socket fault

[fireman22]

www.diynot.com/network/fireman22/albums/
went to my friends earlier, was told not to use a socket as it always trips the RCD opened it up all seemed fine then found this under the kickboard

i phoned the kitchen company who did the work 3 years ago and the electrician now lives in australia, yeah right

 

[fireman22]

just added 2nd image to link, under the slot in oven 2 x 2.5mm old colours with 1.5mm flex of the oven, nice so close to the gas hob connection just to make it interesting, its like :-
"spot the obvious faults in this picture"

 

[securespark]

Cannot see pix...

 

[fireman22]

i can have i done something wrong? can you see 1st pic

 

[ericmark]

Your link does not work.

As to kitchen fitters they must of course have supplied a completion certificate plus the installation certificate unless of course it was over seen by the LABC in which case just an installation certificate.

The Part P law is supposed to make it easier to take people to court but it is so easy for people to wangle out of the responsibility if they know the rules that there is still a lot of sub-standard work.

I know of one job where the kitchen was an extension to the house where the fitters claimed they thought the whole job was covered by the LABC so did not think there was any need for an electrician who could self certify. Where they got caught was they had not issued a installation certificate which would have been required by the LABC so it could be proved they knew it was not covered. But by that time the company had ceased trading so the house owner still had to pay to get it corrected.

In theory there is no time limitation to bad workmanship but in practice there is. One major problem is most tradesmen are insured but to find who the insurance firm was three years ago and to show who did the work is a problem. I have seen again and again where a builder employs an electrician but then modifies the work after the electrician has left so although it seems to house holder that all paperwork is present and correct in fact it's not. My son always took photos so if the builder did alter anything he could show what it was like when he left. He also had copies of the installation certificates. But on moving house most of this has been lost. I would guess the same with your guy.

So the question is "Is it worth taking to authorities" The answer depends on money involved to correct. But under £500 then unlikely to be worth perusing. Hence why many think Part P was just another tax.

 

[westie101]

This person does not have any albums.

Is all that comes up from the link in post #1

 

[fireman22]

Eric how do i get the link to my photos to work plz, i followed the upload steps of diynot, i think

 

[fireman22]

try again guys i hadnt shared the album/pics i think

 

[ericmark]

If you have up-loaded you should be able to select "Show My Images" at bottom of window you write in which should show thumb nails of your pictures. Simple clicking on thumb nail will insert the picture.

One of the problems with posting pictures on the web is picture size. My camera takes 10M pictures in RAW format and these need reducing to around 1.5M and Jpeg before uploading. I use Photoshop to resize.

 

[ericmark]

Is this

the image? If so the box is missing around the wires. Also of course neutral and earths swapped.

 

[flameport]

The pictures:

Untitled

• fireman22
• 29 Jul 2011
• 2

Untitled

• fireman22
• 29 Jul 2011
• 2

 

[ericmark]

So easy to correct not worth doing anything. However it does flag possible other faults. I would be measuring the impedance on all sockets and would want to check if radial or ring with red/black.

 

[ericmark]

521.10.1 Non-sheathed cables for fixed wiring shall be enclosed in conduit, ducting or trunking. This requirement does not apply to a protective conductor complying with Section 543.
Non-sheathed cables are permitted if the cable trunking system provides at least the degree of protection IP4X or IPXXD. or if the cover can only be removed by means of a tool or a deliberate action.

Since the sheathing has been removed it clearly does not comply. But the "deliberate action" means that wrapping cables with self amalgamating and then insulation tape could be considered to comply. Since anyone can remove tape it would be hard to prove who was breaking the rules.

The question must be asked why anyone would leave a know fault 3 years before doing anything about it. He knew the RCD tripped when he tried to use it so he knew it was faulty. So why wait 3 years? Or is there something he hasn't told you?

 

[fireman22]

no they are not hiding anything, the socket was behind a breadbin so was never needed realy or used, they had used it a few times but people being people it was just a "we`ll get round to it" thing, they werent that bothered when i showed them even

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Also of course neutral and earths swapped.

Not just that - everything is swapped.

And people wonder why I am so firmly of the opinion that without a genuine understanding of fundamentals and underlying principles nobody should even approach an electrical installation with a screwdriver...