Sometimes I hat electricins more tha domestics

[SUNRAY]

An elderly neighbour chatted with my immediate neighbour on the bus yesterday including the problem with an outside light.

The initial story as I heard it 2nd hand / As I heard it 1st hand
The light stopped working so she called an electrician from a local booklet we get through the door.
He came out and fixed it. £65
When it rained the power fused.
Electrician came out again and mended the fusebox, took the cover off the CU and did something, £65
When it rained the power fused.
Electrician came out again and mended it again, took the cover off the CU again
Neighbour told her I'm good at electrics.

I do know the lady, we will briefly pass the time of day while passing, She has had a hard time recently, lost her husband the day before 60th wedding anniversary a week before first lockdown, lost a daughter and grandson due to covid, lost a son to cancer last summer and another in a car crash in the winter, she had a stroke some years ago so is somewhat less mobile, I don't know her age but I heard the story of her evacuation to the country and didn't want to return to East London after the war so well into her 80's

When it rained the yesterday morning the power went for 3rd time
Called electrician, he told her there is nothing wrong and to flick the RCD up

She knocked on the door and asked for help as the RCD wouldn't stay up. By that time the rain had stopped and the sun was out. Turning off the lighting MCB the RCD held.

Sunray (for Motties benefit) I looked at the bulkhead light, the bulkhead whos clear plastic cover is dark brown, removed the cover to find what looks like a brand new 100W bulb (and a bulb in the recycling bin immediately below) and started stripping it before I thought to take pics:
Hole in the back of the fitting and gaping hole for cable access.

rotted heat resistant flex for the PIR, green yellow as perm live

rotted heat resistant flex for light

Basically charged £130 to change a bulb and presumably disturbed something so the water got in.

 

[ajstoneservices]

Have I seen that on mainly electrical ?

 

[SUNRAY]

Have I seen that on mainly electrical ?

No

 

[securespark]

I had a charlatan tell a customer of mine that her Wylex RCD was not resetting "because you're doing it wrong"......
His name?

R Sole.

 

[Mottie]

(for Motties benefit)

?

 

[SUNRAY]

?

 

[Mottie]

Blimey, you’ve got a memory like an elephant!

 

[SUNRAY]

Blimey, you’ve got a memory like an elephant!

It was only 3 posts ago, I'd have thought you should have remembered from that recently

 

[ericmark]

It seems I have had a power cut, my doorbell rang as the power came back on, all smart bulbs turned on when power returned, and the battery is not fully charged for solar or laptop, but I was asleep when it went off, so was unaware it had failed.

But when ever I am awake when power is lost, it is that has some tripped in my house, or is it a general power cut? And if I think about it, easy thing is put the NCV meter up to DNO fuse, however I did not even think about doing that last time it tripped, I went to a neighbour and asked if theirs was off. Had I used a mobile phone, it seems Facebook was full of complaints, but sometimes we just have that senior moment.

We all make mistakes, if the same electrician every time then clearly wrong, but if a company has sent out a different electrician each time, then I can understand the error, however once found she should be reimbursed.

But why a 100 watt bulb, that seems rather odd, one most my outside lights only rated for a 60 watt bulb, and two I would not have thought people today would carry tungsten bulbs?

So my first thought is that he was not an electrician. Not even a bad electrician. As simply can't see an electrician carrying a stock of 100 watt bulbs?

 

[Mottie]

It was only 3 posts ago, I'd have thought you should have remembered from that recently

Now I’m even more confused. Date on that post of mine you screenshotted says March 2023.

 

[SUNRAY]

It seems I have had a power cut, my doorbell rang as the power came back on, all smart bulbs turned on when power returned, and the battery is not fully charged for solar or laptop, but I was asleep when it went off, so was unaware it had failed.

But when ever I am awake when power is lost, it is that has some tripped in my house, or is it a general power cut? And if I think about it, easy thing is put the NCV meter up to DNO fuse, however I did not even think about doing that last time it tripped, I went to a neighbour and asked if theirs was off. Had I used a mobile phone, it seems Facebook was full of complaints, but sometimes we just have that senior moment.

We all make mistakes, if the same electrician every time then clearly wrong, but if a company has sent out a different electrician each time, then I can understand the error, however once found she should be reimbursed.

But why a 100 watt bulb, that seems rather odd, one most my outside lights only rated for a 60 watt bulb, and two I would not have thought people today would carry tungsten bulbs?

So my first thought is that he was not an electrician. Not even a bad electrician. As simply can't see an electrician carrying a stock of 100 watt bulbs?

I replaced the fitting with a bulkhead I had 'in stock' - when panel building I had a set of 6 of them to do initial functional testing in the workshop which are now redundant so keen to find a use for them - the label on those states 100W wall mounted, 60W ceiling mounted. The bulb in the bin was also 100W and probably why the lens had gone so brown. It only gets direct sun for a very short period first thing in the morning in the summer.

My big question with the whole thing is why didn't he mention the condition of the fitting and wiring and charge her to replace it

 

[ericmark]

My big question with the whole thing is why didn't he mention the condition of the fitting and wiring and charge her to replace it

I rarely did domestic, however when I did, I would basic do as I was told, and not always what I wanted to do. I remember doing a botch up, and telling the boss I needed to return with parts, only to be told no, I had really no option, I did as told.

He may have been a rotten electrician, and I remember working alongside a house basher, on the building of Sizewell 'B' and he was great at quoting 16th edition, but had not got a clue how plant worked. When he started, all he had to do was wire portacabins, it was much latter when the batching plant, concrete pumps, etc arrived at site.

I must admit, I did wonder how someone served an apprenticeship, yet knew so little? But I found house bashing boring, I was far happier working with three-phase. Back then, the most complex bit of domestic was the central heating. Today things have moved on, not quite the PLC controlled home, but getting that way, not room any more for the guy who in essence was doing what most DIY people do today.

However, I have about two packs of Adsa assorted pearl light bulbs, I have kept them for when I want heat, and for the odd dimmer switch, but must be getting like rocking horse teeth, finding a bulb today to work with an old dimmer must be hard. Should clearly not use a quart bulb, they do not like running cool, neither being switched with a PIR, I was lucky when wanted to fit new lamps here, my wife managed to get stock clearance carriage lamps at £2 each and £4 for the integral one.

But all it would take is a little silicon sealant, and today that seems to be standard part of the tradesman kit.

I will guess some National conglomerate, where they seem to use semi-skilled labour, Homefix or some name like that?

 

[Murdochcat]

Last week I fixed a fault on a house wiring. Took me 2 1/4 hours and I charged £110

2 weeks previously an emergency spark, on a Sunday charged them £900 for 3 hours including a new dual rcd board - which obviously didn’t fix the issue - no receipt, no invoice, no certificate

 

[SUNRAY]

Last week I fixed a fault on a house wiring. Took me 2 1/4 hours and I charged £110

2 weeks previously an emergency spark, on a Sunday charged them £900 for 3 hours including a new dual rcd board - which obviously didn’t fix the issue - no receipt, no invoice, no certificate

I hate not resolving a fault but hate even more doing a load of work in the HOPE it MAY fix the problem. A classic example of this is https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/a-real-moan-tonight.552183/
Where they had been having ongoing tripping problems and various nefarious 'repairs' and recommendations of a full rewire to resolve the problem... turned out to be a DNO issue!

 

[Murdochcat]

I hate not resolving a fault but hate even more doing a load of work in the HOPE it MAY fix the problem. A classic example of this is https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/a-real-moan-tonight.552183/
Where they had been having ongoing tripping problems and various nefarious 'repairs' and recommendations of a full rewire to resolve the problem... turned out to be a DNO issue!

The first bloke billed the sun and then said it was xxx per hour to fault find. He was shown the door

Fault finding is something I will miss when I retire at the end of the month. It can really tax your mind , which is good for you