Wierd wiring problem

[securespark]

Ooooh! You rude, rude boy!

 

[Pensdown]

tonyenkiducx, If I were you I would fit a 100mA RCCD between the cut-out and the CU. Although this wont prevent you from being electrocuted it should reduce the risk of your house going up in smoke and that is a real possibility.

 

[JohnD]

But, it will be inconvenient as it will cut off the power when it detects a biggish earth leakage fault... and we can't have that.

 

[securespark]

Well, we've given him our advice. If he doesn't take it, what can we do?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Nothing except move on....

 

[securespark]

[Slam of door shutting]

 

[tonyenkiducx]

If I was to get a "spark" to come in and fix my electrics, would they repair any damage they have to do to the house? Such as plaster work and ripped up floorboards? I'm just not sure what to expect, and there's no way the wife will let me make any more mess in the house..

 

[plugwash]

thats a question you should ask when you get the electrian in.

 

[JohnD]

...although, even if you ask for it to be included in the price, you might find he is not as good a decorator as he is an electrician. Not everyone is so multifaceted.

 

[tonyenkiducx]

Hm, I've always wondered about this.. If the work required that large sections of plaster of floorboards had to come up, how would the electrician decide what to do? I mean, he wont just go ahead and break everything, but if he's allready quoted for the cost and come out to do the work, how would you deal with that?

On a side-note, are there any electricians here that could come to Lancaster to do some work?

 

[plugwash]

i don't think you will find many electricians who will quote for work without doing at least some checking into how much disturbance to the building structure is involved.

 

[securespark]

How old is the house.
Sounds like you may have very old wiring in there (pre 16th edition).

Yes, it may even date back to the 15th Edition!, shock, horror!!

 

[plugwash]

to elaborate on my previous post i'd think the way to work it regarding getting your wiring sorted out would be to do the following.

agree an initial price to cover inspection and minor fixes (stuff like missing sleeving that is found on virtually every existing installation and really isn't worth writing up and going back to), make sure you agree on what minor fixes will be included and what will be produced at the end (e.g. a periodic inspection report plus a quote for any remedial works required).

then one you have that quote either pay him to do the remedials or if you think he is overcharging then you have an itemized list of faults with which you can employ a different electrican for remedials.

 

[tonyenkiducx]

I've now discovered that I only get a shock from the light switch when we stand on the bare concrete floor.... And it's not as bad as I initially thought, it just seemed a lot worse than it was

However, my wife is finding it annoying, so I've been given permission to get an electrician in(Ye I know, I'm under the thumb). Can anyone recommend an electrician around the Lancaster area? It's probably quite a lot of work for someone, as there's some other pre-existing problems *ahem* that I haven't mentioned here.

 

[dingbat]

I've now discovered that I only get a shock from the light switch when we stand on the bare concrete floor.... And it's not as bad as I initially thought, it just seemed a lot worse than it was

However, my wife is finding it annoying, so I've been given permission to get an electrician in...

Every time I've read this thread it has staggered me that you have so little regard for the safety of yourself, your wife, or your property. I know that the general rule in domestic electrics is 'Safety Second' but do you realise just how small a current can kill?

But, if you really want to assess the risk yourself I suggest you get wet all over, stand on the concrete floor in bare feet, perhaps grab hold of any convenient pipework and then make sure you can achieve a good, solid contact with the exposed conductive parts of the offending switch. If you survive you might want to post an account of our experience here... as long as you can at least operate a keyboard with, say, a pencil gripped between your teeth.

Seriously, don't do it and I suggest you wear rubber gloves and galoshes until a professional electrician has checked this out.