Cable size to consumer unit

[plugwash]

right way as in compliant and safe yes but i get the strong impression that council sparkies tend to use a lot of surface wiring which makes the job look to the untrained eye frankly CR*P

 

[Gaz the Sparky]

most of the wiring is sunken in below the plaster but when addition work or repairs are done when a council tenant is living in the house the policy is not to mess the decoration up. This means that surface wiring is used. when we do full tenanted rewires the tenants get the choice wether they want it sunk or surface. once the tenant has left the property a period inspection report is carryed out and the surface wiring is altered to sunken. I agree with you surface wiring looks pants but the tenants decoration comes first.

 

[securespark]

I work for a local city council rewiring and maintaing council houses and the wiring is certainly isnt a bodge. There seems to be this misconception that council workers are ruff and bodge jobs well they dont. My council even go to the lengths of installing 10mm t&e for a cooker circuits (to future proof) where as new builds use 6mm t&e

Right rant over but it does wind me up when people say thay council workers are ruff because I CERTAINLY AM NOT!!!!

There's good and bad in all organisations.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hope your not getting confused with the earth wire

... 6mm to the outer plastic covering. ...

I don't know what that means, but I don't think it means 6mm²

It's all gone quiet over there....

 

[Jimbomakavechi]

Ok, just to clarify. The flat I am in is an ex council flat and now run by a housing association. The tradesman they get in are all contractors and the contracts tend to go to the lowest bidder. The work that they do sometimes is indeed shoddy. I have had to get the guy who runs the contracts out on three seperate occasions to have remedial work done on work that was not done correctly the first time.
However this is just my experience and I am sure that the majority of people who undertake this work are highly professional, so no offence was meant.

Also, there is a single cable (not T & E) coming into the flat from the flat upstairs that feeds the consumer unit and it just looks odd to me, hence the question.

 

[JohnD]

Any chance of a picture?

 

[Jimbomakavechi]

Ok guys, maybe I need to apologise here. I have read the last few posts and they have been most helpful. I have now had a good look at this cable. It is surface mounted, disappears into the ceiling plaster and then reappears in the kitchen. It then seems to go down behind the sink unit which is where I believe the mains earth usually goes.

As was said in the previous post because of the look of this and because it is surface mounted, to my untrained eye something looked not quite right, but with the help you have given me here I think that my question is answered. Apologies to anyone who I have offended with my comments regarding workmanship, but I have had some bad experiences with these people.

Thanks

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ok guys, maybe I need to apologise here. I have read the last few posts and they have been most helpful. I have now had a good look at this cable. It is surface mounted, disappears into the ceiling plaster and then reappears in the kitchen. It then seems to go down behind the sink unit which is where I believe the mains earth usually goes.

If that is your main earth cable, then I'd be very suspicious of it disappearing behind the sink, in case it's attached to the water pipe to provide your earth, as this is a no-no.

If on the other hand it is the main equipotential bonding cable then it might well go to the sink, if this is where the water supply pipe enters the house.

More information is needed - what other G/Y cables do you have entering the consumer unit?

 

[Jimbomakavechi]

Hi

It is the only cable that I can see coming from the consumer unit. I am assuming that there are others going into the wall behind the unit itself but would have to unscrew the unit etc to properly get a look. I am also on the second floor so the water pipes do not enter the building at that point.

Thanks