Disaster to Cheer-Up Your Sunday (but not for me...)

[BigJock2005]

Sitting on the PC today, just about to start a game of tanks. Sunday morning, just had breakfast, kids all playing happily... lovely.

PC dies instantly, lights go off. I mutter "oh *******s" and wander through to tell them all there's been a power cut. But there hasn't. TV is on okay, and wife is listening to radio. I check fuse box... nothing. Now It's only the extension that has no power. I'm concerned.

Now we bought this house a few months ago, and the extension wiring is definitely on my list to get checked (there were a few cowboy signs visible) but I thought I needed to find the problem (electrics, fires etc) so I climbed up into the extension roof space gloved and masked, and hauled up the fibreglass insulation.

Now prepare yourself, this is what greeted me:



Yes, that's lighting and wiring connected via a 5-gang extension lead, which is in turn plugged into a 2-way socket, hanging on the end of a spur from the ring. The fuse in one of the plugs had blown. This has got to rank up there as some of the worst wiring ever seen.

Unbelievable.

I've disconnected everything except a single feed to the boiler which should make it safe. I'll have to get a sparky round this week as this job is probably beyond me. I'm hoping the sockets and light circuits are all good so I don't need a full rewire.

But I reckon probably either a consumer unit for the extension, or fitting of a proper new ring and light circuit to the existing board, but former probably easier.

Some people just need shot...

 

[SimonH2]

It's bad - but trust me, there is far worse out there

 

[DaveHerns]

I'd be worried the same bodger built the extension !

 

[BigJock2005]

Oh yeah, I thought about that. But the extension is really just a sort of garage conversion - the roof and walls are all original, really just internal battening and plasterboard. Nothing complex about it, and nothing structural. But it looks like they've got some dumbo mate to just rig up extension cables from the one proper socket that's there.

I'm really debating what to do here. One hand says just fit a 13A in-line fused switch with RCD and tidy up all that wiring, the other says fit a new garage CU and re-wire. But you can't fit a CU to the end of a spur, and don't think I can find the ring main to break into and wire the sockets correctly.

 

[DaveHerns]

Might be best to move this to the electrical forum. Where is your main consumer unit in relation to the garage/extension and what appliances do you intend to be using? I'm guessing the load exceeds 13a otherwise the fuse wouldn't have blown

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Moderator's note
You can use the "report" button to request a move.
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[BigJock2005]

Yes, will move to the leccy room!

 

[Nozzle]

Looks like you have the pipes going through the bottom edge of that joist too, then it's be kind-of doubled up.

Nozzle

 

[BigJock2005]

Yup, that's for a radiator in one of the rooms. Unbelievable because there was absolutely no need - as you can see it's not floored or covered, and there's an older (soldered) joint and pipe passing over the joists as well. As I say, I've been in the house a couple of months, I think I'm going to find some interesting stuff...

 

[winston1]

One hand says just fit a 13A in-line fused switch with RCD and tidy up all that wiring,

Is there not an RCD in the main CU then? If there is you don't want another in line.

 

[securespark]

If that orange stuff is what I think it is, there'll be no cpc to whatever it feeds....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Some people just need shot...

If the extension was done under the previous owners watch, then you should start to make an almighty fuss.

Contact the council and demand that they prosecute him for Building Regulations contraventions, and tell them that if they don't then they too will be in the firing line because you will never, ever give up on getting them to step up to their responsibilities, and they will end up in court one way or another.

Invest a bit of money in paying for a rottweiler solicitor to (at least give the appearance of) you starting legal action against the seller for compensation. If he lied on the questionnaire in the sale, go to the police and make a formal statement reporting a case of fraud.

Chances of anything coming of any of the above are slim, but worth it for the chance of causing the previous owner to cack himself.

 

[winston1]

Some people just need shot...

If the extension was done under the previous owners watch, then you should start to make an almighty fuss.

Contact the council and demand that they prosecute him for Building Regulations contraventions, and tell them that if they don't then they too will be in the firing line because you will never, ever give up on getting them to step up to their responsibilities, and they will end up in court one way or another.

Invest a bit of money in paying for a rottweiler solicitor to (at least give the appearance of) you starting legal action against the seller for compensation. If he lied on the questionnaire in the sale, go to the police and make a formal statement reporting a case of fraud.

Chances of anything coming of any of the above are slim, but worth it for the chance of causing the previous owner to cack himself.

Of course it could have been done prior to 2005, so Buildings Regulations not apply.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

True.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If that orange stuff is what I think it is, there'll be no cpc to whatever it feeds....

 

[securespark]

I have loads of that for camping.

The stuff I was thinking of was the two-core stuff typically fitted to Class II mowers and trimmers etc...