Fusebox access disaster

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120477417#Comment_120477417

I think you need to be very careful here, you don't own the house, nor do you seem to have any power of attorney over it

You're looking after the house as a favour, which is cool, but if anything happens to it while you're getting work done then you'll be held liable

I would strongly suggest getting in touch with the owner, making the situation clear to them and explain what is needed

They can either organise the rewiring works themselves or you can act as their agent.

I'm not sure if a simple email granting you permission to go ahead will suffice here, you'll be signing them up to some very expensive renovations which they will presumably be paying for

If you're footing the bill and expecting repayment then you'll again need it in writing exactly how much you'll be paying and get them to agree to pay you back (including a date by which you expect to be paid)

I'd be tempted to talk to a solicitor about this in case you need to draw up some formal contract or power of attorney or something

I know this might sound extreme considering the owner is your friend, however nothing sours a friendship better than unpaid debts or spending someone's money.

I would be sorting this out before doing any work on the house so that you preserve your friendship rather than ruin it

phormium

You're lucky no one has been living in it with the way the cost of electricty has gone as otherwise it would be estimated bills back to when meter last read, a friend of mine today got a bill for 1k and they are in some shock as their bills back in normal times were around 100 quid every two months, tiny house/single person. But this one was a reading as some work was done to meter so chances are it wasn't read for past year at least in his case.

awec

Something makes no sense here.

Presumably someone lived in this house at some point, and while they lived there this wall was built.

At some point that person was no longer occupying the house. So there are only 2 outcomes:

1. They closed their electricity account, and to do this you need to provide a real reading. How did they do this if the meter is buried in the wall?
2. Their electricity account was never closed, and someone has been paying estimated electricity bills for an unoccupied house. The estimated bills are going to be based on the previous usage from when someone did live there, so they are not going to be insigificant.

Are you 100% sure the meter and fusebox are in that wall?

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478323#Comment_120478323

The bills are still begin paid by the owner, I assume that includes electricity, I don't know for sure because it's not my business to ask.

The fusebox and meter are sealed in the wall.

dublincc2

Would any electrician be able to do anything to sort this problem out?

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478504#Comment_120478504

They aren't going to want to bother. Its too much of a mess. Maybe if you paid them enough they'd do it but really why would they bother with all the hassle. Try by all means but you are going to need to be upfront with them and be lucky enough to find one that doesn't mind doing some building work along with the electrical stuff or at least an electrician who knows someone who'd be up for knocking the wall.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120477477#Comment_120477477

Jaysus, I wouldn't be touching too much in there! Have you got good life insurance :)

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478633#Comment_120478633

Yeah I agree, best solution for that house is to burn it down IMO

Sounds like it's pretty far along with that plan already

MarkR

Wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot insulated pole.

dublincc2

Is there any logical reason as to why the fusebox and meter would have been sealed up like this? Was this something that was done in the old days of house extensions etc? Like I say I'm a complete novice on these matters. I'm also concerned about using a hammer as I believe the wall is part of the support structure.

I'm basically out of options with an electrician it seems.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478844#Comment_120478844

There could not be a logical reason. It isn't something that was done in the old days - in the old days you'd need access to change fuses and read the meter; just like you would need access to flip breakers and, well, read the meters still now.

Anyone who would brick it up is, basically, insane.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478844#Comment_120478844

Try a few electricians just don't expect the first one to jump at the job.

phormium

Absolutely no logic to it, was that particular wall that enclosed it built when the extension was finished as I presume the extension is wired and that couldn't have been done if the fuseboard had already been entombed when building.

I know you're adamant it's in there but it's just so hard to understand why anyone would do that! Not to mention the mess the electricity account must be in, my father used to get letters if there hadn't been an actual meter reading or one submitted within certain length of time. Does the house get post? Has anything like that been received that you recall or if all bill correspondence is going to the owner abroad they surely must have got something if all bills are estimated. Nothing about this makes sense!

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478844#Comment_120478844

No. There are no good reasons to do this. This is one of the weirdest things I've ever read on this forum. Imagine welding your car bonnet shut. Putting a lock on your house that can only be opened from the inside.

This is one of those things that's so insane that even though you've told us you're absolutely certain it's in there we're still not convinced it's true. I genuinely cannot understand how someone with the skills to build a brick wall thought hiding the fusebox was ok. It makes absolutely no sense.

Electricians don't carry sledgehammers or concrete saws as part of their kit cause they don't expect to have to perform some literal demolition to access a fuse box, none of them are going to be interested in fixing this.

Think about this for a second. If you wanted to change a light fitting in this gaff you'd have to literally demolish a wall to cut the power.

The owner has been paying estimated bills for an unoccupied house all these years, clearly money is no object, I'd make it their problem and not yours cause this is going to be a mess.

Esel

Drill a few holes and see if you can detect the smell of death.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120477477#Comment_120477477

Just saw this post.

Sparks from the shower. Burning smell. Smoke from ceiling.

If I were you OP I'd never step foot in this house again.

elperello

Just contact the owner tell them the story and let them deal with it.

dublincc2

The extension was completed and wired up and then they built the wall and put the slabs over the attic. It seems that for some reason they wanted to completely deal off the meter and fuse board.

I am thinking that I should probably step back from this but the owner trusted me with taking care of the house, I think they want to rent it out down the line which is why the rewiring is a priority.

Flinty997

Its doesn't make sense that you are ok with rewiring the house but not finding the fuse box.

phormium

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479798#Comment_120479798

But OP does want to find fusebox, wants electrician that will do it or wants to take sledgehammer to wall!

It's the rest of us that just cannot comprehend that it's actually in there!

iwillhtfu

How has the thread gotten this far without any pictures. Hard to make sense of what you're describing OP but seems odd that it would happen deliberately or be an over sight.

Is it possible this is an old obsolete meter/DB?

When the extension was being done perhaps there were plans in place to rewire and move the meter location that never materialised, so the builder just finished the wall to get paid.

Unless you're willing to take a hammer and chisel to the wall yourself you're not going to find out much more info here.

Post a picture out of curiosity.

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479973#Comment_120479973

I used to work in construction. It's not unusual to see buried fuse boxes, manhole covers etc. When I bought own new build house, they had concreted over a man hole in the side passage we needed to access to sort out an issue. Have seen fuse boards walled off and even server rooms with access walked off.

My issue is how does he have permission to rewire the whole house (a much bigger job). But not make a small hole to find the fuse board. That's what makes no sense.

phormium

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480063#Comment_120480063

Manholes I can easily believe, I have one under the paving slabs of a porch! Fortunately seldom I have to access it as one either side as well but it's the main bathroom one and grandchildren with a liking for using a whole roll of toilet paper meant that once again I had to pick out the cement between slabs and lift 2 to get minimal access of about 6" gap, could really do with taking up 4 but that's an awful mess!

I could understand boxing in a fuseboard in some manner but not building a full block wall in front of it! Hard to make a small hole too in a block wall compared to cutting out a bit of plasterboard to figure out where it might be. Even the loss of space in the room by building another internal block wall outside the fuseboard is just odd! I'd drill a hole and stick in a flexible camera, I have one I got online for very little and it connects to phone app and shows pic there, handy yoke.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120479779#Comment_120479779

Again, I commend your dedication to looking after the house but this goes way beyond anything they asked you before

Have you spoken to the owner yet? You need to be working in close collaboration with them on this, it isn't your house and you don't have any power to make decisions for it

Frankly the whole house sounds like it needs renovation and it will cost a lot of money, who's planning to pay for it?

Flinty997

I think as soon as it had serious electrical problems it becomes a safety/fire issue. The OP should refuse any responsibility for it.

How big are the slabs in the attic. Can one be lifted.

How long since the extension was built.

Cerco

This whole saga is not credible. Probably a safe behind the wall without a key.😋

Girl Geraldine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120477417#Comment_120477417

Did they specifically ask you to manage the rewiring of the house, or to get any electrical work done?

If not, and they just asked you to take care of it, then in my opinion you shouldn't be doing anything material to the house, just keeping the weeds down, and making sure it is kept secure and doesn't flood or burn down. Being asked to take care of a house and then going on a solo run to burst holes in walls and rewire the house seems like a massive overstepping of your brief if you were just told to take care of it, without specific instructions to do any more than that.

You can't just decide to re-wire someone elses house on your own. You need to discuss this with them. And most importantly, who is going to pay for the re-wiring job, and all the ancillary work like making good of breakouts and plaster? You can't just assume they will pay for work. Nor should you be paying for work to someone elses house.

If you have a sincere belief that the house is electrically dangerous, then call an electrician to assess it and inform the owners and get their wishes on it. If it is dangerous and no way to switch off in the house then the electrician can call ESB Networks to disconnect the supply from the pole/minipillar to make the situation safe. This is what you should be doing, not going on solo-runs that the owners are nonethewiser too.

Girl Geraldine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120478500#Comment_120478500

Not your business to ask about the account, but it is somehow your business to make moves on your own to re-wire the house at a cost of many thousands?

If I was the owner, I would not be impressed to be getting a re-wiring bill of maybe € 10k after asking a fella to cut the lawn and turn the heating on once a week.

What are these "slabs" in the attic? Insulation slabs, concrete floor slabs, plasterslabs, or cavity closer blocks?

Why are you balking at the idea of getting a holesaw and borescope, but you seem very keen to take on the more dramatic and less logical approach of taking a sledgehammer to the wall. Doing that with a sledge would make absolute shít of the place, you could blow plaster off large areas of the the wall from the insane vibrations, crack ceilings, etc.

If all is as you say, then this is primarily a job for a small builder to take on, they can do the opening up work, at the direction of the electrician. Electrician will do their work, then the builder comes back to do whatever re-reinstatement and making good.

The fact that it makes absolutely no logical sense to entomb a fusebox behind a concrete wall. As someone says, it is the equivalent of welding the bonnet of the car shut. Added to that, it would have been physically impossible to fit out and commission the electrics in the extention without being electrocuted because the fully energised fuse box would already have been entombed behind the wall at that stage.

There is a lot of stuff not adding up here. I am starting to have my doubts about the legitimacy of this story. At this point I am actually thinking "pics or gfto". Substantiate the story because it is not credible at the moment.

Alun

I agree 100% with the above two posts. A lot of things just don't add up, and I'm becoming more convinced it's a wind-up of some sort, although I fail to see what the purpose of it is.