Damsel in distress!

[Piglet111]

Hi

Please could someone help. I live in a family property (built 1920's ish) with seriously old electrics. I have tried in vain to have a shower fitted, had a couple of people come to look but clearly there is something going on here, as they tend not to get back to me with a quote (why can't they just be straight with you, aarrgghh!). If its a case of new fuse box or whatever then at least I know and could get a quote forthwith. I would be eternally grateful if anyone on this v. useful website would be able to offer any advise?? I have attached a photo of my current fuse box just incase this is the main source of my problem??!. All help gratefully received, unfortunately I know absolutely naff all about electrical issues.. . It would be really great to know exactly what my options are here.
Many thanks for looking.

Untitled

• Piglet111
• 13 Nov 2010
• 2

 

[dingbat]

The main reason they have not quoted for the job is that tradesmen in general are not business people and do not understand customer relations. It may well be that they have decided that other works need doing in support of installing a shower and have decided not to bother, but that is still unprofessional.

How about trying a slightly different tack and asking somebody if they would be willing to quote for a general upgrade as well as a shower install? Only call electricians who are registered with a competent persons scheme and get at least three quotes/opinions.

Start here:

http://www.competentperson.co.uk/

 

[sparkwright]

It would be sensible to replace those old fuse boxes with a modern consumer unit with RCDs. This would be able to supply the shower.

Is there an easy route to get the cable from the mains to the bathroom?

Perhaps this is the reason no one seems to want to do your job.

Can anyone you know recommend someone who is good?

 

[Piglet111]

Many thanks dingbat & sparkright for your advise. The bathroom is directly positioned above that very mains board so maybe they could to straight up?? Its possible replacement of this is looking likely, as a guesstimate do you know roughly the cost of new fuse boards/rcds as a guide. I'll be sure to have a look at the competentpersons web too and ask around at work.

 

[ELZ4742]

depends on the problems inherited on the existing wiring, really is a minefield!

could be 300 could be 800+... hard to tell to be fair

 

[ban-all-sheds]

As ever, personal recommendations are always the best way to find a reputable tradesman, but if you're having to go ahead without much in the way of those, or references, don't put any store by registration itself - sadly it is possible to become registered with woefully inadequate qualifications and zero practical experience. You don't have to spend long here to see people cropping up who are registered and "qualified", but who are clearly seriously incompetent in reality and who should not be charging for their services.

You are looking for someone to replace a CU, and it may surprise and dismay you to learn that it is quite possible to become a "certified electrician" without ever having done that before, and without having acquired any of the practical skills needed to do it without half-destroying your house in the process.

It's your money, £'00s of it, and you have every right to ask prospective tradesmen what their qualifications and experience are. Just being listed here is not a good enough guide. No genuinely experienced electrician, with the "full set" of C&G qualifications will mind you asking - in fact he will wish that everyone was like you.

I feel sorry for people who have been misled by training organisations and (shamefully) the Competent Person scheme organisers into thinking that a 5-day training course, a couple of trivial examples of their work and some basic understanding of how to use test equipment will make them an electrician, but not sorry enough to agree with them trying to sell their services to Joe Public.

 

[denso13]

As ever, personal recommendations are always the best way to find a reputable tradesman

In general I'd agree with that but it isn't foolproof.

Did some work in a property and the owner employed an electrician who came highly recommended. Looked ok on the face of things but it soon came to light that things were not all that that they seemed. The installation was very poor, if not dangerous.

 

[Chri5]

There's nothing to stop you adding a new fuse board with all the correct 17th edition standard items which came in in July 2008 and only having the new shower circuit on it.

The problem is that a decent shower costs £130 ish, a water feed (normally direct mains cold) say £100 and then there's the wiring.

5 m of 10mm twin and earth isn't expensive, but upgrading the existing mess will be.

The half way house is to tell them to provide a complete new board 'just' for the shower, the half way house with an eye on the future is to do the same, but make the board big enough to migrate over circuits from old boards to the new one.

As to when you migrate the old, well that could be done straight away or await a time when you decide to take up the option.

 

[dingbat]

...you have every right to ask prospective tradesmen what their qualifications and experience are. Just being listed here is not a good enough guide. No genuinely experienced electrician, with the "full set" of C&G qualifications will mind you asking - in fact he will wish that everyone was like you.

I agree. But there are also plenty of fully qualified and experienced electricians who should never have been allowed to pick up a screwdriver.

Part of the problem is that - as with any technical service - the reason you call in an 'expert' is because you don't know what is required yourself. That leaves you unable to judge whether what you end up with is a good job or not. There are so many clients happy to pay for a dangerously inadequate job on the basis that it works and was cheap, rather than a compliant and safe job that costs so much more but does not, on the face of it appear to do anything different.

But, aside from recommendations and using registered companies, what else is a non-expert client expected to do?