Hidden electrics....

[D4dog]

I thought I might demonstrate to you the correct way of terminating a live electrical installation in a wall prior to wall-papering your dining room.

It is of course important to ensure that you leave no indication of the live terminal for the people who buy your house from you….especially who might be about to start using a steam wall-paper stripper….

Do I sue for negligence or what?

View media item 67433 View media item 67434 View media item 67435

 

[OwainDIYer]

any claim would be offset by your contributory negligence in not going over the wall with a cable detector first

 

[D4dog]

fair point...but I had no reason to believe there would be a cable in the wall that needed detection - I was only stripping the wallpaper!!

That said, in this house I have found cables going in all directions (including 45 degree diagonal from a mains socket) so perhaps I should have learnt from that...but I now know to expect live cables behind wallpaper.

Just goes to show...you must always assume the previous owner was a complete idiot...

 

[OwainDIYer]

Just goes to show...you must always assume the previous owner was a complete idiot...

Yup.

Quite a high class idiot though actually leaving you some choc block on the cable.

Some of mine were just chopped off and taped over. (I mean, ones I found, not ones I did!)

 

[D4dog]

I am amazed! No earth faults popping up around the place?

How more people are not killed by these bodge job experts is a mystery to me.

 

[mattylad]

D4dog - can you add sarcasm ident to your opening post - so as not to confuse the complete blithering idiots that might take it for real advice

 

[CaptainCaveman289]

How do you know it's live?

You should lick it...

 

[D4dog]

Add Sarcasm ident? Not sure how I would do this. but for the avoidance of doubt - DO NOT hide live services which are not correctly terminated behind wallpaper...or anything else for that matter!!

 

[Jaidge]

I am amazed! No earth faults popping up around the place?

How more people are not killed by these bodge job experts is a mystery to me.

Not really a mystery, it's called a circuit breaker

 

[D4dog]

You think? Did you see the picture of the guy who had wired all the live services into the wrong side of the consumer box? So the circuit breakers were not actually in the circuit!! Assume nothing when dealing with DIY electrics!!

 

[Jaidge]

Wow that sounds pretty horrific, but I'd imagine such things are very rare.

The vast majority of electrical bodge jobs are done inside houses which have had breakers installed by a professional, or at least a muppet following instructions, then someone else moves in later and bodges the wiring but doesn't die because the breaker just trips all the time.

Personally the first thing I would do when looking at moving in to somewhere would be to check the breaker is correctly wired up and certified.

Once you've done that, you know that nothing in the house can really kill you, no matter how bad it's been bodged.

 

[plugwash]

Once you've done that, you know that nothing in the house can really kill you, no matter how bad it's been bodged.

BS

Protective devices protect against certain types of fault but there are faults which can lead to fire, electrocution or both which neither a MCB or a RCD can detect. A RCD reduces the risk of electrocution from direct contact with live parts but it does not eliminate it.

 

[Jaidge]

RCD reduces the risk of electrocution from direct contact with live parts but it does not eliminate it.

I'd love to know the scenario where you get electrocuted without tripping the breaker?

Fire is always a risk, sure, that's why we have smoke alarms, fire retardant materials, etc. I really just meant electrocution.

 

[OwainDIYer]

RCD reduces the risk of electrocution from direct contact with live parts but it does not eliminate it.

I'd love to know the scenario where you get electrocuted without tripping the breaker?

Live (phase) wire in one hand, neutral wire in the other hand, 230V across the chest, leakage to earth below 10mA thanks to rubber soles / dry carpet / fibreglass stepladder.

 

[conny]

And what about the poor sod who has a pacemaker fitted?

Slightest shock could send them into arrhythmia and if there is no one around they could die.

If you are going to do electrics, either professionally or as a DIYer then IT MUST BE DONE CORRECTLY!