Every board I lift...
Discussion
...I find another joy. Just started redoing the kitchen and went under the boards to disconnect some wires I no longer need. By chance, I happened across the main light circuit:
It's not the first one of the previous owner's little electrical treats I found, previous highlights were the upstairs and downstairs ring mains being connected together, and an unfused spur running out to the shed, joined half way with terminal block, buried in the mud and concreted over. So actually this one isn't so bad in the scheme of things. Just another little unexpected job to do...
It's not the first one of the previous owner's little electrical treats I found, previous highlights were the upstairs and downstairs ring mains being connected together, and an unfused spur running out to the shed, joined half way with terminal block, buried in the mud and concreted over. So actually this one isn't so bad in the scheme of things. Just another little unexpected job to do...
That is simply awesome. If that's a representative sample of the wiring quality on your place I'd definitely suggest a rewire would be a plan.
Personally I'd highly recommend wago connecters and junction box's. I'm an Electrician and would be perfectly happy to never use a a crappy round JB again if I can help it.
Personally I'd highly recommend wago connecters and junction box's. I'm an Electrician and would be perfectly happy to never use a a crappy round JB again if I can help it.
Oh I already fixed that this evening, 2 JBs, one for the switch circuit, the other to split the switched live off to each light. I keep hearing about these wago ones so I might check them out, thanks.
I think our man's efforts inside the house were confined to the kitchen and bedroom above. The basic wiring is all proper, but he went around bodging and splicing here there and everywhere on top. Like all of the kitchen cabinet lights, extractor, spot lights, bedroom lights, and bedroom sockets all came from a single spur in the kitchen(!) At least it was fused I suppose. We had that sorted a few years back. Fortunately, the rest of the house all looks untouched since it was last rewired.
I think our man's efforts inside the house were confined to the kitchen and bedroom above. The basic wiring is all proper, but he went around bodging and splicing here there and everywhere on top. Like all of the kitchen cabinet lights, extractor, spot lights, bedroom lights, and bedroom sockets all came from a single spur in the kitchen(!) At least it was fused I suppose. We had that sorted a few years back. Fortunately, the rest of the house all looks untouched since it was last rewired.
I like how the earths are chopped on some yet he went to the trouble of sleeving the others 
I was changing a bathroom light fitting once as an apprentice and as I was climbing the step ladders I had a pen tester sticking out my gob. It started to light up as I climbed the ladder which I found strange. After isolating at the consumer unit I took the fitting down and whoever installed it had connected the flying chassis earth into the live terminal meaning the entire metal casing of the fitting was sitting at 230V - nice!
I was changing a bathroom light fitting once as an apprentice and as I was climbing the step ladders I had a pen tester sticking out my gob. It started to light up as I climbed the ladder which I found strange. After isolating at the consumer unit I took the fitting down and whoever installed it had connected the flying chassis earth into the live terminal meaning the entire metal casing of the fitting was sitting at 230V - nice!
Edited by Laplace on Sunday 23 February 02:00
t. My whole house wiring looks like that. I wondered why my phone recharges without me plugging it in and my hair stands on end when I go in one of the bedrooms 
Must have been the same DIYer that interfered with the electrics in my house.
A right old mix of original lead sheathed cable with rotten rubber insulation on the cores, rubber flex buried direct in the plaster and a sprinkling of normal flat T&E of the wrong cross sectional area.
When I checked the supply to the detached garage I found that there was no earth continuity. Then I realised that the cable was white when it left the house and grey when it got to the garage. A little digging found the buried conduit was flooded and within it the cables were joined with a choc block; well the live and neutral were connected. Earth? Who needs an earth?
Cue a complete re-wire.
A right old mix of original lead sheathed cable with rotten rubber insulation on the cores, rubber flex buried direct in the plaster and a sprinkling of normal flat T&E of the wrong cross sectional area.
When I checked the supply to the detached garage I found that there was no earth continuity. Then I realised that the cable was white when it left the house and grey when it got to the garage. A little digging found the buried conduit was flooded and within it the cables were joined with a choc block; well the live and neutral were connected. Earth? Who needs an earth?
Cue a complete re-wire.
Laplace said:
I like how the earths are chopped on some yet he went to the trouble of sleeving the others
no, those would be sleeved from the original cieling rose, and were just discarded like that as things work without earths right, so why bother.... At least he went to the expense of a few pence worth of choc connectors, often see it where the bodgers reuse the little brass terminals out the rose...OP: I'd advise, as I do for everyone, (and if you havent had one done) an electrical inspection... it can at least bring to your awareness issues a) before anyone gets hurt and b) before you decorate/install fancy flooring etc that inhibits access.
) into the dedicated socket box and the f*cking extractor fan came on! 
Lucky for us our lad is a sparky.JimbobVFR said:
That is simply awesome. If that's a representative sample of the wiring quality on your place I'd definitely suggest a rewire would be a plan.
Personally I'd highly recommend wago connecters and junction box's. I'm an Electrician and would be perfectly happy to never use a a crappy round JB again if I can help it.
This. Get a re-wire asap mate for peace of mind. I've come across some DIY bodges over the years which further digging has led to some horrific things. A 7.5kw shower installed using 1.0mm lighting cable - it had become so brittle through overheating it was snapping as we removed it...Personally I'd highly recommend wago connecters and junction box's. I'm an Electrician and would be perfectly happy to never use a a crappy round JB again if I can help it.
CrutyRammers said:
...I find another joy. Just started redoing the kitchen and went under the boards to disconnect some wires I no longer need. By chance, I happened across the main light circuit:
It's not the first one of the previous owner's little electrical treats I found, previous highlights were the upstairs and downstairs ring mains being connected together, and an unfused spur running out to the shed, joined half way with terminal block, buried in the mud and concreted over. So actually this one isn't so bad in the scheme of things. Just another little unexpected job to do...
When we moved in all the wiring in our house as black, single core.It's not the first one of the previous owner's little electrical treats I found, previous highlights were the upstairs and downstairs ring mains being connected together, and an unfused spur running out to the shed, joined half way with terminal block, buried in the mud and concreted over. So actually this one isn't so bad in the scheme of things. Just another little unexpected job to do...
CrutyRammers said:
...I find another joy. Just started redoing the kitchen and went under the boards to disconnect some wires I no longer need. By chance, I happened across the main light circuit:
It's not the first one of the previous owner's little electrical treats I found, previous highlights were the upstairs and downstairs ring mains being connected together, and an unfused spur running out to the shed, joined half way with terminal block, buried in the mud and concreted over. So actually this one isn't so bad in the scheme of things. Just another little unexpected job to do...
Don't complain too much, at least the previous owner used chocolate blocks, mine used masking tape and twisted the wires together.It's not the first one of the previous owner's little electrical treats I found, previous highlights were the upstairs and downstairs ring mains being connected together, and an unfused spur running out to the shed, joined half way with terminal block, buried in the mud and concreted over. So actually this one isn't so bad in the scheme of things. Just another little unexpected job to do...
dickymint said:
Devils advocate here - can anybody tell me what is actually wrong in that photo apart from it 'looks a mess' ?
lack of earth connections is a biggie, as is the lack of earth sleevingunprotected live terminals and no cable strain relief either with a junction box with strain relief or having a normal junction box being screwed down with the cables clipped down.
if that's acceptable to the Muppet that did it what other horrors arebhiding away which could be far worse.
it certainly wouldn't have passed my recent Elecsa Part P assessment I can say that :-)
dickymint said:
Devils advocate here - can anybody tell me what is actually wrong in that photo apart from it 'looks a mess' ?
Where to start...Cables or connector strip not fixed allowing strain to be placed on the joint.
Sheathed cables with their insulated cores exposed should be enclosed.
The location is not readily accessible therefore a junction box with maintenance free terminations should be used.
CPC continuity has not been extended throughtout the circuit as it appears some cpc conductors have been chopped off. Circuit protective devices may not operate as intended and potential may rise to dangerous levels on exposed conductive parts = danger of death. (I wouldn't like to touch any metal face plates in that house.)
The CPCs that are in use are twisted together. This is neither and electrically or mechanically sound connection.
I could probably come up with several more if I dug the reg book but you get the idea.
Edited by Laplace on Sunday 23 February 23:15
Tedious regulations. No it's not going to explode or kill you. Even if there is a missing earth connection, there's thousands of houses all over the country done to old regulations with no earth on their lighting circuit at all, some even with metal fittings ignorantly added. The risk of death from fixed wiring is infinitesimally small. In fact so small it isn't worth thinking about. Now faulty appliances......
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