Is everyone a cowboy!!

This is not really a question, but an exclamation.

I am doing 2330 at present and starting 2381(2) early next year with view to becoming electrican etc.

Anyway I have started doing simple (not part P) jobs for friends, elderly neighrbours and family. (I am not charging as I feel it's part of training to becoming electrician).

So far in the last month I have done three very simple jobs. Everyone has been alarming.

Job 1. Changing light switches over.
Friend wanted switches updated and replaced. Upon changing hall switchs which are two way the strappers were not three core and earth, but twin and earth with CPC used as switched live. . I have left the job with hall way reconnected as one way until they decide whether for me to chase out existing wire and re-decorate or have ugly conduit linking two switches. Oh yes and dubious continuity from swithc to rose as rose had not been screwed down and cpc was hanging there by good luck really. (Oh I forgot this also leads to conversation down the line of "it was working fine for years, now you look at it for two minutes and I need to destroy my house" )

Job 2. Again changing siwtches (metal for metal)
Again simple job (doing as a favour), but non-existant earth wires from meatal box and front plates.

Job 3. Earthing BS 951 clamps
Not a job really a friend happen to mention that his copper pipes had corrosion on them. Upon investigation the 'Saftey Equpipment do not remove' tag was clamped to pipe so Aluminum / copper reaction was in process.

Is electricity still surrounded by cowboys? Again not a question, just an observation

PS I know my typing is a bit rubbish

rjb said:

Friend wanted switches updated and replaced. Upon changing hall switchs which are two way the strappers were not three core and earth, but twin and earth with CPC used as switched live. .

Click to expand...

Seen that, where a 3c&e should have been used for a 2 gang switch for my kitchen and wash house the jobbing builder who did the kitchen 15 or so years ago used 2.5mm twin and earth and used the cpc as a live, though the rest of the lighting circuit in the house had no cpc either (old two core rubber cables)

A friend asked me a little while ago if I could change an outside single socket to a double socket, he already had a double socket to go in.
Simple enough job you would think. When I went to switch off at the CU and turning off the ring main it was still live. It wasn't until I switched off the light circuit that the socket went dead. So not only was it not RCD protected it was on the light circuit in 1.5mm² SWA. When I asked who did this it turned out to be a so called respectable electrician. I suggested he contact the electrician and get him to put it right for free. He didn't want to cause a fuss so in the end I had to do it.
I wasn't going to charge for just swapping over as he was a friend, but in the end it cost him quite a bit more than he had bargained for.

I wonder what would happen if you did some electrical work for a friend; he was later electrocuted and his widow tried to sue you?

Or perhaps more likely, the house burned down and the cause was said to be electrical fault?

John,

Are you saying this as I did something wrong or I have no inurance?

As a qualified electrican what would you have done in the hall way situation? Would you not work on it until you have done a complete test on light circuit to investigate other faults then fix everything.

I showed my friend the fault and why it was dangerous, then tested for continuty and insulation when I changed it back to one way switching, hense I found the cpc problem.

What would you have don differnent? I am genuinly interested as these are the thing books / college don't go in depth enough with.

Thanks

I am actually thinking about insurance.

It is possible for anyone to make a mistake

It is also possible for anyone to be accused wrongly (especially when compensation is in the air)

rjb said:

Is electricity still surrounded by cowboys? Again not a question, just an observation

Click to expand...

Its amazing how many homeowners think that electrics are easy and have a go themselves. It may not be cowboy sparks that are guilty.
Regards

For what it's worth RJB I think you did absolutely the right thing. I think you would be more negligent if you saw something you knew to be dangerous and walked away & left it. As to liability etc I think the same *should* apply - it would be different if you put in a new installation & that was dangerous.
I couldn't ignore something I knew was dangerous, i wouldn't be able to sleep at nights.

Paul

Its amazing how many homeowners think that electrics are easy and have a go themselves. (This last sentence is quote. Still haven't worked out all these tool bars things )

I think you have probably hit the nail on the head there. I am no pro (not for some time yet!), but so far I have found out when you hear the dreaded start to a sentence; namely:

"Surely you can just......"

That person has sometime in the past "had a go" and cocked up!

By the way Paul thanks for the kind remarks. [/quote]

welcome to our world!

TBH if a client takes the 'well it was working before OK, so why should I have to change it' view even after you've spent time explaining and demonstrating the problem, then there's little point in banging on and on. If only electrics was like plumbing - people sure notice water streaming down the wall...

Good luck with your studies

Unfortunately it`s quite common.

I thought that Part P comming in might have actually improved this a tadd but well I don`t think so.

The "it`s worked fine till now" reaction is quite common, perhaps if you liken it to a car being a potential deathtrap for years but still but driven and not actually hurting anybody as yet then you might get a little further.

Good luck