Shoddy Electrics - Time for a Re-wire

28 October 2010

I am finally back at work after a whole week doing pretty much nothing. To be honest I felt like I could go back to work straight away, but Claire wouldn't let me. She said that she knows I would ignore the pain or if the wound got wet, so she wanted to keep an eye on me. Probably a good idea.

So I have been catching up on some of the unfinished jobs from the previous week. This includes the job where I got hurt. The woman who lives in that house was so apologetic. She honestly felt like it was her fault. I had to admit to her that it was my own haste and lack of care which got me into the state I am in. Luckily it has rained since the accident, so all the blood has been washed off her patio....

I have been focusing on some of the easier jobs this week and been getting plenty of help from Katy. We spent two whole days at a house which needed the electrics looking at. Frankly that is an understatement. I couldn't believe that Chris has allowed people to move into this place with the electrics as they were. When I asked him about it he said they had been signed off by another electrician as being just fine.

I couldn't believe that because it was diabolical. We were asked to go there because the electrics keep cutting out each time they used a certain socket. This could be a number of things, most of them pretty simple. But after doing some investigation I realise that the box behind the socket has wires poking out all over the place which, apart from anything else, can be a fire hazard.

This got me worried, so I checked a few more sockets and all of them were poorly installed. The wires weren't trimmed properly leaving overhanging bits which were just shoved into the wall cavity. Shoddy work basically.

After doing all this I had to do checks on everything to make sure the problem was fixed. To be honest I felt bad leaving the house without doing everything, but I identified issues all over the place. The consumer unit needs changing and whole house could do with a rewire. I am amazed this other bloke didn't pick this stuff up.

I have told Chris about these problems and he has assured me it will be done, but how can a landlord justify these sorts of expensive jobs when all they really want to do is make money? They know that their home is insured and until a fault is identified, they rely on the advice of their electricians. If they say it is fine, then they are inclined to just leave it.

Unfortunately my conscience means that Chris will be spending more money than he might have done otherwise. I can't help that.

At home Claire is getting into Christmas mode already. She got the kids into making cards this school holidays, so it has been bedlam in our house. Glitter, crayons and paints everywhere. But it is nice to send out something home-made, rather than the expensive tat you get at the supermarket.

I just can't believe it is coming round so quickly. I had better get out and earn some money!