Electrician competent ??

foxfordbuild

I am really annoyed about the electrical work carried out and wanted to check if I am overreacting and all will be ok or if I need to freak out - background

The ESB connected our new house on Mon 18th Aug but we could only use 2-3 lights at a time as the RCD would trip if we turned on another or plugged something into a socket. Called builder and electrician came on Tuesday.
Discovered half the connections had not been terminated and were just loose cables in fusebox, connected everything and checked sockets - ok

As we are fitting doors and door frames house is in a jock and not all rooms being used, moving around as each is finished.
Discovered sitting room light fitting does not work, one socket flashed and tripped RCD when 60w lamp plugged in
Also I have asked that he split the circuits better as he has allocated 3 breakers for sockets - 1 kitchen and 2 for the other 9 rooms excl bathrooms
When I turned the switch on in the kitchen for the spots one flashed and tripped the RCD, I pulling the fitting down and it has not been earthed
On of the outdoor spots at the front of the house blew when I turned the switch on the tripped the rcd leaving the whole house in darkness
He has 3 sockets and the cooker switch in the wrong place, I gave a copy of the kitchen plan to our builder delaying completion of fitting
He has put one light switch and the inside wall of a room where the door should be opening against, forgot to install a socket on the water treatment, left holes all over the ceilings where he missed the studs.

I know a bit long winded but wanted to give full background, should I throw a wobbly with the builder, it just doesn't feel safe

Thanks

DublinDilbert

foxfordbuild wrote: »

I am really annoyed about the electrical work carried out and wanted to check if I am overreacting and all will be ok or if I need to freak out - background

The ESB connected our new house on Mon 18th Aug but we could only use 2-3 lights at a time as the RCD would trip if we turned on another or plugged something into a socket. Called builder and electrician came on Tuesday.
Discovered half the connections had not been terminated and were just loose cables in fusebox, connected everything and checked sockets - ok

As we are fitting doors and door frames house is in a jock and not all rooms being used, moving around as each is finished.
Discovered sitting room light fitting does not work, one socket flashed and tripped RCD when 60w lamp plugged in
Also I have asked that he split the circuits better as he has allocated 3 breakers for sockets - 1 kitchen and 2 for the other 9 rooms excl bathrooms
When I turned the switch on in the kitchen for the spots one flashed and tripped the RCD, I pulling the fitting down and it has not been earthed
On of the outdoor spots at the front of the house blew when I turned the switch on the tripped the rcd leaving the whole house in darkness
He has 3 sockets and the cooker switch in the wrong place, I gave a copy of the kitchen plan to our builder delaying completion of fitting
He has put one light switch and the inside wall of a room where the door should be opening against, forgot to install a socket on the water treatment, left holes all over the ceilings where he missed the studs.

I know a bit long winded but wanted to give full background, should I throw a wobbly with the builder, it just doesn't feel safe

Thanks

Ummm so many potential problems, i'm not sure where to start.. Firstly your using the term RCD do you possibly mean MCB? Cause the lights should never be connected to or trip the RCD! In saying that if he's connected the neutral from the lights to the socket neutrals in the board it will trip the RCD. This is a first year apprentice type error and if it has been done i hate to see the state of the rest of the place.

when you say the electrician came back, was this the original electrician? or a new one? Did he give any excuses for the issues? Did he resolve all the issues? Are the issues you describe above still there after the second contractor came and went?

Has your house been certified by the original contractor?

I'd be getting the original contractors details and be making a complaint to reci, if it was my house. From what you said it looks like it as an apprentice that done the wiring and left it half finished, which is lethal, although in fairness most apprentices would do a better job than this!

Also why was he drilling holes in the ceiling? surely if the first / second fix were done correctly this would not be required...

Steve

Contact RECI.

AFAIK:
Before the ESB connect they need a cert issued by a RECI member (or possibly an elec engineer) to say that the installation is safe and has passed some specified tests.

If the spark wasn't RECI then he has to get them to inspect and certify. If he is RECI then they should take this seriously as they have to stand over the certs issued by their members.
Either way, get them involved and possibly go as far as demanding they inspect the installation if you believe it still to be unsafe or against regs.

RECI undertakes to investigate complaints in respect of work completed by RECI registered contractors with a view to identifying if remedial work is necessary and to require that the installing contractor attend to any such remedial work. The work of RECI registered contractors must comply with the National Rules for Electrical Installations published by the Electro-Technical Council of Ireland. Click here to find out more and to submit the relevant form.

fishdog

As an electrician and ex electrical contractor I would agree with the last 2 posters , except:

f the spark wasn't RECI then he has to get them to inspect and certify

Just to clarify, the spark maybe a member of the ECSSA. They claim to have more members than RECI and they are also allowed to certify. Although as an ex member of the ECSSA I would hope that this spark was not an ECSSA member :D:D

My personal experience of calling a RECI inspector (for my own house) was dissappointing. The inspector did agree with me on some points but not on others (1.5 flex on a 32A MCB is OK according to the inspector!) For this reason I would suggest that you get an independent electrician to make a snag list and to be present when the inspector checks the installation.

Let us know how you get on.

Steve

fishdog wrote: »

Just to clarify, the spark maybe a member of the ECSSA. They claim to have more members than RECI and they are also allowed to certify.

Thanks for that - I didn't know they could certify as well.

foxfordbuild

just to clarify, it was the same electrician who came back after I contacted the builder, it is the breaker marked as rcd that trips when the gu10s blow, the gu10s are connected into a block with a copper wire sticking out of the insulation tape, there is an earth connect on the outside of the light fitting but not connected to earth wire.
The holes in the ceiling are from where he fitted the light fittings, every second light has about 2-3 holes drilled to next to it

Steve

This doesn't sound right. As was said, lights should not normally be on a RCD protected circuit.

Can you post some pics of what you are talking about?

Mylow

You should have a split board, RCD will serve the sockets. The neutrals should also be correctly allocated in the split board. If a neutral is taken from the lighting circuit onto the neutral split for the sockets it will cause the RCD/ELCB to trip.

The light fitting's maybe double insulated (symbol on fitting is square within square), then they dont need earth connection. The earth cable shold be terminated in choclate block. The switch back box will need earth.

DublinDilbert

foxfordbuild wrote: »

just to clarify, it was the same electrician who came back after I contacted the builder, it is the breaker marked as rcd that trips when the gu10s blow, the gu10s are connected into a block with a copper wire sticking out of the insulation tape, there is an earth connect on the outside of the light fitting but not connected to earth wire.
The holes in the ceiling are from where he fitted the light fittings, every second light has about 2-3 holes drilled to next to it

TBH if the same electrician came back who done that work originally i would not be happy. What was his excuse for not connecting some of the cables back at the fuse board?

If the RCD is tripping, clearly he has made a very silly mistake and i would question if he's even qualified. Anyone can make a mistake i know, but after being called back you'd imagine he would of ensured that everything worked 110% before leaving, how hard is it to test a light?

As a poster above said, get a qualified electrician out to have a look at it, and get his opinion, then decide on how to proceed.

Stoner

the house not being earthed is a big issue.

Andrea B.

I've been shaking my head reading the post.

If I was you, I would be questioning as to whether you need to go the legal route. The cert given to ESB was obviously a paint-by-numbers one and does not reflect integrity of the installation. Any highlighting of issues to them would possibly lead to a disconnection. There are ex-ESB posters here who might clarify this.

A year down the line you could be faced with the results of bad connections, and cable integrity issues which would at their worst lead to a fire risk. Your circuit protection has not been clarified either.

What's your heating system and controls going to throw at you?

Judging by your geographic location, you will more than likely need 2nd opinions from afar.

Has your engineer commented?

fishdog

Andrea B.

+ 1

It sounds like a serious situation. I would not be happy. Get a 2nd electrician to look at it and call an inspector.

Let us know what happens

Good luck

dolittle

lights tripping an rcd would indicate the lighting neutrals in the wrong place
to tell you the truth i`d run this guy and get someone else in, cos how could you trust any of the repairs he will have to carry out
wiring a house is basic work

Bruthal

sounds like a cowboy job for certain. I`d say lighting neutral into wrong neutral bar is too simple a solution, as they said, they able to switch on 3 or 4 lights before RCD went, if neutral mixup then the instant any light on it trip RCD. I have seen cases where nuetral earths connected together in say a socket curcuit would cause enough neutral current to flow from a lighting curcuit neutral bar out on the neutral to meter but a small amount would flow back onto the socket neutral bar to the earth neutral short in socket circuit and so trip rcd. Did lights go off when RCD tripped? if so then the lighting curcuit is probably fully connected through the rcd and the curcuit itself has earth prolems. sounds like needs competent fella`s to go in and almost re do second fix and at same time be examining how it was wired. There are so many cowboys out there its unreal

Bruthal

and i must say i agree, wiring a house is basic for any competent tradesman electrician, hard work but basic electrical stuff to do right

foxfordbuild

Just to follow up, I told the builder that I wanted it sorted or I would be suing and electrician has there at 8am next day, spent 3 hours checking the fuse panel and every switch/socket again. He has split the internal lighting onto 3 breakers and 2 for the external and included a separate tripswitch/breaker for my office, all as requested in the first place.

It has been working fine now for the last two weeks, the builder had given me a bill for extra electrics of € 750 which was a bit optimistic on his part.

Having checked the copy of the plan I had given him against what was actually done there are ten sockets missing plus in the kitchen we had had to move 2 light switches, the cooker switch, and 3 sockets because he ignored the kitchen plans which were nailed to the wall in the kitchen by the builder for him.

Steve

That's a wee bit cheeky...

He's trying to charge you extra for doing what was on the plans and should have been done in the first place???

If it were me, I'd let him sing for it...