Old Episode of DIY SOS

[securespark]

Watched one the other day with Billy complaining that the person who wired up the kitchen he was working on had done it all wrong because the cables were running horizontally (in safe zones) and were in the way of where he wanted to put a cooker control unit.

He claimed all cables must run vertically only.

 

[seasickstevie]

Think I remember seeing that one before. The guy's a nutter.

At the end of the day, it's just entertainment, but stuff like that can be dangerous.

 

[chivers67]

A bit daft really, though personally I don't like running cables horizontally if over a few meters in living rooms etc as there's always a chance someone might not be aware of the zone due to furniture placed over an accessory.

 

[Spark123]

It is all hyped up for telly, I bet hidden junction boxes are OK in his eyes too

 

[sparkwright]

I would say it's not ideal to run cables horizontally, as if you ever add a socket or somedthing, those cables could be in the way.

I try to avoid it, though sometimes it's not possible.

Not correct of him to say cables MUST be run vertically.

 

[Iggifer]

It's only really ever steels that make me run cables horizontally. I don't like doing it, but as you say, sometimes it's the only way

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It is a TV program.

It is made for the purposes of entertainment, and to those ends the makers will not give two hoots about dishonesty, manipulation, misdirection....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So - to the vertical fetishists, how would you by preference wire, say, 3 socket outlets, each about 3-400mm apart, on a wall above a worktop in a kitchen?

 

[sparkwright]

So - to the vertical fetishists, how would you by preference wire, say, 3 socket outlets, each about 3-400mm apart, on a wall above a worktop in a kitchen?

A combination of horizontal and vertical.

Would be insane to do otherwise, and here it's not worth considering someone may want to make alterations in the future.

I think the most annoying thing about horizontal wiring is long distances.

It makes removing a socket completely, for whatever reason, much harder.

And annoying if a door or similar ever gets knocked through.

Vertical runs are usually preferred as access is often available under floors or above ceilings for alterations.

 

[ericmark]

I have watched a few, and every one there seems to be errors in his statements. I watched him ask the building inspector in one episode if some thing was permitted, and the inspector admitted it was not, I pricked up my ears, as clearly the building inspector was at fault for permitting this to happen. But to my surprise it was not the building inspector he turned on, but the builder, who claimed it was permitted.

As said it is for entertainment, what people find entertaining about people getting is wrong I don't know. Even seen one program about airport customs, I thought I didn't know I was not permitted to bring in that, then found it was not British, it was not even in Europe, it was the other side of the world. It was not funny, or informative except if your travelling there, and if you were I am sure it's all written down so no need to watch TV to find out.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

As said it is for entertainment, what people find entertaining about people getting is wrong I don't know.

Nor I.

But the editors/producers/commissioners never seem to have a shortage of numpties who with no experience of hotels or restaurants, no experience of property renovations, no understanding of the fact the different countries have different laws, and no ability to speak the language, decide to buy a derelict cow shed in a foreign country to turn it into a B&B.

Showing a programme consisting of the experiences of people with more than half a brain, who know what they are doing, is not what they are looking for.

 

[ericmark]

I watched one on a guy in Suffolk converting an old water tower into a house, he clearly knew what he was doing, and it was interesting to see how he got around the problems. I did not like working on tower cranes so idea of living above the trees is not my idea of a nice house, but I am sure some would find it great, personally I would want a lift, and no glass floors, but that's me.

So yes there are programs about building which don't show silly people. Be it a eco neutral house or a house with some other special feature they give us ideas which we can adapt.

But be it a non British electrician or some one who has done a 12 week wonder course, showing his errors especially when not really an error, has no value either informative or entertainment.

I suppose it started with candid camera, watching the lady filling up a mini with 50 gallons and looking for leak, or trying to put oil in a non existent engine I did find funny when I was 16 years old. Not sure I would today, but the deception did not go on for long, and they had to agree to it being shown, and would be there at the showing giving comments.

But then it went silly, clearly with some shows it was all put on, there were actors which knew jolly well it was all staged, the container auctions is a good example. I had some one who run a container storage unit tell me how he had been approached, he said how he didn't have any abandoned containers, answer was it's OK we will bring in the stock to be auctioned.

I wonder if DIY SOS is the same? do they get a house and put loads of faults in it to be found, are those guys real electricians or just actors? It would likely upset any court case if the faults were shown on TV. So likely everyone we see in the program are actors.

 

[seasickstevie]

I think it's unlikely they're all actors. After all, they clearly are doing the work.

 

[333rocky333]

There was a recent series showing builders doing up a big posh house in london, they had diagonal chases.

Then theres the Pimlico Plumbers ad showing a bloke refitting a CU cover all the main switches Mcb's etc still ON, proberly something most do but not a good ad for there Safe isolation procedures, even if the supply fuse was isolated, id still expect to see them off.

I think one of the worst is the pic in PE magazine of the rcbo connected reverse polarity

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There was a recent series showing builders doing up a big posh house in london, they had diagonal chases.

The people who make these programmes don't care about anything except entertaining their audience of window-lickers.