Not your thread.
I think its the people that ask about wiring a garage from the house C/U and a garage C/U and the people that ask about light switches and fittings.
Your thread was more about where to put conduit which is a fair question tbh.
I was going to ask why nobody uses the search feature, but..
- Thread starter skotl
- Start date
Not your thread.
I think its the people that ask about wiring a garage from the house C/U and a garage C/U and the people that ask about light switches and fittings.
Your thread was more about where to put conduit which is a fair question tbh.
I think you're probably being over-sensitive (some might even say 'paranoid'!) We get countless questions about garage/outhouse wiring, usually a few every week, so I don't think there's any reason for you to feel that you're being singled out in any way - and you got perfectly reasonable replies (not criticisms) in your thread.
In any event, as I and others have said, searching through previous threads and/or the wiki is generally not a very efficient way of getting answers to specific questions. In fact, although they relate to a garage, the questions you asked are not 'the usual garage ones' to which you might eventually find answers by trawling through old threads.
So my advice to you is .... just relax
Kind Regards, John
i am sure its not
you need to remember everyone gives there time for free with no rewards other than "thanks" and the good feeling inside
its more a way off venting a bit off steam after answering the same question for the 70th time in the month
if you hang about you will see there a great crowd in here
there are a few grumpies in here but you will know when you meet them
Hi, with the number of posts you reply to you must be knackered at the end of the day
Regards,
DS
Took me a while but I figured where you were going with that
I've got a fair amount of posts on here but I'm also active on other forums with several thousand posts on a couple of them, so this is a general rant.
Appreciate the responses on the thread so far, and I definitely want to say that my post was not a response to any single question on this sub-forum.
Taylortwocities raised the point about the wiki, and I concur with his and other respondents that the wiki is a step or two too far away.
My point was more aimed at those who simply don't take anything more than a cursory glance at the first page of topics before leaping in with a question that, surely, they must realise has been asked and answered before.
My rant (and it is really no more than that) goes beyond the diynot electrics forum, and beyond the diynot forums in general. I see it on the 4 or 5 forums that I'm active on all the time.
Occasionally, I pop out the popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the fun as we (more likely "you", on this specific forum) rip apart the question, debate the interpretations of the question, and then argue about the contradictory perspectives.
Often, that's fun. But often it becomes tedious, hence my (mostly tongue-in-cheek) question.
To deadshort specifically, I'm not an active poster on this forum because I'm only an amateur and there are many other members who have more relevant experience than I do. But I am a moderator on a couple of other forums and I actively participate on a handful more, so my perspective is a generic one of wondering why people can't help themselves before asking a question that has been asked many times before.
But that takes me full-circle to my original question; why don't most people check the most recent posts, if not the search facility, before they post a question? I know that I do.
On a lighter note, this is the sort of response I was expecting;
As long as you use 1.5mm flex
Regards,
DS
Some people may just want to engage with others and get reassurance that what they are doing is correct,or be at their wits end with the Iam 'replacing a central light 3 cables' senario and want the answer before dawn 
The fact that you are an amateur makes no difference, if fact you will not bamboozle the poster with regs and contradictions is of a great help to some people who just want the ansewer!
regards,
DS
The fact that you are an amateur makes no difference, if fact you will not bamboozle the poster with regs and contradictions is of a great help to some people who just want the ansewer!
regards,
DS
E
EddieM
Yes, descending into reg quoting... not particularly helpful or generally necessary (not that the regs are unnecessary of course!)
Indeed so. No written material is a substitute for inter-human interaction.Some people may just want to engage with others and get reassurance that what they are doing is correct,or be at their wits end with the Iam 'replacing a central light 3 cables' senario and want the answer before dawn
Kind Regards, John
When I (certainly 'an amateur') first started participating in this forum, about four years ago, I had a good understanding of all the electrical principles involved and was very familiar with 'the regs', but hoped that I would be able to get pragmatic advice from experienced people as regards 'what was reasonable to do', if necessary "despite the regulations".
However, I rapidly discovered that it unfortunately wasn't going to work as I had hoped. Very commonly, when I (or anyone else) suggested or asked something, we would be beset by responses relating to details of the regs, often regardless of what was 'reasonable' in common sense terms. I therefore had little choice but to study the regs in far more detail, in order that I could play people at their own game, particularly in cases in which others' interpretations of the regs were (IMO) questionable. ... and that has undoubtedly led to me gaining a reputation as "regs-obsessed". Ironically, this is the antithesis of my attitude to electrical work in my own home - essentially using the regs as little more than 'guidance', basing what I actually do on electrical principles and "electrical common sense".
In some senses, I can understand. Many electricians probably feel it inappropriate to give advice to strangers with unknown (and perhaps very limited) levels of knowledge advice other than that which is unquestionably 100% compliant with the strict word of the regs - particularly when they are giving such advice 'in public' ('private advice' may often differ
). However, it does mean that discussions often do get 'regs-heavy'.The people who irritate me a little are those who seem to 'pick and chose' in a fairly unpredictable fashion - giving sensible pragmatic advice when it suits them, but in other situations criticising on the basis of details of regulations. One never knows quite what one can 'dare' to write to these people, since one can end up getting criticised either way!
Kind Regards, John
E
EddieM
My comment wasn't aimed at you John, or indeed anyone in particular. Just as we all know a lot of the electrical threads tend to descend into "willy waving" leaving the OP no better informed and feeling like an awkward gooseberry!
FWIW I have always felt you have given courteous, well intentioned/informed advice and you are a genuine asset to the forum.
FWIW I have always felt you have given courteous, well intentioned/informed advice and you are a genuine asset to the forum.
My comments were also general, and I didn't think yours were specifically aimed at me. However, I agree with you that OP's undoubtedly often get 'lost', if not also confused, when they see discussions/debates about minutiae and interpretations of regs - often after the OP has initially been given a fairly straightforward and helpful answer.
It's kind of you to say so. However, as I've said, I often do get drawn into the discussions about details of regs which are probably less-than-helpful to most OPs, and not really what this forum was intended for. I also often feel inhibited from giving, at least in public, the 'pragmatic' advice which an OP really wants/needs (although I do sometimes give such advice 'privately'!).
Kind Regards, John
E
EddieM
Indeed regs are there for good reasons.... now back to the real world!
Rather than enter a long discussion I would just ask:
Do legal forums often descend to law quoting?
I fail to see how quoting or complying with the regulations to which we must adhere is other than the only way to reply.
It is interesting to note that you offer pragmatic (contradictory?) advice in private.
That I may do something in my own home does not mean I would do it in a customer's.
Do legal forums often descend to law quoting?
I fail to see how quoting or complying with the regulations to which we must adhere is other than the only way to reply.
It is interesting to note that you offer pragmatic (contradictory?) advice in private.
That I may do something in my own home does not mean I would do it in a customer's.
Would you care to share which regulations you ignore?
E
EddieM
Sure.. none.
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