ATTENTION all ppl who put DIYERS off

[masona]

 

[kendor]

One of the first jobs i was given to do as an apprentice was to connect up a load of spurs to fan coil units, i was shown what to do and got on with it, i thought to myself this isn't too hard i can do this, thinking i'd done a good job i promptly filled in my JIB Log book with the task i'd done, well pleased with myself.
Sometime later the sparks whose supervision i'd been working under approached me and told me they had to redo all the spurs i'd done as i'd overtightened the terminals too much and the solid cores had snapped off clean, I couldn't understand what i'd done wrong i didn't feel i'd tightened them up too much but it was sometime later before i'd got the "feel" and could reliably make terminations, it is this sort of experience you don't just pick up it takes time to get used to.
Whilst the majority of DIY people will i've no doubt do a good job it's the overconfident individuals that don't take advice from others that will eventually come a cropper. Take the advice from the professionals on this forum they have been there, done it, cocked things up and over time learnt from their mistakes and from the advice of the trained personnel around them.

 

[Lectrician]

well said

 

[masona]

i'd overtightened the terminals too much and the solid cores had snapped off clean, I couldn't understand what i'd done wrong i didn't feel i'd tightened them up too much but it was sometime later before i'd got the "feel" and could reliably make terminations,

Interesting point here, so how tight is tight as we all have difference strength. Is it when it tight, just turn it a little bit more ? or just hand tight ? Any tips ?

 

[Lectrician]

Well, certainly not too loose. Practise, practise, practise.

 

[BigHammo]

There is a government derivative (part P) coming out that all electrical work should conform to the regs (BS761) and must be tested and signed off by a qualified electrician.

So you do a DIY house rewire it must be tested and have the relevant paperwork, otherwise your insurance company will not pay out for your burnt out building. But why should you care you would probably be dead anyway.

 

[kendor]

i'd overtightened the terminals too much and the solid cores had snapped off clean, I couldn't understand what i'd done wrong i didn't feel i'd tightened them up too much but it was sometime later before i'd got the "feel" and could reliably make terminations,

Interesting point here, so how tight is tight as we all have difference strength. Is it when it tight, just turn it a little bit more ? or just hand tight ? Any tips ?

This is very hard to quantify, as you say we all have different strengths but as lectrician says it's all down to practice, The only advice i can give apart from the above is check the wires afterwards by a small tug and a visual, again experience will tell you if there may be a problem.

 

[algenon_iii]

There is a government derivative (part P) coming out that all electrical work should conform to the regs (BS761) and must be tested and signed off by a qualified electrician.

So you do a DIY house rewire it must be tested and have the relevant paperwork, otherwise your insurance company will not pay out for your burnt out building. But why should you care you would probably be dead anyway.

Well put. I'm surprised some fools having started bleating that it's a basic human right to be able to change a CU or re-wire your house. I'm a chartered Electrical Engineer, I do some minor jobs but because I know my limitations (and I'm lazy ) I'm happy leave a lot of things up to the sparkies. Someone with a degree of expertise in the area can guess the knowledge of a DIY purely by the questions that are being asked (or more importantly the ones that aren't).

Oh and Andrew 2022 spelling does matter - if someone isn't prepared to take care when asking questions that could save there lives (esp. when a spell checker is available!) what are the chances of them taking care whilst doing the work.

 

[Damocles]

Wots a spelll checker then?

Didn't anyone tell you that committing suicide is no longer a crime in this country, and indeed there is a determined group demanding that voluntary euthanasia be formally enshrined in law, rather than being left to DIY efforts and generally the good offices of family doctors.

Yes, I do believe people have a very fundamental human right to take hold of their own destiny and not be controlled by others. One tiny part of this is the right to change your own consumer unit.

 

[supersparks]

"...we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the public forums, we shall fight in the diy sheds and in the local wholesalers, we shall fight in CEF ; we shall never surrender..."

 

[Damocles]

Thats it, great stuff. Reckon we could start a party and you could write the speeches?

 

[kendor]

do you think the "Sparkie Party" has a nice ring to it?

 

[algenon_iii]

Damocles but murder/manslaughter still is - as far as I know

 

[pipme]

"Sparkie Party" has a nice ring to it?

Only if contained on one floor .. preferably 0.5m x 200m

 

[Damocles]

You prefer your parties where everyone has to really snuggle up?