What Have You Done!

[Robin Spark]

Was doing some alterations in a property today and as the owners were out I just popped round to the neighbours to say Id be making a lot of noise as chasing sockets etc and just checked they hadnt got any Ming vases on the party wall :slap

At about 10.30am the elderly guy (who made me jump out of my skin!) from next door shouted at me through the open front door " Hello, any idea what you have done? My fridge and lawnmower wont work!!".

Popped round and his rcd had tripped probably from when he switched his dodgy mower on.

At least he said thank you and offered me a coffee.  He had an old fusebox and 2 newer consumer units so a bit confusing for him to check.  I think his wife said his son was an electrician and that she was scared and confused by electricity!

After that, everything must have been ok as heard him mowing for the next half hour.

 

[ProDave]

I thought you were going to say you turned the power off in the house you were working in, and some of next door's sockets stopped working.

I've encountered that with two adjacent shop units.

 

[Evans Electric]

Me too !! 

Also reminded me of that commercial thing that happens .      You're working for a customer who inhabits the 2nd floor when someone from the 5th floor accosts you with   "Some of our lights have just gone out , can you come and look "      The bleedin' tubes have been dead for months and they're hoping you'll fix them .  

 

[steptoe]

oh yes Deke,

but they only just went as soon as you walked in the door, even before you touched anything,

you must be to blame, after all, thats cheaper than calling out their own spark.

 

[Evans Electric]

Thats the size of it Stepps ...had it a few times .. it was alright till you guys came .

The other classic is when you're working onsite ,  builder wants you to fix a light up in the cellar 'cos the plumber/plasterer/chippy/painter et al  can't see .  Oh and they need some power too .    Don't mind helping people out but none of it is in your remit . 

Strange how , if you went down there , you'd get the ext lead and the task light and away you go .     Seems that many of these guys never buy themselves any gear.

 

[Robin Spark]

I thought you were going to say you turned the power off in the house you were working in, and some of next door's sockets stopped working.

I've encountered that with two adjacent shop units.

That reminds me about a fan/light i refused to fit because the lighting circuit had no cpc.

I then heard a few weeks later that the guy next door Who was an auto electrician drilled through from his loft and connected it up to his wiring!

 

[kerching]

Back in the day I was working in Brum

5 days installing network. Last day went back to pick gear up.  MD with a face like a slapped arse......you've broken my phone system we are losing money!

not us but, to keep,the peace we checked our runs hadn't damaged owt as there were some moody cable joints on the BT stuff.

NFF....manager turned up, explained the problem.......silence rained and we all got wet!   " ah, that would be me.  Worked late last night when you lads had gone, spilled coffe on my phone, it made a funny noise/ smell. Swapped it with one up stairs, same result"

did the MD apologise?      did he fu

As we were on T and M his price went up by £500............. Tucking fosser

 

[NozSpark]

That reminds me about a fan/light i refused to fit because the lighting circuit had no cpc.

I then heard a few weeks later that the guy next door Who was an auto electrician drilled through from his loft and connected it up to his wiring!

I had one of those about 4 or 5 years ago..... Got a rewire out of it (through SAFFA)

 

[Steve3948]

Told the customer I was going to switch the fuseboard off, a few minutes later he asked when I was going to turn off, I said I already have.

That's odd he replied the radio's still on in the kitchen, haha nice one I said batteries and mains, no no it has no batteries.

On checking it out socket was live, fuseboard switched off, nothing untoward inside fuseboard, plugged kettle into socket checked meter and not moving.

Asked customer if he wanted me to investigate further, he said no thanks.

That was 30 years ago, I wonder if its still like it  :innocent   :innocent

 

[steptoe]

:slap

 

[ProDave]

That was 30 years ago, I wonder if its still like it  :innocent   :innocent

Of course it's not still like that.

there's now an extension lead feeding off to all the other rooms to run as much as possible off that one socket.

 

[steptoe]

Of course it's not still like that.

there's now an extension lead feeding off to all the other rooms to run as much as possible off that one socket.

msl:

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

I was doing a job in a friends family house, they had been there 40 odd years. I found a 2nd, 3 phase head with a single phase meter attached under the floor, it was still live   ( the  house supply was to a basement at the rear of the property)  Sockets in the hall  & landing accidentally got connected to that meter and winter time extension leads are seen trailing all over the place, that was 15 years ago.

Another job in a beauty parlour, sunbeds , nails, hair etc I noticed  2 small dist boards, one feeding 3 storage heaters & the other feeding the sunbeds rooms were connected directly to the head bypassing the meters. There were so many tails due to the off peak heating & duel rate meters it was difficult to spot.