Tell us about your faults!

[kung]

Hi ALL
Just thought id put this one up for all those faults we find.
heres one to kick it off !
Domestic RCD tripped and wouldnt reset cause was a blown low energy light bulb.
There you go now for yours !

 

[willf]

Anybody can they decide on this been to an installation in a caravan, they complain of a meter reading turn of all circuits from DB undo meter cover and see the meter still turns baffling I know, so upon closer inspection I see signs of an overload on live and neutral cables black,bubbling marks, etc do you think this could cause the meter to give a faulty reading due to increased resistance.?

I=V/R so it's possible to draw more current and affect the meter reading. Whether this would be noticed before the cables burst into flames is doubtful in my opinion.

 

[Stroppy]

I don't have a BGB to hand with CCC's in, but I'm fairly sure a 3 kilowatt immersion heater wants a bit more than 1.0mm2 flex? In my experience 1.5 or 2.5 is normal.

 

[Doomed]

Testing in rented flats.
Fuseboard for flat turned off for dead tests.
Socket in lounge had two ext. leads plugged in to it with TV, Hi Fi and bits plugged in it, so I thought check this socket out first, 2 lots of T+E, but one 2.5 one 1.0.
Something makes me start worrying, put probes on socket and its live.
Socket fed from flat below lighting circuit.

 

[dan86]

Testing in rented flats.
Fuseboard for flat turned off for dead tests.
Socket in lounge had two ext. leads plugged in to it with TV, Hi Fi and bits plugged in it, so I thought check this socket out first, 2 lots of T+E, but one 2.5 one 1.0.
Something makes me start worrying, put probes on socket and its live.
Socket fed from flat below lighting circuit.

if I lived there, I'd be plugging as much as I could into that socket to save on me bills!

 

[ayjay]

if I lived there, I'd be plugging as much as I could into that socket to save on me bills!

so dan, in your reckoning its ok to sh-t on other people by stealing their power?

 

[willf]

I think Dan was joking. But he is from Scotland

 

[dan86]

Cheers willf. glad someone understood I was joking...

 

[ayjay]

sorry dan

 

[gutterball]

reminds me of a hmo property i was testing one time. big house converted in to 4 flats. the 2 living room and one bed room sockets were still on the ring from the flat next door. the students had trailing leads joined together spread out all over the place plugged in to them.

 

[Kate]

Got asked to look at a friend of a friends landing light yesterday. Was told it hadn't been working for about 4 years. Before I get there I'm thinking all the things it could be. Get there, it's over the stairs, awkward to get to..thinking might just be easier when it comes to it to jump up in loft rewire and reposition to over the actual landing.
Start off, I flick on the switch and use my voltstick on the pendant flex...it's live!!! Get a lamp out of the car and try it...it worked!!
Customer spent 4 years using plugged in fairy lights and all it needed was a new bulb!! Easiest money I've ever made!

 

[dan86]

Got asked to look at a friend of a friends landing light yesterday. Was told it hadn't been working for about 4 years. Before I get there I'm thinking all the things it could be. Get there, it's over the stairs, awkward to get to..thinking might just be easier when it comes to it to jump up in loft rewire and reposition to over the actual landing.
Start off, I flick on the switch and use my voltstick on the pendant flex...it's live!!! Get a lamp out of the car and try it...it worked!!
Customer spent 4 years using plugged in fairy lights and all it needed was a new bulb!! Easiest money I've ever made!

that's actually insane. did you even charge em? not sure I'd have bothered tbh.
imagine a light that works, one day stops and instantly assuming they need an electrician.
surely EVeryones initial reaction would just be to replace the lamp?!

 

[Kate]

I did another small job there too, and had to drive 40mins to get there, 40mins back. Did feel guilty charging but got to make a living.

4years without a light!! She said she did try a new lamp when it first 'broke' whether that's true and they brought a duffer I don't know!!! 4 years though! Took all my will power and energy not to laugh, held it together until I got in my car!!

 

[dan86]

Fair doos. another job and 80 min round trip.
let's hope this lamp doesn't blow in a hurry!

 

[Kate]

Hahaha think she knows...hope she wouldn't do it twice!! Need to learn not to say ill do a job before finding out where it is!

 

[markc123]

that's actually insane. did you even charge em? not sure I'd have bothered tbh.
imagine a light that works, one day stops and instantly assuming they need an electrician.
surely EVeryones initial reaction would just be to replace the lamp?!

Too right, you've gotta charge it's a hard world out there at the moment, and freebies (for me anyway) are starting to become a thing of the past...

It's not your fault that the client can't be arsed to replace the lamp first to check lol.

 

[dan86]

Slightly off topic here, but since we're on the subject- how many of you actually do freebies..?

 

[Kate]

She didn't even hesitate when asked price or giving me the money! She's thinking of replacing all kitchen electrics for fancy metal fronts and wants me to go do that in next couple weeks too!

 

[dan86]

few wee jobs from them then. nice!

 

[Kate]

Slightly off topic here, but since we're on the subject- how many of you actually do freebies..?

Freebies at extremely close family members houses, bfs house, bfs parents house..that's it for me.

 

[dan86]

Presumably you charge for materials at least...

 

[Kate]

Oh definitely! What I pay usually rounded up to nearest £5. Doing a fuseboard change on weekend, going to round that up to £100. Got to re-route and extend every cable to new position..gunna take hours!!!!

 

[dan86]

I personally do any work at my mums or grans absolutely gratis.
rewired both houses a few years back.the way I see it is they looked after me my whole life and I'm eventually gonna inherit both houses anyway!

that said, I do charge mates etc for materials.usually around 10% mark, and get the labour in the form of something from them that they can do for me.i have a decorator mate that I have an odd deal with.he will fix any f!ck up I make at a customers if that ever happens, in return I will do electrical work for him to the value of. so far never needed him!

 

[Kate]

The fuse board change on weekend is bfs parents house..they haven't looked after me for years etc!! I wave the labour in exchange for all the Sunday roasts haha.
i don't technically charge my parents, I get my dad to subtract the small material figure from the billions I owe him..he has a spreadsheet with a breakdown!! The odd fivers I've borrowed over the last 20 years are on there! I have no houses that I will inherit..u r lucky!

 

[dan86]

That must be a dad thing.mine has one of those spreadsheets too...

 

[Engineer54]

The fuse board change on weekend is bfs parents house..they haven't looked after me for years etc!! I wave the labour in exchange for all the Sunday roasts haha.
i don't technically charge my parents, I get my dad to subtract the small material figure from the billions I owe him..he has a spreadsheet with a breakdown!! The odd fivers I've borrowed over the last 20 years are on there! I have no houses that I will inherit..u r lucky!

Ah the ever open ''Bank of Mum & Dad'' i know it WELL!! lol!!

I stand absolutely no chance of ever seeing any return of the many loans and hand outs made over the years!! At least they do appreciate it though...

Hell, if i had kept a spreadsheet on all those transactions, i'd be scaring myself silly. Better to give and forget, ...and be blissfully ignorant!!

 

[44ALLAN]

If anyones got it................. don't show me my spreadsheet for my Ladbrokes account TIA:38:

 

[GLENNSPARK]

that's actually insane. did you even charge em? not sure I'd have bothered tbh.
imagine a light that works, one day stops and instantly assuming they need an electrician.
surely EVeryones initial reaction would just be to replace the lamp?!

eh?
and dont you think they would bill you for summat...if they had half the chance....
get em charged....
its your time innit...

 

[dan86]

and then Kate said she did another job there and was an 80 minute round trip, to which I then agreed.

but there are some if its very close by, and something stupid, I don't charge. not always mind. depends on their attitude a lot of the time

 

[Kate]

Depends if I get offered tea and biscuits they have to be dunkable!!!

 

[Tridentsystems]

Nice one today. Customer getting a tingle in wet room shower for a couple of weeks. Only tripped RCBO today so he called me. 167 v measured from rubberised cap and cove floor to earth. Rcbo only trips when he touches wet floor and shower water feed. Plumber had screwed pipe clip into 10 mm shower feed and it was tracking down to floor. Shame rcbo didn't see it when shower was running.