eec247 Homepage

THE EXTENSION FROM HELL
DO NOT COPY ANYTHING SHOWN IN THIS GALLERY

Home Gallery Emergency Help Contact Us
CASE STUDY 1     -     A SHOPFITTERS JOB ON THE SIDE
Location: A house extension near Fawley, Southampton.
Job Description: The electrics for this extension were installed by an un-qualified and un-registered Electrician.
For a day-job, he was a Shopfitter and most of the materials look a lot like something ripped out of a shop
or something left over from the day job etc.

The job dragged on for over 18 months and the homeowner needed it finished and the paperwork
for the electrics, so the build could be signed off by Building Controls.

We did a small job for the homeowner's parents at a different address and were asked to have a quick look
at the extension to see what was needed to finish it off and get the relevant paperwork.
The rogues on Cowboy Builders are amateurs compared to this guy. This is what we found:



2nd hand RCD in a 2nd hand enclosure

2nd hand RCD showing signs of wear and tear not expected on a new one

The extension circuits were fed from the back of an old fusebox in the house
from the "Cooker" circuit on a 30A wire fuse and into this
2nd hand RCD, fitted upside down in a bodged 2nd hand enclosure.
NEVER USE 2nd HAND OR COUNTERFEIT SAFETY DEVICES and
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
commercial consumer unit with whatever circuit breakers were going spare

The Consumer Unit (Fusebox) is obviously a commercial unit and not what you would expect to see in a domestic property.
Ring 1 and Ring 2 Sockets on 16A type "C" Circuit Breakers - we would expect to see 32A type "B"s.
Lights on a 10A type "C" Circuit Breaker - typical for commercial but not domestic electrics.
Shower on a 20A RCBO - now that is very unusual - it must be a 4.5kW shower or something (more on this later).
Cooker on a 20A RCBO - now he really is taking the p***.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE ! - THIS SETUP IS TOTALLY INCORRECT !
long screw touching feeder cable to consumer unit

if the screw punctures the cable, there will be a big bang and maybe a fire

The feed to the Consumer Unit (Fusebox) was from a 5 core x 4mm heavy duty (not armoured) flex -
the type used to run commercial 3 phase chillers etc, and run across the loft and down to the Consumer Unit.
On it's way down, it was touching the point of a long screw and it's not an armoured cable!
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
Inside the Consumer Unit, he doubled up the cores for L and N, wrapping them in coloured tape

Once the flex got inside the Consumer Unit, he doubled up the cores for L and N.
THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE METHOD OF CONNECTING CONDUCTORS
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
cables half heartedly tied to a cable tray

cables half heartedly tied to a cable tray

The circuit cables from the new Consumer Unit for sockets, lights etc were half heartedly tied to a cable tray.
Again, something at home in a shop (although with the cables neatly clipped), but not a domestic extension.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
cables cable-tied to wood screws !

cables cable-tied to wood screws !

Brown, Blue and Green/Yellow cables should not be visible

Downlighters can be open frame if there is no living space above, as is the case with some here
but it's not acceptable to cable tie the cables to a wood screw like this.
Also, you shouldn't be able to see Brown, Blue, Green/Yellow cables outside the junction boxes.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
The shower never worked - because it was wired incorrectly and dangerously

The shower never worked. Every time the homeowner tried to use it, it tripped the RCD.
Look carefully at the wiring to the shower and you will see:
Live feed (Brown) from below, connects to Live load (Brown) above: CORRECT.
Earth feed (Green/Yellow) from below, connects to Neutral load (Blue) above: DANGEROUS.
Neutral feed (Blue) from below, connects to Earth load (Green/Yellow) above: DANGEROUS.
Every time the shower is switched on, the RCD trips because there is a Neutral to Earth fault.
We know that the Circuit Breaker (20A) is too small anyway, because it's a 6.5kW shower.
This could never work!     but worse than that -
IT'S RELYING ON A 2nd HAND SAFETY DEVICE - OF UNKNOWN CONDITION - TO TRIP AND NOT KILL YOU !

DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !!!! THIS ONE REALLY IS LETHAL !!!
Socket backboxes, should have rubber grommets fitted, to protect the cables

Socket back boxes, should have rubber grommets in the holes where the cables enter, to protect the cables
from damage and causing danger from fire or electric shock.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
The black wire should have a brown sleeve and the grey wire should have a blue sleeve

The extractor fan wiring, although working, does not comply with the IEE Wiring Regulations.
The Black wire should have a brown sleeve and the grey wire should have a blue sleeve.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
commercial light switches - like in a supermarket

Light switches were of the "Grid" type as used in commercial properties
- again not complying with the IEE Wiring Regulations as the coloured sleeves are missing.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
Junction boxes should be fixed to something, and not over stuffed with cables

Another IEE Wiring Regulations non compliance - junction boxes should be fixed to something,
and this one is stuffed with too many cables.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
extractor fan should vent to the outside of the building

The moist air from the bathroom extractor fan was vented into the loft space.
It should be routed to the outside of the building - the easiest route here is through the soffits (less than a metre away).
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
Sockets too close together, and foul on each other when tried to screw to the wall

Sockets not fixed to the wall

Sockets for TV power and antenna were not fixed to the wall, and in some cases too close together to fit properly.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
a socket that can never be used

And finally, a socket behind the kitchen units, too close to the sink waste pipe,
where it can never be used.
DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE PRACTISES SHOWN HERE !
It took 3 weeks to put it right, installing a separate distribution board from the supply fuse,
feeding a 16mm, 3 core armoured cable, to a new consumer unit in the extension and fix all the
other issues (some shown here).

eec247 Homepage