Electrician has left holes in interior brickwork

[AdamCH]

The one that goes round a corner on to the adjacent wall looked classy to me.

 

[securespark]

That switch drop looks appalling!

ANY cables outside the safe zone are a danger and a breach of regulation and as such should not have passed inspection.

As the diagram Chri5 posted shows, the cable runs should be limited to the width of the accessories and a 150mm wide band around the top of the room.

Cable running diagonally should be installed in earthed metallic conduit.

I would ask for another inspection.

I would also withhold a percentage of the final bill until the making good and cable runs are completed to your (and the inspector's) satisfaction.

 

[GeorgeP]

I don't like the "dog legs" bends where the cables go across the wall then up or down. They should be in a straight vertical / horizontal run to the socket / switchplate.

crikey, what's my best plan of action. This electrician wants to do a second fix on the loft conversion asap and then leave everything else in the house til after the plasterers. Is anyone saying that this is potentially dangerous? I have two children to consider.

 

[GeorgeP]

The one that goes round a corner on to the adjacent wall looked classy to me.

Is that sar-car-sm? Please clarify - I know nothing about electrical installation.

 

[AdamCH]

If you look at the picture Chris5 posted then you don't need to know much about electrical installation to spot the errors.

If he's done work like this then you would wonder what else has been done that isn't visible and whether you should employ him at all without someone to supervise him.

 

[GeorgeP]

If you look at the picture Chris5 posted then you don't need to know much about electrical installation to spot the errors.

If he's done work like this then you would wonder what else has been done that isn't visible and whether you should employ him at all without someone to supervise him.

What is the worst that could go wrong with the wiring in the short / long term before we move on to any next stage?

 

[Chri5]

Get the guy back, ask him to tidy up, show him a copy of the diagram I posted, suggest group factor is better and also suggest he goes and hires a wet cutter and goes in to the brick where cable bulging might interfere with the plastering line.

Have you any idea how the surface is being finished, is it being rendered / bonded and then plastered or boarded and skimmed? If boarded, will the boards have insulation on them, or plan boards and dot dab fixed?

The reason I ask is that the finished wall construction dictates the available profile for the cables on or in the wall.

The worse that could happen, potential for injury due to zones not being adhered to and what would be a false completion cert since lying about being in scope of the regs isn't a pass.

 

[GeorgeP]

Get the guy back, ask him to tidy up, show him a copy of the diagram I posted, suggest group factor is better and also suggest he goes and hires a wet cutter and goes in to the brick where cable bulging might interfere with the plastering line.

Have you any idea how the surface is being finished, is it being rendered / bonded and then plastered or boarded and skimmed? If boarded, will the boards have insulation on them, or plan boards and dot dab fixed?

The reason I ask is that the finished wall construction dictates the available profile for the cables on or in the wall.

The worse that could happen, potential for injury due to zones not being adhered to and what would be a false completion cert since lying about being in scope of the regs isn't a pass.

Insulation board on external walls. Where the chimney has come down in the kitchen builder said he would paint that with a solution to stop staining coming through and then render and skim. All other internal walls need skimming. All ceilings need boarding prior to skim. Coving is to come off in bedrooms. Where a socket is in the kitchen next to exposed cavity due to us having a stud wall to house a fridge where a door used to be, the builder commented that it would require quite a lot of work - not a simple plasterboard job. Meeting builder on Tuesday and he seems to be on the case re making good. I hope he takes the project on because I really need someone to get things moving on to an end date so we can get in. Can I just add that I have had to say the socket for the kitchen cupboard lights is too proud. In fact it's so proud that even I noticed that! And obviously I haven't got much of a clue.

 

[securespark]

Get the guy back, ask him to tidy up, show him a copy of the diagram I posted, suggest group factor is better and also suggest he goes and hires a wet cutter and goes in to the brick where cable bulging might interfere with the plastering line.

I'm sure Chri5 did not mean to omit that there are limits as to how far he can cut into the wall. Can't remember them off hand (it's my age, you know!), but I'm sure someone will post a link.

 

[Lectrician]

SOOOO many cables run out of zones there! Shame really, as they look quite well clipped and fixed! Boxes look nice and straight, and secure (other than the couple you point out). The main issue with this looks to be the safe zone issue.

With a building in this state, a sparky will not fill holes or chases. If a brick did loosen for some reason (I guess he was hitting them hard as they're sods), then the on site builder would usually whack it back in and make good.

 

[securespark]

Is the house in Chorlton?

 

[SimonH2]

An obvious answer to the "what could go wrong" question is ...
Someone comes along at a later date to <do something involving nails or screws in the wall>. Sees the switch and socket and avoids drilling/nailing in the safe zone. He hits one of the cables that's not in the safe zone, or might reasonably not be expected to be there*, and then several things could happen.

1) You end up with a live nail/screw. Assuming the RCD isn't faulty, this will make the RCD trip either whenever the wall is slightly damp and conductive, or someone touches the nail/screw.

2) You end up with a broken cable, so a circuit fails to operate (so you know something is wrong), or in the case of an RFC you end up with a broken ring and potentially overloaded cables.

3) You end up with a short - most likely N-E which will keep tripping the RCD (even when the circuit is switched off !), or L-E which will trip the RCD and/or MCB supplying the circuit.

And if you realise what's happened, now what ? The cable is firmly embedded in the plaster and so there is zero, zilch, chance of fixing it without hacking the wall out.


* Someone may well loosen the socket, see that the cables go upwards, and hence decide there aren't cables going downwards from it.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Also, isn't it true that the safe zone only exists for the cables associated with the accessory so once plastered no one will have any reason to expect cables to the side or below.

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Also, isn't it true that the safe zone only exists for the cables associated with the accessory so once plastered no one will have any reason to expect cables to the side or below.

I'm prepared to be corrected, but I'm with you EFLI. Only associated cables.

 

[securespark]

Just had a quick look in the BGB.

522.6.101 does not mention this. But I am off upstairs to seek my OSG...