a hole, going nowhere.Definitely a bodge to make it "look" right.

Better not to do it at all, than pretend to do it.

I remember there was an electrician in Wolverhampton who got jailed a few years ago for doing stuff like this!