Water meets leccy...

[amfisted]

Just thought some of the sparks--and indeed anyone who posts on here and has a modicum of knowledge and common sense--might like to see the pic I've attached with this post.

My son and his girlfriend, after a lot of hassle, dozens of phone calls and many, many broken promises from the letting agent, at last moved into their new build house in a town in Cheshire not far from Nantwich last night. This evening they filled and turned on the washing machine then went to relax in their living room. A little while after the machine started, the lights went off, followed by a blackout of the entire electrical supply to the house.

There was enough daylight left for my son to locate water seeping from under the sink unit in the kitchen, so he removed the kick panel and took a photo of what he found.

What you see in the photo is an extension lead on the floor underneath the kitchen sink cabinet. The washing machine supply is plugged into it, and the washing machine drain hose is draped over the top of the socket with a pipe joint judiciously positioned right on top of the socket. This joint leaked as soon as the washing machine pumped out and....POP: no juice. Fortunately they've been able to find temporary lodging with a relative tonight and plan to visit the estate agent in the morning with some urgent requests. I'm no expert but I certainly wouldn't expect to find such a horrendous lash up in any property, let alone a new one.

Untitled

• amfisted
• 19 Apr 2013
• 1

 

[RF Lighting]

It just needs the hose moving a bit so it doesn't leak on to the socket.

Dry the socket out and you'll be good to go again.

Whilst the installation isn't the best, there's nothing actually wrong with it.

 

[amfisted]

So leaving aside the positioning of the drain hose, there's nothing wrong with putting a live extension lead with the sockets facing upwards underneath a sink unit, in an area which may well be dry but has the potential for leaks? I've heard of bathroom safety: is there no equivalent version for kitchens?

Edit: had I not lived fifty miles away I would have gone round there, shifted the drain hose, tightened up the clips, dried out the socket and hopefully managed to get the leccy back on. I still think its an appalling cockup, whatever way I look at it.

 

[Monkeh]

Whilst the installation isn't the best, there's nothing actually wrong with it.

There is if it's a new build and they're on a single RCD.

 

[RF Lighting]

No, nothing wrong with it. As you've seen, even if things go wrong and the socket gets wet, the protective device operates, and the electricity is automatically disconnected. No one injured, no fire, just a bit of inconvenience.

as monkeh says though, a single fault should not be able to take out the entire installation.

 

[Monkeh]

I'd also knock it down for the sheer bad workmanship, that's.. just not how it should be done.

And WTF is with half a can of foam back there?

 

[securespark]

So that white socket is part of an extension lead connected to a socket in the wall?

If so, it's not part of the fixed wiring, so while the lead itself (and the positioning of the hose) is p*ss-poor, it's unfair to call the wiring a lash-up.

It was probably hooked up by whoever installed the WM: the LL, possibly?

 

[EFLImpudence]

When you say new-build do you mean no one has ever lived there?

You can't join two rubber waste pipes like that without a supporting insert.
Is there one?

 

[amfisted]

Nobody has ever lived there. It isn't truly finished yet--the back gate is yet to be erected, the kerb in front of the drive lowered and the pavement tarmacked. There are about three or four similar properties adjoining but as yet untenanted. My son and his girlfriend were the first and happiest tenants till the lights went out this evening.

I don't know whether theres an insert in the pipe--only that it leaked as soon as the machine pumped out.

No, its not fixed wiring, and yes, the extension lead is connected to a socket elsewhere; so maybe whoever fitted the washing machine is the one who deserves a Roman Candle up the jacksie for sending my son fleeing to a place of safety this evening.
Whatever, I still think its appalling and that someone needs a good stiff ticking off.

And edit: worst of all, there isn't even a TV aerial.

 

[sparkwright]

It's very bad practice to leave electrical fittings on the floor where leaks could occur as they end up sitting in water. We all know that.

But then leaks can occur anywhere in a house. One can't really allow for leaks on things that aren't meant to leak.

If you see what I mean.

 

[Iggifer]

One can't really allow for leaks on things that aren't meant to leak

If we were to do that, we would have to allow for the header tank in the loft to leak, and move all lighting cabling to allow for it, upstairs sockets to allow for rad pipes under the floorboards etc etc

I suspect this wouldn't have been an issue if the badly joined hose wasn't lying directly ontop of a socket outlet - even if it was next to it, I doubt enough water would have reached it to trip the rcd

Possibly a good thing it was, means the fault has been found immediately

 

[Johnmelad]

 

[HERTS P&D]

You can't join two rubber waste pipes like that without a supporting insert.

You can fit these together but it does need an insert, a short length of 22mm copper pipe will do. But looking at the picture it looks like it is missing as one pipe looks compressed.

The foam filler is from where the water mains comes throught the floor.

When ever I fit a washing machine, I always fill and drain the machine making sure there is no leaks, this was not done here.

Not the best piece of work that have seen.

Andy

 

[bernardgreen]

Where does that flexible drain pipe end ?

It should go to a stand pipe with U trap

Or does it just out out the wall and into the drain ? That will allow drain smells to waft back into the machine.

The air gap ( indirect connection ) also important to break any syphon effect that might empty the U trap.

 

[amfisted]

I was thinking that myself. If the drain hose is just lying on the floor and goes straight out of the wall and into the drain then smells will come back in. A bad piece of workmanship but certainly not as negligent as putting two pieces of hose together badly and laying the lash-up on top of a live electrical socket.

Thanks for the diagram--hopefully the person sent to fix the problem will have something similar in mind and not simply smother the joint in mastic. That will, of course still leave the problem of the absence of a standing pipe and trap, but the main aim at the moment is to get the electricity back on. Making the washing machine serviceable can come later.

To my mind the whole thing is a typical symptom of the rush, on the back of programmes like Homes under the Hammer, to get something built on a piece of waste land then start making money. But maybe I'm just a cynic.