Warm Front Heating install, Fenhams & a junction box

[jawstress]

Hi All,

A couple of years back Grandad had central heating installed under the Warm Front scheme. Sadly, Grandad has passed on and we are now doing some renovations on the house. However, the whole project seems blighted by the central heating installation work done by a company called Fenhams under said Warm Front scheme. If there was a corner they could cut, then they cut it..

This is the latest one I've found: They've routed all the main pipework over an existing junction box when there was absolutely no need to do so.

They’ve made the junction box totally inaccessible – the perspective is lost in the photo but the pipes are right on top of the junction box, there’s no way you can get at it . Surely this is both completely irresponsible, and against current regulations?

The only possible reason I can see that they've done this is that the floorboards were already up, so they saved themselves 15 minutes (although butchering floorboards seems to be their other favourite hobby).

This post may well turn out to be a futile rant, rather than anything useful, but I'm just looking for some affirmation of my suspicions that Fenhams heating installers have done a less than competent job and the Warm Front scheme isn't all it’s cracked up to be?

Thanks in advance

 

[sparkwright]

Can't comment on the company.

There are plumbers out there who like to follow behind the electrician, as you say because the boards are easier to lift.

Very annoying as notching above those cable holes weakens the joist, and as you realise, very hard to do alterations to the wiring.

It was the norm to fit junctions boxes under the floor once. Nowadays, anything under floorboards is considered inaccessible.

It certainly is now. With a bit of effort you may be able to prise the junction box to one side.

Can't really add much to what you've already said, but thought I'd have a bit of a rant too.

 

[TheKeymeister]

I worked on the Olympic park in the run up and during games time, in the broadcast centre. Electricians came and put a load of double sockets in the corridors (SWA in galv conduit, looked ridiculous)

About 2 weeks later, 'plumbers' came and put water points directly above/to the side (no more than 100mm away) from these sockets, and it turned out they were for water coolers. I couldn't do anything but smile and shake my head!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Can't comment on the company.

The plumbers might know them.

With a bit of effort you may be able to prise the junction box to one side.

Carefully.

Looks like it might be an octopus - could be a collector's item...

 

[streetlighter]

Ive seen a Warmfront install where the cables to the heating controls where tiewrapped onto the copper pipework going to the boiler.
And the surface box the fused spur was installed on had a hole for the flex to the boiler in the top greater than IP2X

 

[securespark]

And no strain relief either?

Better to take the flex out the bottom of the FCU through the cord grip and kill two birds with one stone...

 

[streetlighter]

nope no strain releaf at all

 

[Johnmelad]

But they are such a good company...

http://www.fenhams.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=47

 

[jawstress]

Thank you for all the replies.

I think the best plan is to not touch the junction box unless absolutely necessary as trying to move it could just open a whole can of worms (or a can of tentacles?).

I’m still not happy Fenhams are allowed to get away with stuff like this though. Other shortcuts I’ve found are:

• Floorboards resting on top of gas pipes, where they haven’t notched out properly
  
• Blocking an existing access hatch to a crawl space under the ground floor – again because it was the easiest option to route the pipework and it saved them an extra 20 minutes work
  
• Completely butchering any floorboards
  
• Installing a crappy Ideal boiler – although I can’t really blame them too much for that one

It seems Companies like Fenhams were/are basically milking the Warm Front scheme by cutting every corner possible; and the sad thing is I bet most of the time they get away with it without any comeback.

I know it was a while ago now but I’ve half a mind to contact Fenhams about it just to see what their response is..