Unbelievable....

[flyingsparks]

Just been to a mates house to do a periodic for him to give to building control after someone else (apparantly qualified spark) had rewired it for him and left him in the lurch regarding certificate and testing... now I know why.. Took off CU cover, what a bl00dy mess, I think a 2 yr old could have done a neater job.
Then I notice the shower was not even on the RCD side of the split load.

The installation was TT and he had left it with an old voltage trip instead of a time delayed RCD.

Left the Earth rod and main bonding not done since he wired it 6 months ago (onging building works).

Some earth sleeving missing and plenty of copper showing!

Its quite worrying that this guy is 'qualified' and doing work in other peoples houses. He works for a firm but did this job 'privately'.

Anyway all problems now rectified and periodic done. How many other places are there the same??

 

[RF Lighting]

Absoloutly thousands.

Is a sad state of affairs just how much bad work goes on out there.

I hope you took some photos?

 

[flyingsparks]

Oh yea and boiler on 32A MCB 1.5mm from CU...

 

[flyingsparks]

I hope you took some photos?

Unflortunatly I only had my phone camera and that is pretty shocking, didnt see that it would be worth while.. shame really!

 

[Spark123]

I take it that it is a 16th edition install?

 

[GaryMo]

Oh yea and boiler on 32A MCB 1.5mm from CU...

3A fuse? There's your overload protection. MCB will give short circuit protection. All you need to do now is a calculation to check the 1mm cpc is large enough to be thermally protected under fault conditions.
Non standard (and not what we would do) but is it compliant?

 

[Spark123]

and L-N loop isn't too high for the MCB

 

[GaryMo]

and L-N loop isn't too high for the MCB

 

[flyingsparks]

I take it that it is a 16th edition install?

Yea 16th.

Boiler was on 3A yes but 32A MCB on a 1.5 isnt really the done practice tho!

 

[GaryMo]

Boiler was on 3A yes but 32A MCB on a 1.5 isnt really the done practice tho!

It's not but would you code it on a PIR? If so, what would your code and regulation(s) broken be?

 

[Spark123]

I asked about the 16th as under the 17th, circuits 32A or less need to disconnect within 200mS. The BS EN for a type S RCD allows it to trip in up to 300mS.
Just to confuse matters, the new OSG includes a Type S RCD in one of the examples.
You're right in it isn't a standard practice to use 1.5mm with a 1mm cpc on a 32A MCB, something I'd try to stay clear of, even though it is RCD protected and efli will be sufficiently high to impede the current. It will be in the back of my mind that someone may think it is OK to add to the circuit in the future overloading it!
IIRC there was a time when 2.5mm only had a 1mm CPC - there is an issue with it when using a 30A rewirable fuse as it is less than the adiabatic minimum.

 

[oharaf]

Funny you should mention earth rod and bonding, this weekend round at a mates no bonding to be seen anywhere!!!

On further investigation (pulling up floor boards )

I found the 'bonding' what could losely be described as clamps one on the suppliers gas pipe One on the LEAD water pipe (which I rapidly discovered was no longer in use) and then an earth rod!! All connected together with about 10m of 4mm bonding!!! (all 30 cm apart!)

Unfortunately none of this made its way to the CU

Any way all sorted now, PME on order along with a new service head

12 - 16 weeks hope it can stay on that long wobbles like jelly!

 

[ebee]

Yes Thousands, millions well hundreds then.

When Part P (sorry) was commming in I thought well yes something needs doing and this might (eventually) be the answer .

If we all have to comply then it`s a level playing field.

MPs were lead to believe it would cost each sparks about £500 over 5 years so not too painfull. and a lot of the poor work would stop.

A few years in an what`s changed? not a lot.
OK more been on courses and got certs so an improvement is possible and more got decent test gear now so yet again possible.
Test gear is now cheaper so YIPEE for that.
Not much publicity and a lot of rebellion.
The Corgi/Gas thingy worked a lot better for the plumbing bods than this (and they didn`t kick and scream but just got on with it and charged Megga bucks).
So what went wrong with Lekkies system then????

 

[RF Lighting]

No one has heard of it.

That seems to be the main problem.

Everyone knows they have to get a CORGI man to do their gas. End of.

No one knows that they have to get a member of one of five different self certifying bodies, but not all electricians need to be a member, so even if you get a qualified electrician, he might not be legal to do the work, oh and you can do the work your self if you pay the council...............

It's no wonder really is it.

 

[ebee]

Spot on RF