Least they could've done was offer to help, only poilte in'it?
Bloke stuff
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Less of your cheek young lady, in my day you had respect for your elders.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I fitted a 4-way LED spotlight in my nephew's kitchen yesterday. I actually bought it 6 months ago to use in my own kitchen but I am still waiting to have the ceiling replastered so I thought he might as well have the use of it.
When I switched it on there was a bright flash, sparks flew across the ceiling and the lighting circuit breaker flipped!
I had been really careful so I was 'somewhat surprised'. All I could think of was that one of the LED lights must have popped. I removed all of the lights, reset the circuit breaker and switched power back to the spotlights. No problem. I then put the LED lights back in one at a time and each one worked! I ended up with all 4 spotlights working ...
Anyway, despite the fact that all now seemed well it probably was not a good idea to trust that light so it needed to be returned to the supplier. I had lost the receipt but I solved that problem by buying an identical light from the same shop, swapping them over, and then returning the original light with the new receipt.
The old light showed no signs of burning, no obvious damage. all the LED lights worked. The only thing that I can think of to explain the problem is that a piece of swarf must have got inside one of the light fittings during manufacture and that shorted the power out when I switched the light on. The burst of current before the circuit breaker flipped would have been enough to vapourise the evidence.
After that I replaced a nasty light fitting in another room with a simple one suspended one from a ceiling rose.
And finally, I put a nice chunky new curtain pole up to replace the ugly scrawny one that was there before.
When I switched it on there was a bright flash, sparks flew across the ceiling and the lighting circuit breaker flipped!
I had been really careful so I was 'somewhat surprised'. All I could think of was that one of the LED lights must have popped. I removed all of the lights, reset the circuit breaker and switched power back to the spotlights. No problem. I then put the LED lights back in one at a time and each one worked! I ended up with all 4 spotlights working ...
Anyway, despite the fact that all now seemed well it probably was not a good idea to trust that light so it needed to be returned to the supplier. I had lost the receipt but I solved that problem by buying an identical light from the same shop, swapping them over, and then returning the original light with the new receipt.
The old light showed no signs of burning, no obvious damage. all the LED lights worked. The only thing that I can think of to explain the problem is that a piece of swarf must have got inside one of the light fittings during manufacture and that shorted the power out when I switched the light on. The burst of current before the circuit breaker flipped would have been enough to vapourise the evidence.
After that I replaced a nasty light fitting in another room with a simple one suspended one from a ceiling rose.
And finally, I put a nice chunky new curtain pole up to replace the ugly scrawny one that was there before.
cd365
Guru
- Location
- Coventry, uk
Shouldn't only qualified electricians be doing that now?
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I'm sure that qualified electricians would say so!
As for the law ... I had assumed that since shops are full of light fittings and wall sockets then it would be legal to actually connect them up, but obviously that does not necessarily follow so I just looked up the rules:
A summary of relevant IEE Wiring Regulations said:
I am just waiting for someone to suggest that the work of competent DIYers does not usually result in sparks and flipped circuit breakers!
As I wrote above - the light worked the second time I switched it on. When I was in the process of replacing it, all the wires that I had connected were still firmly connected in the right places. I could see no sign of damage to any part of the light fitting or wiring. The only other cause of the problem that I could think of was something else which was no longer there, such as a piece of metal swarf or scrap of wire left over from when the fitting was manufactured.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
A colleague of mine, a manager in an IT development dept, was going to re-wire his house, but it was technically illegal for him to do so as he wasn't "qualified". He had a PhD in electrical engineering.
By way of comparison, I had an electrician do some work on my previous house - and he did a prefectly satisfactory and safe job - yet when fitting 12Volt halogen lights commented that it was strange but the lower voltage lights needed thicker cables - well duh! Who'd have thought it
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
I could be wrong but I think that technically you are allowed to modify existing circuits without being Part P qualified. I have just been replacing quite a lot of the wiring in my house that was installed by a "qualified" electrician five years ago. He seems to have been quite fond of using 24 amp rated junction boxes on ring mains protected by 32 amp breakers.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I only have a BSc in electronic engineering!
Levo-Lon
Guru
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
This article describes the procedure for complying with the Building Regs and the law.
http://www.diyfixit.co.uk/safety-and-regulations/electrical-regulations.html
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
All the electrical work I did in my house was, by utter coincidence, completed the day before the regs came in for force.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
Luckily you'd stocked up on the old colour cable too
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
There was quite market for red and black twin and earth on Ebay at the time. I've no idea how I know that.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
Of course, the great irony in the clamp down is that it will only stop competent technically minded people from doing work. Incompetent people who don't give a shoot will do the work anyway, and incompetent responsible people would never have done it in the first place as they'd have known they knew nothing.
It wouldn't be industry vested interest though would it ?
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