Beware of the Rogues and Destroy it yourself-ers

[MFS Electrical]

Admittedly this job was a little while ago but I've not found the time to get on here recently, I know, I know

Before we go any further ill say this to anyone reading this thinking they can do work themselves it's probably not a good a idea If you don't know what you are doing, and even if you think you do why risk it? Electricity is very very dangerous and should be treated with the respect it deserves, there is a reason why it takes 4 years to become a spark !!!

So I'm Up at a job when i notice something looking a bit iffy inside the DB the top of the RCD is a bit melted, so grabs the customer, tells them about it and advises that they should replace it and the neutral cable while they're at it.

Heres the back story:
The customer had not long moved in and had a guy out to "sort out" some problems in their kitchen. The guy they got was advertising on gumtree first thought that ran through my mind was oh, ok here we go. To be fair to the customer having to find a tradesman for the first time ever must be a completely daunting task so i could understand why they may use gumtree.
I did inform the customer of the benefits of hiring a fully qualified electrician and how to go about finding out if they are one or are actually just dave down the pub looking for beer tokens.

So this guy, lets call him dodgy davie so I don't get sued replaces some cable in the kitchen and replaces the "faulty" 32A MCB with a 40A for the kitchen ring and while he's in the board decides he is going to remove the RCD perfect puts its all together everythings hunky dory and working (apart from the 40A breaker but we shall let that slide maybe he was coming back within the week) Except, it isn't the looney didn't back the cage terminal of the incoming neutral out far enough to get the cable back in, and so tightened it without actually terminating the cable. So this particular RCD connected by a mere few arcing strands is powering the kitchen ring the cooker the upstairs lights and the shower. the cable must have been glowing !!!!
And the customer had young children.

Needless to say if the customer hadn't of requested the job this may not have been found and could have resulted in a house fire. And very likely a few fatalities.
so I've said it before and ill say it again, call in a pro is saving a few quid really worth your life?

 

[MFS Electrical]

Apologies, but it wouldn't let me post the pics with the original post?

 

[littlespark]

I think I've said it before.
If it wasn't for the Dodgy Daves out there, us real sparks wouldn't be getting all the fixit jobs to sort out.
And seeing photos like that keeps us amused.

Upgrading the size of an MCB?.... ah, the modern equivalent of replacing a bit of fusewire with a nail

 

[Risteard]

And very likely a few fatalities.

I certainly wouldn't have described that scenario as "very likely".

 

[snowhead]

Agree with above.
As dramatic as it looks it's unusual for a burnt terminal to extend into a fire.

 

[Wilko]

Good find, good to fix it

 

[MFS Electrical]

P

Agree with above.
As dramatic as it looks it's unusual for a burnt terminal to extend into a fire.

Maybe not but isn’t that the reason we are all expected to install metal CUs now so it is a possibility especially when there are no smoke alarms in the house and the Plastic CU in an old cupboard made of nice dry wood that is full of paper work.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

tl; dr: An incompetent worker made a faulty connection that overheated. We fixed it.

I think I've heard this story before though!

 

[Squid]

Check and double check, when I tighten the screws on a cable I give the cable a little "tug"

 

[DPG]

Check and double check, when I tighten the screws on a cable I give the cable a little "tug"

Is 'tugging your cable' a euphamism. I know what you mean - it's nice to celebrate after a particularly good wiring install.

 

[Squid]

Is 'tugging your cable' a euphamism. I know what you mean - it's nice to celebrate after a particularly good wiring install.

If it turns you on knocking one out in the site portaloos then feel free.......

 

[Spoon]

If it turns you on knocking one out in the site portaloos then feel free.......

Did he mention 'in'.... He might like to be standing on top of one...

 

[dksanders]

Agree with above.
As dramatic as it looks it's unusual for a burnt terminal to extend into a fire.

Is it though? Isn't fires in the consumer unit why we now have to have metal ones with fire seals?

 

[MFS Electrical]

tl; dr: An incompetent worker made a faulty connection that overheated. We fixed it.

I think I've heard this story before though!

Shouldn’t the point be though that you should be competent and be able to carry out the most basic of things like correctly tightening a cable before you are allowed to do electrical work? It should be more like gas, illegal to touch unless you prove competency (I’m not suggesting a gas safe for the electrical world but maybe something similar that actually means you can’t go messing about with things until you’ve actually done a recognised apprenticeship and passed a more thorough trade test)

 

[sparksfly]

Nice read OP....as for gas safe, Electric Safe was buried due to politics and the sheds are still selling consumer units to builders & general public....what a sensible world !