Utility company charges for our damage to lead sheathed electricity cabling

[GETWIRED]

Im not sure on this, your husband stuck a screwdriver into a unidentified pipe/cable, then you're wanting to know if it is the electricians fault that the cable is there? Not cricket that in my opinion. Also if it was a water incomer there would be a chance that water would still be in the pipe disconnected or not so what would of done if there was water in there? Lol

i think your husband is lucky to be alive or atleast not gravely injured; like someone said. forget about pushing the blame, just put it across that you can only afford to pay the bill in installments like someone said.

 

[Chrissyan]

Thank you mache that has been most helpful, it has put my mind at rest :smile5: if we are charged a similar amount for all that work I will be happy, I just wish they would get on with it and give us a price, I know realise from your post it might be months before I get the actual bill.

 

[Chrissyan]

GETWIRED: I realise this an electricians forum, I thought you guys would be the best people to ask, however you are looking at it from an electricians perspective. I am not an electrician, neither is my partner.

We were told all lead water pipes have been replaced, never ever realised, or understood electricity ever came in lead pipes and in addition the electrician has done a full a re-wire anyway and we also did not know that the supply cable was the property of the electricity board, and it was illegal for the electrician to touch it. If water had trickled out of the lead pipe we would have taped it up before calling the plumber back to finish the job.

The post wasn't about 'pushing the blame' but trying to get as much information as possible as I was concerned that a huge bill was heading my way I do not have the funds to pay.

Surely there cannot be that many houses with a lead electricity pipe in 2016? It is hard even to find anything about them on the net. One of the electricians who came out on the day did say that it should have been changed a long time ago due all the extra electricity used in an average house these days.

 

[Darkwood]

GETWIRED: I realise this an electricians forum, I thought you guys would be the best people to ask, however you are looking at it from an electricians perspective. I am not an electrician, neither is my partner.

We were told all lead water pipes have been replaced, never ever realised, or understood electricity ever came in lead pipes and in addition the electrician has done a full a re-wire anyway and we also did not know that the supply cable was the property of the electricity board, and it was illegal for the electrician to touch it. If water had trickled out of the lead pipe we would have taped it up before calling the plumber back to finish the job.

The post wasn't about 'pushing the blame' but trying to get as much information as possible as I was concerned that a huge bill was heading my way I do not have the funds to pay.

Surely there cannot be that many houses with a lead electricity pipe in 2016? It is hard even to find anything about them on the net. One of the electricians who came out on the day did say that it should have been changed a long time ago due all the extra electricity used in an average house these days.

The Electrician has mis-informed you here and in older installs its quite common to see lead service cables still, especially in century old terraced housing to which there are still plenty about, they are been routinely upgraded but if you find you have one then its not a big worry (unless it sticks out like a sore thumb as in your case) any deemed undersize will have been changed by now but other than than that these service lead cables are pretty robust and tend to be in good condition even after 70+ years in service, there are other methods that succeeded Lead cables that tended to corrode and degrade far quicker and can now be in quite dangerous states if still in your property, modern cables I would like to think will be good too with the test of time and should comfortably out live your life in the property.