lighting circuit

[johnnyv]

Any advice would be grateful..in my daughters house the down stairs lights have blown, the fuse keeps on tripping.

She phoned for electrician who duly arrived and instead of fixing the fault he proceeded to some how by-pass the lighting circuit by taking a live feed from the consumer unit...the lights worked for 40 minutes or so then mcb tripped out but by this time the electrician had gone...she promptly phoned him back...told him what happened he arrived 3 days later checked the circuit again and replaced the 6amp mcb with a 10 amp mcb, the lights came back on but after an hour or so the 10amp fuse blew again..

She phoned him again he wasn't happy so far he as not returned to her house but he did say that he has been a electrician for 11 years and that he has done nothing illegal.

Oh she paid him £70.00...please help surely this is not normal practice to remove a 6amp fuse and replace it with a 10amp fuse...this must be dangerous

my daughter as been without lighting for 2 months

cheers...john

 

[breezer]

i suggest you get another electrician, not a lot we can do sitting here at a pc (lots more info needed)

 

[johnnyv]

Hi what info do you need??...you must agree that to replace a 6amp fuse with 10amp fuse for a domestic lighting circuit isn't good practice??

What about the IEE regs 16th edition etc

cheers...john

 

[breezer]

it is permissible to use a 10A mcb if certain criteria are met, but thats for another day.

as an electrician was called in in the first place this implies you are not sure (it is also the best thing)
also there may be other things wrong, i still suggest you get another electrician, but do get several quotes

 

[Lectrician]

If the electrician didn't even attempt to use any test kit, then he is not an electrician!

Sounds like there is a fault on the circuit somewhere, and he couldn't find it.

Replacing a 10 for a 6 would only be of use if the circuit was heavily loaded (lots of downlights, outside floods etc??). The circuit design and installation method must be checked to ensure a higher rated MCB be can be used.

I would start by looking for a dodgy outside light fitting...

I wouldn't think the circuit is overloaded, but there is a chance.....how many lights are on it??

 

[johnnyv]

You say it is permissible to use a 10A mcb if certain criteria are met.

So a electrician comes along finds a fault on the circuit but doesn't do any tests on the circuit(with test meter) so rather that test the circuit for overloads, short circuit etc ie try and track the cause of the fault, but instead installs a 10amp mcb and takes a live feed from the consumer unit and connects the live feed to the ceiling rose under the stairs which gives temporary lighting for 40 minutes then the 10amp fuses blows and this is normal practise...I don't think so...it seems by your response that you do not wish to commit yourself to answering any of my questions..."are you a electrician"

Of course we have considered another electrician but we have paid this guy to fix the fault.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi , there as always been a 6amp fuse for the down stairs lighting one lamp in the hallway, two lamps in living room, low voltage lighting in the kitchen 10 spots no outside lights or security lights etc nothing added to the circuit.

Previous to this fault there was a burst pipe upstairs which caused a lot of damage down stairs..this was rectified later on... the fault on the lighting happened soon after.

The electrician was informed of the leak, but he did not use any test equipment to find the fault
________________________________
moderator

please read forum rules
What criteria is permissible for the above situation???

cheers...john

 

[pdcelec]

Contact trading standards about the first electrician. Employ a different one to find out what is really going on and use his report as a basis for prosecution of the first one.

 

[johnnyv]

cheers...mate

 

[plugwash]

and if that payment wasn't by cash then get in touch with your bank its liable to be much easier to stop the payment before it goes out than to get it back later.

 

[Bazdaa]

Any advice would be grateful..in my daughters house the down stairs lights have blown, the fuse keeps on tripping.

She phoned for electrician who duly arrived and instead of fixing the fault he proceeded to some how by-pass the lighting circuit by taking a live feed from the consumer unit...the lights worked for 40 minutes or so then mcb tripped out but by this time the electrician had gone...she promptly phoned him back...told him what happened he arrived 3 days later checked the circuit again and replaced the 6amp mcb with a 10 amp mcb, the lights came back on but after an hour or so the 10amp fuse blew again..

She phoned him again he wasn't happy so far he as not returned to her house but he did say that he has been a electrician for 11 years and that he has done nothing illegal.

Oh she paid him £70.00...please help surely this is not normal practice to remove a 6amp fuse and replace it with a 10amp fuse...this must be dangerous

my daughter as been without lighting for 2 months

cheers...john

Mick-taker!

I'm not a sparky, but I would have wanted to know why he replaced the fuse for a 10amp in the first place! Any muppet could have done what he done.

I'd flame him.

Bazdaa

 

[Lectrician]

You say it is permissible to use a 10A mcb if certain criteria are met.

So a electrician comes along finds a fault on the circuit but doesn't do any tests on the circuit(with test meter) so rather that test the circuit for overloads, short circuit etc ie try and track the cause of the fault, but instead installs a 10amp mcb and takes a live feed from the consumer unit and connects the live feed to the ceiling rose under the stairs which gives temporary lighting for 40 minutes then the 10amp fuses blows and this is normal practise...I don't think so...it seems by your response that you do not wish to commit yourself to answering any of my questions..."are you a electrician"

Of course we have considered another electrician but we have paid this guy to fix the fault.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi , there as always been a 6amp fuse for the down stairs lighting one lamp in the hallway, two lamps in living room, low voltage lighting in the kitchen 10 spots no outside lights or security lights etc nothing added to the circuit.

Previous to this fault there was a burst pipe upstairs which caused a lot of damage down stairs..this was rectified later on... the fault on the lighting happened soon after.

The electrician was informed of the leak, but he did not use any test equipment to find the fault
________________________________
moderator

please read forum rules
What criteria is permissible for the above situation???

cheers...john

The tone of the message leaves me not wanting to help.

 

[johnnyv]

Lectrician...my post was for breezer not you, I welcome your advice and appreciate any feedback...if you look at my post I was quoting from BREEZER

sorry...john

 

[Softus]

and if that payment wasn't by cash then get in touch with your bank its liable to be much easier to stop the payment before it goes out than to get it back later.

There are no grounds, in law, for stopping the payment.

If the tradesman has exhausted the opportunities given to him to put right what he either missed or did wrong, then you must claim back your money, if necessary at Court.

If you have to employ someone else to remedy his errors, then you have the right to hold him (the first one) liable for those costs, and these can also be reclaimed at Court.

If you stop payment then the tradesman can claim the money from you, and, if he has to go to court to do it, then you will be ordered to pay his costs in doing so.