Hall of Shame Photos

[Engineer54]

And there's you complaining of people coming over to SA and installing electrics to there houses to meet the likes of BS7671, DIN/VDE, NEC etc etc!! lol!!!

 

[Marvo]

Lol, and that little comment just earned you a photo of a freezer defrost control panel installed to the BES666 regs (Bopthatswana Electrical Standards)

 

[RWJ]

BES666 regs (Bopthatswana Electrical Standards)

666 the number of the beast...... Love iron maiden

 

[trev]

Marvo that is a thing of beauty mate. The installer must be so proud

 

[Marvo]

Makes me wonder when these bozo's step back and cast an eye over the fruits of their labours....what the hell goes through their minds?

Here's one more of a commercial lighting installation in a very high end restaurant, also done to the same irreproachable standards and codes.

 

[needasparks]

See it says 2006, please tell me it has stopped and burnt out by now.

 

[Marvo]

Lol, we ripped the entire system out and reinstalled from scratch on just about all these jobs. The pictures were taken for inclusion in the quotes to give the customer an idea what they have and why they might want to pay us to replace or repair it.

 

[needasparks]

And they needed your photo's to point that out ?

 

[Marvo]

You'd be surprised, most of the time this kind of kak is above ceilings or in places they don't see it. They're usually blissfully unaware and we get a call after three or four other cowboys have taken money off them and failed to fix the problem.

 

[needasparks]

shocking. but other countries have a blinkered view to us. Bet we push as much rubbish work though.

 

[Engineer54]

I've got a photo of a CU in China that'll knock the pants off of anything you've shown so far!! lol!!

I looked at this CU (if you can call it such) ...pulled at a few cables to see where they were going, but after half an hour or so gave up, ...couldn't see how or what was happening or what anything was doing. This was to a small 2 bed apartment... Wanna see it ?? lol!!

 

[RWJ]

I've got a photo of a CU in China that'll knock the pants off of anything you've shown so far!! lol!!

I looked at this CU (if you can call it such) ...pulled at a few cables to see where they were going, but after half an hour or so gave up, ...couldn't see how or what was happening or what anything was doing. This was to a small 2 bed apartment... Wanna see it ?? lol!!

Too right!!

 

[Engineer54]

OK, here it is.... See if any of you can make out what's going on...lol!!

This DB was installed just 13 to 14 years ago believe it or not lol!! The Meter is quite sophisticated it can be contacted by mobile phone to credit it's account. If only the rest of the installation was up to that same technology ...lol!!!

 

[RWJ]

lolol at least they've used gerin's

It looks a bit like a board I've just ripped out of a Great Yarmouth hotel

 

[Engineer54]

No idea what the 2 fuses do, the breakers control lights and sockets in the apartment!! not separately, they both control a portion of both the light and sockets. No cooker outlet, they don't use ovens in Sth China, so just normal sockets in the kitchen... all 2 of them!! Voltage is 230V throughout. Oh, and they may look like rewirable fuses but there not, ...they have flat oval cartridge fuses!!

 

[Marvo]

OK, here it is.... See if any of you can make out what's going on...lol!!


This DB was installed just 13 to 14 years ago believe it or not lol!! The Meter is quite sophisticated it can be contacted by mobile phone to credit it's account. If only the rest of the installation was up to that same technology ...lol!!!

I think you've got to look at these installations in a much deeper and holistic way in order to get the most out of them. As far as this one goes I'm liking it on a poetic level. Immediately before it's uncorked there's an assault on the visual palate. The bottling and labeling is in the ageless trend of minimalism which lulls you in a false sense of security. Then you taste and right off the bat you've got that old meets new thing going on, it's simple yet with a very complex after-taste and not a hint of wood.

I'm guessing this CU is lacking mainstream appeal and won't be to everyones taste but it's got merit and well worth the effort to appreciate it.

 

[Andy78]

Not really a pic of shame, but maybe just maybe, if someone had not left copper showing, a life could have been saved.

 

[Marvo]

Not really a pic of shame, but maybe just maybe, if someone had not left copper showing, a life could have been saved.

View attachment 10286

The irony is thick, he was probably killed as the circuit was isolated.

 

[Andy78]

Not sure really. But his back leg was in the poorly terminated live terminal and his wee sleekit nose could have brushed the earth strap.
At least the customer found out why he had flies in his flat in the middle of winter.

 

[Marvo]

There's a story behind this photo, it's not the usual moron-installed rats nest. We put in a request to the power authority to have the metering box relocated out of the fire cupboard. They replied saying the enclosure belonged to them as they installed their kit in there first. We requested a site meeting to show them the equipment. The main water castings were manufactured at Mather and Platts in Manchester and had the date cast in the front which corresponded with the hand written maintenance paperwork that was also still in the cupboard. The date was several years before that area of Cape Town was electrified. They conceded that they might be mistaken about it being 'their cupboard' and moved their equipment without further ado or costs.