Mundane facts about your day...

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Cue

Cue

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Yesterday was a fun, fun day.

11am, 3 of us in the office, power goes out to some stuff but not others. Check all the breakers, all looks fine. Seems we lost one phase of the 3-phase to the building, unfortunately the phase I keep our PC ring on (naturally)

A 200A fuse for that phase of our building at the site substation had blown. Some testing with the landlord later shows indications of a cable fault, and the entire cable running from one end of the car park to the other needs replacing (not my job or cost, thankfully)

Fun times! At least we have two phases on still (somehow), so most of the lights and some of the sockets still work. Was a rather stressful day though, as I really didn’t want to have to send everyone home for a week.
 
BobClay

BobClay

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Reminds me of a time I went down the engine room to do a job on the speed log and on the electrical panel one of the big breakers was jammed in place by a broom stretching across to the opposite bulkhead. We carried electricians back then and I went to look for him and ask him what was going on. The following conversation was had:

Electrician: "Well the breaker keeps jumping out. Personally I think it's a faulty breaker, but I've jammed it in for the nose test."
Me: "Nose test ?"
Electrician: "Yeah. If the breaker starts to smell, my diagnosis is correct. If something somewhere else begins to smell, I've located the problem if nothing else."

I scurried away and sorted the log and then got the hell out of there. (Sea going electricians were all a bit mad.) The company stopped employing electricians after a few years and their work, which was considerable, was shared by the Chief Engineer (lamping up and lighting,) me (the light electronics stuff, most of which I was already doing anyway so I got off light,) and the Third Engineer (the heavy stuff, generators and distribution.)

I gotta tell ya, I bought a few Thirds a beer after that.
 
Noah

Noah

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Pub I knew has a big socket board in a brick cupboard in the garden. When there were events on the common next door they used to allow people to use it. A beer festival in marquees on the common used it for lights, refrigerators etc. There were problems with the supply so a couple of electricians who were volunteers at the festival checked it out. The cable fed back to a single 13 amp socket beside the pub fuseboard. The appropriate fuse socket had a nail jammed across it, even more worryingly there were remains of melted nails. Rapid hiring of diesel generators, and a quiet word with the brewery that owned the pub.
 
BobClay

BobClay

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When I first moved into this bungalow the distribution box had those old fuses wherein you wrapped fuse wire from terminal to terminal. I was able to buy plug in breakers for it then which was good enough, but when I was about to get the solar panels the installers pre-warned me that I had to have a 17th Edition consumer unit with proper wired in breakers backed by RCDs. I was also told (in the pub, I should have known better) that the unit had to be installed by an electrician who would issue me with a proper certificate of installation.
I actually got an electrician to come and have a look and he gave me an estimate of £400 plus the cost of the consumer unit, plus the cost of any faults found (RCDs will find earth leakages if there are any.)
I thought f*** that, I'd examined the layout and the consumer unit and compared to an engine room it was a doddle. I bought a Unit from Screwfix and replaced the old fuse box in one morning. The RCDs picked up a fault which was a couple of exterior lights, these are notorious for earth leakage being exposed to weather. I simply ripped that circuit out, I'm not a fan of exterior lighting anyway. Installation of a couple of security lights was all I needed.
In excess of £400.00 saved for about four hours work. The solar panel guys were quite happy and never asked for any certificate, if they had, I'd have just shrugged my shoulders and said it was lost in time.
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

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BobClay said:
When I first moved into this bungalow the distribution box had those old fuses wherein you wrapped fuse wire from terminal to terminal.

.
Click to expand...

We've still got those now. Got a card, from 40 years ago, on the shelf by the backdoor where we know where it is in the dark. Got all different thicknesses of fuse wire on it. 13 pence buy has lasted well..
 

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Cue

Cue

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Noah said:
Pub I knew has a big socket board in a brick cupboard in the garden. When there were events on the common next door they used to allow people to use it. A beer festival in marquees on the common used it for lights, refrigerators etc. There were problems with the supply so a couple of electricians who were volunteers at the festival checked it out. The cable fed back to a single 13 amp socket beside the pub fuseboard. The appropriate fuse socket had a nail jammed across it, even more worryingly there were remains of melted nails. Rapid hiring of diesel generators, and a quiet word with the brewery that owned the pub.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the average “know enough to be dangerous but not enough to be safe” job you’d expect, probably someone there for a drink offered to do it…

We did (jokingly!) contemplate putting a bolt in to replace the fuse before we found the fault as there were no spare (got the last two from CEF, they hadn’t sold any in ages apparently), nobody wanted to volunteer for putting it in though.

BobClay said:
When I first moved into this bungalow the distribution box had those old fuses wherein you wrapped fuse wire from terminal to terminal. I was able to buy plug in breakers for it then which was good enough, but when I was about to get the solar panels the installers pre-warned me that I had to have a 17th Edition consumer unit with proper wired in breakers backed by RCDs. I was also told (in the pub, I should have known better) that the unit had to be installed by an electrician who would issue me with a proper certificate of installation.
I actually got an electrician to come and have a look and he gave me an estimate of £400 plus the cost of the consumer unit, plus the cost of any faults found (RCDs will find earth leakages if there are any.)
I thought f*** that, I'd examined the layout and the consumer unit and compared to an engine room it was a doddle. I bought a Unit from Screwfix and replaced the old fuse box in one morning. The RCDs picked up a fault which was a couple of exterior lights, these are notorious for earth leakage being exposed to weather. I simply ripped that circuit out, I'm not a fan of exterior lighting anyway. Installation of a couple of security lights was all I needed.
In excess of £400.00 saved for about four hours work. The solar panel guys were quite happy and never asked for any certificate, if they had, I'd have just shrugged my shoulders and said it was lost in time.
Click to expand...

£400 plus the CU and RCBOs!? I think I paid £395 including parts for our CU, though to be fair he may have done us a good deal as he’s our neighbour.

Strictly speaking yeah you are meant to be Part P for major circuit work but sounds like you’re more qualified than the average Spark… and definitely more qualified than the very fresh faced lads that installed my car charger.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

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Cue said:
£400 plus the CU and RCBOs!? I think I paid £395 including parts for our CU, though to be fair he may have done us a good deal as he’s our neighbour.
Click to expand...
Some years ago, a friend bought a house and the mortgage required a rewiring job to be done -"Can we do it?" - "Well, I'll price the parts, but you have to be ready for the trauma of actually doing it"

The parts came to around £700 in those days. In the meantime, someone had given her the name of someone who worked for a maintenance firm and 'might do it on the side'.

He quoted her £700 for the whole job - parts and labour - and did a far neater and quicker job than we would have,

i suspect there may have been some "spare items left over from other jobs"...
 
BobClay

BobClay

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staffordjas said:
We've still got those now. Got a card, from 40 years ago, on the shelf by the backdoor where we know where it is in the dark. Got all different thicknesses of fuse wire on it. 13 pence buy has lasted well..
Click to expand...

The electrician on the ship I was talking about would probably advise you that if a fuse wire kept burning out, just put a dozen wraps of the 50 amp round it and wait for a bad smell ... (or the entire house to melt !!!) :D
 
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BobClay

BobClay

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Gramaisc said:
Some years ago, a friend bought a house and the mortgage required a rewiring job to be done -"Can we do it?" - "Well, I'll price the parts, but you have to be ready for the trauma of actually doing it"

The parts came to around £700 in those days. In the meantime, someone had given her the name of someone who worked for a maintenance firm and 'might do it on the side'.

He quoted her £700 for the whole job - parts and labour - and did a far neater and quicker job than we would have,

i suspect there may have been some "spare items left over from other jobs"...
Click to expand...

That seems a good price to me for rewiring an entire house, lots of moving about and loft work to do. But changing a consumer unit is done in one location and in my case fairly easily accessible, (sometimes they're in bloody awkward places.)

Mine is in the little workshop/utility room and is literally surrounded by tools. (The big switch on the left was put by the Solar Panel guys. I think I'd have done it differently but I can live with it.) I still have one spare circuit left on the unit. I have several spare breakers and they're no more difficult to replace than the old 'wire wrap and hope for best' technology.

They've changed the regulations since I put this in, 10 years ago. Now they have to be metal cabinets I believe. Not a refit I feel is necessary for me but I see the reasoning.

ConsumerUnit.jpg
 
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Cue

Cue

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BobClay said:
That seems a good price to me for rewiring an entire house, lots of moving about and loft work to do. But changing a consumer a unit is done in one location and in my case fairly easily accessible, (sometimes they're in bloody awkward places.)

Mine is in the little workshop/utility room and is literally surrounded by tools. (The big switch on the left was put by the Solar Panel guys. I think I'd have done it differently but I can live with it.) I still have one spare circuit left on the unit. I have several spare breakers and they're no more difficult to replace than the old 'wire wrap and hope for best' technology.

They've changed the regulations since I put this in, 10 years ago. Now they have to be metal cabinets I believe. Not a refit I feel is necessary for me but I see the reasoning.

View attachment 10587
Click to expand...

Yeah all metal now, presumably so it doesn’t melt…?

My dad’s place has a plastic one, and probably a good thing too as the absolute morons that did the garage conversion boxed it into a cupboard in such a way that the plastic hits the frame of the door, so you have to bend it to get it open. If it had been metal there’d be no chance

What’s worse is they installed the CU too
 
rudie111

rudie111

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BobClay said:
That seems a good price to me for rewiring an entire house, lots of moving about and loft work to do. But changing a consumer unit is done in one location and in my case fairly easily accessible, (sometimes they're in bloody awkward places.)

Mine is in the little workshop/utility room and is literally surrounded by tools. (The big switch on the left was put by the Solar Panel guys. I think I'd have done it differently but I can live with it.) I still have one spare circuit left on the unit. I have several spare breakers and they're no more difficult to replace than the old 'wire wrap and hope for best' technology.

They've changed the regulations since I put this in, 10 years ago. Now they have to be metal cabinets I believe. Not a refit I feel is necessary for me but I see the reasoning.

View attachment 10587
Click to expand...

They will likely be changing again in the next year or two. Arc fault detection will likely be a requirement. Doubt you will get much change from £1000 for a fully loaded consumer unit
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

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EasMid said:
We’ve got the same but I don’t bother with the silly thin wires. The thickest ones last a lot longer & never seem to blow.
Click to expand...
BobClay said:
More often than not, you get through life without a thermo-nuclear reaction. : heyhey: And even if you don't, it isn't as if you feel anything in that last split second. :lol:
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Hope I'm not jinxing it by saying this , but so far only needed to use it a couple of times soon after first getting the house.
Hubby showed a young neighbour how to do his years ago, as he hadn't got the foggiest what to do when his blew late one night . That young lad went on to work at EON . Pity they still aren't still living next door , might have come in useful if hubby isn't ever here to do an emergency fix.

I'd just phone an electrician if it was left up to me.
 
Cue

Cue

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rudie111 said:
They will likely be changing again in the next year or two. Arc fault detection will likely be a requirement. Doubt you will get much change from £1000 for a fully loaded consumer unit
Click to expand...

Looking at the prices for AFDD… yeah that’s gonna go down like a lead balloon as it’ll just end up being that cowboys not following the regs will get the jobs because good Sparks that follow them will be too expensive
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

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Meeting up with the numerous spindly long legged resident spiders again whilst reading the meter today , wondered whether they can actually damage anything in the electric box????? I keep evicting them onto the bush outside , but they somehow manage to get back in again.

Saw one absailing down from the kitchen unit behind the oven one night , where the extractor fan and electric box back onto each other. Wondering whether they come into the house at night through some sort of gap for food & water??
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

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staffordjas said:
Meeting up with the numerous spindly long legged resident spiders again whilst reading the meter today , wondered whether they can actually damage anything in the electric box?????
Click to expand...
People used to drill tiny holes in the casing of an electricity meter, then pop a few eggs in and hope the subsequent webs would gum the works up 'accidentally'.

The authorities were generally aware of the tactic, though...
 
staffordjas

staffordjas

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Hubby wanted my expert barber services ready for Mondays night out, first night out for ages...

By the time he decided to sit down and let me get the clippers out, I wasn't in the mood.

His "You must be getting used to it now, you are doing it a lot quicker" resulted in me tilting the clippers at an angle to accidentally increase his bald spot :o

He couldn't see it from the front when he looked in the mirror , so was sort of happy with his haircut.

Sitting on the settee tonight , looking sideways on to his head, realised the 'dent' in his hairline is really visible. :hmm: Now wondering whether to have a go at evening it out tomorrow , or wait for son to arrive on Monday. :lol:
 
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