Query about electricians work

[Halo Jones]

I am after advice from any electricians here. We are changing the layout of our ground floor, doing 99% of the work DIY, but needed an electrician to do the electrics to get it signed off for building control. He did the first phase last Friday and I am not overly impressed by his work. The part I am most unsure about is shown below. This shows where the old hallway switch was (part of a two way system) and is now in the new ground floor shower room. I asked the electrician to put in a pull-cord and three down lights which he did but seems to have done it in a rather weird way using the wires from the old switch and taken them up the door jamb. He also left a note on the wall saying it was fine to plaster over the wires. This just seems plain wrong to me but I am not an electrician. He also did not disconnect this circuit from the other half of the two way circuit so I can now turn the bathroom light off from another part of the house! Another thing I was dubious about was that he said bathrooms no longer require equipotential bonding if the lighting circuit is protected by RCD. I thought the bonding was to protect from any electrical fault that contacted the copper water or central heating pipes outwith the bathroom area and that the bonding could be reduced to 2.5mm cable if the lighting circuit was RCD protected? Any advice welcome as I am not sure whether to trust the guy.

Cheers,

H.

 

[Dee J]

That's one big nope. Apart from it being a horrible bodge.... Screw terminal connections should remain accesible. And plastering over taped up junctions without a proper enclosure is very flaky. As for misunderstanding the two way switching.... Are you sure this person is an electrician?

 

[Dee J]

And there are circumstances when the supplementary bonding can be omitted. All circuits serving or passing through the bathroom must be rcd protected. And the plumbing has to either a. Present a low impedance back to the main equipotential bonding or b. Present such a high impedance as to imply that the plumbing has non-conductive sections. Never heard of 2.5 sq mm bonding.

 

[LancsRick]

Get him back. From an installation perspective those terminals should be in a knockout box with a blanking plate for that approach, and as for the wiring schematic, well, it's clearly wrong isn't it!
Personally i would withhold payment until he makes good what he has done, and get someone else in to do the rest. I'd never be able to trust his work.

 

[sunnybob]

Burying those terminals is just plain wrong. My 73 year old sister has just re tiled her cloakroom and is more aware of the rules than this guy. Find someone else. NOW.

 

[adidat]

blimey! did he arrive on a horse wearing chaps and a hat??

adidat

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I wouldn't want that guy back in my house...

 

[No skills]

Cor blimey.
Can't see the picture too well on the phone, the cable needs protection if it's not 50mm below wall surface. The only connections that can buried are ones that are made with a no maintenance type joint.

I suggest you tie his horse to your fence with chain and padlock until that's corrected.

 

[Halo Jones]

Thanks for all the comments. It looked so bad to my eyes that I wasn't sure I was going mad. We have been in the house for 10 years now and all the "professional" work that I have unearthed in our recent project has hit home how many (not all!) in the trades cut corners to do things in a timely manner. This guy is totally credited and is able to sign off his work for BC and worked for many years for the local council. He recently signed-off a house for a local builder I know, and that was how he was recommended to me. I hate getting people in to do work in my house and this experience hasn't helped.

 

[LancsRick]

Halo, I know how you feel. The only people I get in are plumbers and it's taken me years to fine one I rate. For sparky stuff I tend to do it myself, leave everything exposed, then get the sparky to do final fix and certify. Saves a load of labour cost and I know it's been done halfway decent.

 

[n0legs]

Are you serious??????
An "electrician" has done that.

Right this is what to do.
Call him back. When he steps in the door t### him with a 3x2 and don't stop until he's barely breathing.
I promise you I've sacked people for less.

"Okay to plaster over". !!!!!! pineapple me.

 

[Halo Jones]

For sparky stuff I tend to do it myself, leave everything exposed, then get the sparky to do final fix and certify. Saves a load of labour cost and I know it's been done halfway decent.

That is exactly what I wanted to do but I haven't found anyone willing to work that way. I now know the quirks in how our house was rennovated in the 90s and I don't mind lifting carpets and a few floorboards upstairs to give myself access to the electrics. I certainly wouldn't have cut holes and massacred studwork that I had just put up!

 

[Halo Jones]

OK. The guy is coming back to look at the work. He did tell me he was approved to sign his work off but I didn't think to ask for any credentials as he had been referred by someone I know. I cannot find the chap on NICEIC or on SELECT Scotland. So, what paperwork does he need to be able to sign of my work and what do I have to ask to see? Also, can I get him to sign of this part of the work for BC and get someone else to do the rest of the work or does all have to be signed off in one go?

One final thought. If I get nowhere with the guy who can/do I complain to?

 

[Ian down london way]

I'm no electrician, but just in case, keep good notes, good photos and sign and time-stamp the notes so they can be seen to be contemporary to the work being done, not an after the event whinged.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Have you paid him yet?

Whilst you may decide not to withhold all the money (I don't know the size of the whole job) - it looks like you should at least get a second opinion on work quality, how much has been done satisfactorily, and what would therefore be a fair payment.

 

[Racers]

I showed the picture to a sparky mate he laughed, its totally wrong to plaster over.

Pete

 

[HappyHacker]

If he is approved to sign off under Part P he will be a member of one of the Scams, sorry Part P schemes. He should have a membership card and he should be on the database of registered members, he may be trading under a different name.

The main schemes are NICEIC, ELECSA, STROMA, NAPIT. The database to check is http://www.electricalcompetentperson.co.uk/

Part P notification in England only covers work in bathroom, CU changes and new circuits. Wales still has the older version of Part P with more work included. Scotland is totally different and I know nothing about their requirements.

The work is definitely not to the regulations, ignoring the damage to the woodwork.

 

[pip1954]

Hi I am no sparks but wow (hammer)
Some years back I found something similar I was doing some tiling and had to scrap wall paper of the wall when I wetted it I got a belt :shock: when I cut it out some muppet had told previous owner they had had it rewired but what they did was to cut new boxes joined old cable to new ends so when you took witch of it all looked new, they even done the same in loft left old wires everywhere just joined new ends and light fittings :evil: unbelievably.
And dam dangerous
People like that get trades bad names needs shooting
Just can't believe people could leave it like it
Pip