I am a retired electrician in the USA and I enjoy your channel. I watch it all the time. your wire size and color codes are totally different from ours. so are your codes and equipment. your breaker amps are too. always wanted to learn all I can about how electricians in England do things
Me too Rich, I don't go for their set-up not big enough and no real room to see wtf is going on. I guess it is better than FPE fkng poor equipment. over here we have box fill capacity and every panel in the US has from what I have seen plenty of room for a nice neat job .
The low amps throw me until I jam it into my brain this is single phase 240V @ 50 Hz. Ring plug circuits are mad until you realize they were a WWII standard to save rationed copper and that each plug is fused. Still, the power available at each plug is crazy - hence the required extensive testing.
@@artisanelectrics I bet it is because they are the types who say it work fine and money save and don't care it is a mess to them it cover I think it kind of sad
It's a bit harsh calling BG rubbish, they have been around donkeys years, and on a whole their stuff is no worse than any other. If you seen the crappy Hager boards I was fitting in the 90's you may think different. Then there's those well known brands that were putting British standard stickers on their boards that failed the hot wire test. Your right about people referring to metal boards as fire rated, a misconception, plus the reg for these boards is about as vague as it gets, but anything will combust given enough heat.
Melt yes combust not necessarily a material will only combust if not fully oxidized already, that's not to say that it won't turn into other energetic forms of matter that create a whole different set of problems if the temperature gets high enough. Just at that point, you are beyond talking in chemistry terms like molecular interactions and are getting into the point all chemical bonds break down completely and you are dealing with a soup of subatomic particles and various ions/nuclei interacting via nuclear physics instead.
@@acelectricalsecurity Combustion has a specific meaning, that is like saying that a nuclear reactor or the sun is undergoing combustion or "burning" they are not though granted if the uncontained core of either came into contact with something combustible in an Oxygen atmosphere they would ignite those materials. But this does not make them "combusting" or "burning" themselves chemistry is an abstraction that doesn't really apply well to matter under these conditions like most abstractions of scientific concepts they are useful models but only within the scope in which they apply in much the same way newtons laws of motion break down at extreme velocities or in deep gravity wells chemistry breaks down at extreme temperatures.
@@seraphina985 to be honest I am not interested, as I said the result is a fire, I don't care about the why's and therefores, I don't know if your an electrician, but if you look in the regs they even say that metal can combust, their words not mine.
@@acelectricalsecurity Yes well the more reactive metals will anyway if they have not already corroded, the exception would of course be metals that simply will not Oxidise in the presence of Oxygen when in their metallic form ie gold etc.
I’m newly qualified. I remember fitting my first board I was so worried and even though I knew it was all good. I still got the guy I used to work for to pop in and check it. He bought me a beer 🍺
Great video once again Jordan, I prefer the 2mm earth sleeve, and the Knipex pliers are ace been using them for about the last six months. With regards to the cable entry I prefer to bring all my cables in through the back, that way there’s no issues of holes in the top, side or bottom to worry about (especially if someone comes along after you and removes a cable through the hole and leaves a gap which would be bigger than 2mm. I mount my boards on 16mm x 25mm trunking stuck to the rear of the board with longer screws holding it back to the wall, I also bring my meter tails in the same way through the back looks really neat
As soon as I saw the installation, "rental property" sprang to mind. I've seen a few bodges in my time, but the worst was when we bought our new home in 1987. The kitchen ceiling light was a metal fitting with 3 spot lamps. When I removed it to fit a fluorescent unit, I found that the connections were held together with sellotape and the metal frame was connected directly to the incoming LIVE cable.
@@Elvis_TheKingLuckily, I have always been very wary of other peoples electrical installations. I have often wondered about the circumstances regarding the rather early death of the previous owner (by "heart attack"), as we had bought the place from his widow.
Ursus Maritimus they are not unsafe it is the installers that are unsafe they are a moderately affordable boards that are fine if installed properly. I have never had a problem with them and had many comments on how neat a job it looks.
I didn’t actually say they are unsafe, it’s just most BG boards I’ve seen have been badly installed which makes them unsafe. I used to fit BG boards a few years ago but don’t touch them now due to quality issues.
Being one of the cheapest boards on the market £60 only kitchen fitters and cowboy sparks recommend them in my eyes, mainly to get the job as the cheapest quote 🤷♂️ didn't realise electricians still fitted dual rcd boards.
That's not a "DIY" disaster... it's a professional kitchen fitter disaster! At least with DIY people usually care about their house and trying to do it right.
Maybe they knocked the handle off that stopcock so they could fit the drain pipe past it. I mean if they were happy to bodge the electrics, why not the rest.
Looking forward to your next video. Totally agree the board needed replacing. If only it had been installed correctly in first place, the landlord would not have to pay twice.
Hi Jordan, Another fine job so far, your videos are coming thick and fast I look forward to seeing them, I like the way you explain in a forensic way and not keep cutting the video almost in real time ,that will help trainees. Keep up the good work.
I attended a callout today. To a Hager board.... To be honest I don't see what all the fuss is about. It was a metal 17th edition dual RCD board. It felt flimsy and the screw terminals were a bit shit when I put the torque screwdriver to them. I will be quoting Crabtree Starbreakers still for now......
in one of my previous houses neighbours were connected from my side through what looked like 16mm braided and pvc tape fixed in places ancient cables and bare 2.5 earh. Over 10 years there, 3 electric meter swaps and one DNO visit nobody cared. So it's quite funny when you talk about quality and word properly with a giggle in your voice...
Lovely. Reminds me of a job a lovely lady I knew asked me to change 2 single sockets too doubles. Turned the circuit off at the board. Noticed she had a new board fitted, thought that's great as the old fuses were well out of date. I'm not a sparks but putting a double socket in is easy. As I tested the live wires they were dead. I decided to stick phase tester on nuteral side, to my shock and horror the nuteral were live. I asked my friend who fitted her board. She said the kitchen fitter had a helper who advised her to upgrade it. I called my mate who is a sparks and we went to to have a look. After much head scratching and lifting a few boards, we found a large nuteral tucked down the back of the board. Whatever happened once he got power the kitchen guy left it and ran. My mate swapped the offending wires all was OK. Needless to say I got a call on Christmas eve to say a flood of water had come out under the sink unit. Our good friend the (electrician) had used silacone to connect all the joints on the waste pipes. That fuse array was something else on your board. 😂💣⚡⚡🔥
This is what I like about your channel, Jordan: when I see the title "bodge", I know you're generally quite a tolerant type of guy, and so a bodge is what I'm actually going to see. Not just a wrong coloured cable or a blown light bulb, preceded with a dramatic clickbait "walked off the job!!!" title, common on certain other electricians' TH-cam channels.
Agree, that installation is dangerous and should be reported. It's a bit much to imply that BG is unsafe though? You're operating as a Hager dealer?Also a 2.5mm spur off a 6mm cable/32a mcb is fine as long as it supplies a single socket. Do you downgrade every 32a ring with a spur to 20a? By doing that you just cause them problems down the road when the change their appliance.
BG as a company do some good gear but I have to say the boards they sell are always pushed down the DIY sheds and IMO are a bit naff quality compared to Hager/Crabtree
@@artisanelectrics "Sorry, I don't fit BG units because the quality is so rubbish ... I don't fit junk ... why cut corners on safety" They'll just get someone else to fit it. Everyone has a budget, not everyone can afford the price difference. No safety difference though.
Regarding the tool...I’ve had some for about 3 weeks now and I purchased them on a whim..late night had a drink and browsing lol,anyway they came and I thought i would not use these to often...how wrong I was...they are my go to tool now and a brilliant multi use tool
Wow it was a lucky dip with those breakers.... Good boards Hagar all ways go for them for Domestic.... Schneider for commercial... nice to see a neat board👍 Great video.
Had a guy try to do his own board change and alterations. Ended up taking several days to sort out why half his lights didn't work and rectifiying other issues. This is why I don't do much domestic and stick to industrial stuff
Thanks very much for highlighting this disaster. Most customers would never know that their electrical work was done by a cowboy builder unfortunately. They have no idea about ccc of cables etc and tbh why would they. It goes on trust like most trades. To them it's a good job done. Time for more regulation in the electrical industry just like gas have to protect people from this stuff. Rant over now😞
bloody hell! what a mess that was! thank god someone who actually knows what they are doing turned up!!! i wonder if the landlady put "brilliant electrician, but very distracted by work to expect the landlady!" on the inventory! 😂😂😂😂
Is there a particular reason the main switch is on the right hand side, is it regulation or is it just where the wire comes into the consumer unit? Ours is on the left (installed 2013)
I started my apprenticeship in May 1981,(3 months shy of my 16th birthday,yes,I'm from opp north and child labour was allowed back then) so I've seen work like this for the past nearly 40 years. Why are people so surprised? Kitchen fitters need 18th edition and part P to do their work and if they stray over into our world the,customer loves the price saving! It's all down to the owners of the household,not down to safety. Show me a home owner who wants to spend £800 on a fully tested and inspected consumer unit when Joe Bloggs the kitchen fitter will chuck one in for £150 plus parts,£80 for a BG 16 way board. job done Sir,quick lets scarper...Rant Over
Curious what you would use if the cables through the back were all to short? It then becomes very congested with connector blocks, so how then do you keep it looking neat and tidy?
You make some very good points here. And that installation was bloody awful, i winced at the door having been cut with an angle grinder. I also admire that you fit a decent quality board, thats not to say BG are rubbish. Its just personal choice. This also reinforces a view that only qualified persons should be able to purchase electrical installation goods from a bonafide electrical wholesaler. And not be able to walk into the likes of these pop up retailers. You can normally get a first impression of a good electrician when you see how he or she buys. This could be price or quality driven.
I charge around £650 for a CU change. This seems to be the going rate. I can't understand how you can fit a Hager board (£133) and 12 RCBOs (£35 each) and get many board changes. Hey nothing wrong with BG boards.. And I think Hager were one of the companies not using fire retardants in their plastic boards, but hey lets pay well over the odds to a company that IMO may have been one of the big corner cutters in the name of profit.
@@PJB71 I normally fit what's available from wholesalers or possibly BG from screwfix. They're all pretty much the same imo and I will normally get the best value board for whatever job requires.
Like you said Jordan people like that must be miserable. I think they just do it so the customer is somewhat satisfied that they don’t have to get in another person to do that job of fitting the electrics But the customers have no idea about the quality of work being done! Also finding that bag of crisps topped it all off 😂😂
@@Kevin-mp5of ... I don't know what local you're out of, if you are, but I beg to differ. The vast majority of JW's I know and have worked with "Here in the States" are exceptional "Tradesmen".
@@Kevin-mp5of ...Maybe you always see sub par work because that's what you're used to. I'll always put my money on an IBEW wireman for quality, professionalism and broad spectrum of skills. I've been in the trades for over 43 years and I'll go toe to toe with anyone.
I’m all for correcting incorrect work such as you’ve found and your right its very satisfying making it right again but what does worry me that there is an increasing number of sparks that are suffering a superiority complex when finding and dealing with it 🤔 if we are going to critique others work a professional approach I suggest needs to be demonstrated, safe isolation, a concise reason why it’s not right for example. Don’t get me wrong I’ve no wish to troll I subscribe and enjoy your channel there well presented and informative. Keep up the good work
You certainly find some bad jobs! Could you please make your audio a bit louder as sometimes your very quiet. Thanks looking forward to seeing the next video
Thanks for a very interesting video! Are push-in distribution blocks not allowed in UK or just not popular? Screw terminals as included in the Hager box are considered outdated here in Germany...
BG is pants, so was that installation you had the pleasure of ripping out. Hager are the best. Good to work with. People treat electricity as a joke and cock up all sorts of bodge ups. The law needs changing, if you haven't got the relevent qualifications, you shouldn't be touching it. I spent loads on my qualifications, now my BS7671 needs updating. Until this is done, i leave well alone.
A comment from the USA: Some year the UK contractors might want to start demanding that utilities get moved to proper locations during a remodel. How on earth can you guys accept a water meter and shutoff valve being located in such an inaccessible location? How can an electric breaker panel be located in a kitchen cabinet where items can be expected to be stacked in front of it? When we remodel and upgrade a utility the location has to change if the existing location doesn't meet code accessibility requirements. That or our code inspectors would fail the job and the corresponding utility wouldn't be allowed to provide service. And if some contractor cut holes like that in my new kitchen cabinets I'd chase them out of my house with a baseball bat.
It's worth remembering there are significant architectural differences between the average US and UK home. A substantial proportion of UK housing stock has solid masonry walls throughout, and many older houses have supply cabling which belongs to the distribution grid, and meters which belong to the energy provider running inside the house. In practice no homeowner is going to willingly pay hundreds if not thousands of pounds extra for the work to chase out new cable routes, install the new consumer unit, have the distribution grid supplier send someone to verify the work which will be on their "side" of the installation and make good the walls... *For no perceived benefit to themselves.*
I bet you none of the cables to those kitchen sockets are in the prescribed safe zones either. I've seen a few rough installs, but even on the very worst install I've never seen someone view circuit protection ratings as optional funny numbers before. Also, it's surely more difficult to wire a CU in a big fat mess like that than it is to do it properly and dress the cables round the edges and behind the rail so you can see what you're f***ing well doing? I quite like the BG boards, my only gripe is that the covers never seem to quite line up with the breakers after fitting.
BG are not that bad,in all honesty I find all of your videos lately just seem to be criticising everything,I know you come across bad workmanship but your recent videos just seem to focus on bad installations,I think videos are better when you are showing day to day installation work and giving advice.
I do agree with what you are saying but I think it is a bit harsh calling BG junk.I have dealt with BG boards and I found them OK.Hager do seem to be favourite at the moment but at a higher price .
Thanks I take your comment on board, its just all these EICRs have exposed a lot of bad work and I share whatever jobs I can! Hopefully more constructive jobs coming up rather than ripping out bad stuff...
im from the states waste of time and money lol just kidding if we where dealing with 240 thru our 2mm cable -we wld hopefully do the same but almost earthing never used like a life jacket but needed
I know you like your hager. Don't blame you it is quality material. Have you tried the wylex consumer unit's with the NHX mini Rcbos? They are so nice to install.
Hi Jordan, Being that the water and gas pipes are both connected to the heating boiler. would this not mean that if you bond the gas, you are also bonding the water? Just a thought. I personaly like you would bond both, but is it really needed?
That's the service head with the main fuse inside. They should have been replaced a long time ago but many houses still have the originals and the very old ones even have fused neutrals which is very dangerous. I lived in a house that still had its original from the 1920s so yes, a hundred years old.
The kitchen fitters do better work than some established electricial companies in Washington state. My new water heater had five major code violations in it, all done by an established and licensed firm.
You mentioned looping in and out the 10mm bond to the water and gas ... are there any rules to follow when doing this as opposed to running two separate 10mm bonds?
Hi please could you clarify are you saying BG are dangerous? When people fit cheap boilers they are still safe if fitted correctly surely that’s the same as consumer units?
Not the product itself but we often find it is badly installed because the type of people who want the cheapest job possible don’t usually care about installing it well. BG when installed well can be ok, it’s certainly not dangerous although we have had a few failures on their breakers in the past.
Blimey it drives me made, I don’t think it’s down to pride, but a lack of training, everyone thinks electrics are easy, I loose a lot of work to builders offering the full package. Until it’s as tight as the gas or house holders learn, it’s going to keep happening
Just about to get my board changed. The kitchen fitter had cut the ring main to add sockets, but used connector blocks to a single cable into socket. One socket had no earth... Doesnt look legit
Installed my first British General board today. Absaloute rubbish! There is no top space so makes it impossible to neatly dress a board when you use the back entry glands. Grommet strip was absaloute rubbish. To top of the poor top space I could only get 7 strand 25mm meter tails so it was a nightmare. What's the going board with decent space to do a proper job. RCBO and RCD split board options for the cheap customers 😀
They do it like that because they just want to earn a bit more money, because kitchenfitters get squeezed like mad by kitchensuppliers, ikea and sort or the clients themselves. Everything has to be cheap cheap cheap. And the warehouses will sell consumerunits and accessories to anyone, so they flip everything together, it works and the client thinks he saved a quid or two and is happy. Then mister nose in the air (sorry but he has an attitude i can´t stand, patronising, condescending google translate tells me) comes and talks these guys down, talking about no pride in their life. Well the ones i know have pride in their life, they just get squeezed so much the pride is in little things at work, mostly outside. WOrk is more bish bash bosh it's a gooden.
Jordan what’s your opinion on through crimping twin and earths In a cu ? I’ve had a couple of jobs where a few of the cables are too short so to neatly terminate them I through crimped them. I don’t see a problem with it, was even thinking of heat shrinking as well if i come across again
You shouldn't really crimp single core conductors. The Ideal Spliceline connectors are suitable for extending lighting and ring final circuits. It's readily accessible so anything circuit rated to 32a should be fine. I've seen plenty of crimped terminals which haven't been done correctly.
8:47 Doesn't the water meter have to be replaced from time to time in UK? I wonder if they are going to rip apart all the kitchen when this has to be done because I can't imagine a plumber crawling in there. Anyway, there wouldn't be enough space for applying any decent wrench or tongue-and-groove-pliars.
@kevin seemed to work for the kitchen fitter so why not.🤣 Rega book is obviously tinder for afire at this point😂(I'm 26 and been self employed a week and this sort of workmanship shocks a small fry like me, gives me hope 😂)
Said it in one ‘cut corners on the electrical installation” unfortunately in typical fashion and going on from your last video it seems by me people are making it a race to the bottom with EICR’s.
I'm not sure I like those 19 strand meter tails. When I was a meter monkey I had to rip out a few British Gas fitted hotshoes and the like which were a bodge to allow a smart gas meter to be installed. They use the 19 strand stuff and yeah, it might be easier to fit, but torquing screws down onto the cable completely mashes it and splays it, meaning if any remedial work (such as ripping the hot shoe out) has to be done, you pretty much have to change the whole tail if you haven't got the length available to re-terminate. Which invariably was the case with BG installs. The mashed up ends of the 19 strand would also wreck the hot shoe, requiring a whole new one to be fitted if you performed any remedial work. Very expensive shortcut sometimes.
Was also waiting to see if you fitted the consumer unit casing tight to the top of the meter. Glad to see some clearance left. Given the reliability of smart meters (specifically the lack thereof) you could cause a client a big headache down the line if you prevent the smart meter being lifted off its hook.
What a shocker seeing such a horrible job. This job couldn’t possibly have been carried out by an electrician, surely not? Who would attempt such work not qualified to do so?
It should be obvious but if they cut Corners with the electrical installation ( and in this case literally cutting the corner of the case off ) imagine what else they've cut Corners with plumbing, gas, heating, framing and or Structure!?
Can you recommend an electrician who covers Sussex? I'll need one soon and I'm afraid I'll end up with the kind of cowboy that fitted that consumer unit!
Quick question, iv been ask to do an consumer unit upgrade, the house is old and has vir cable, would you say it would need a re-wire or would you just change the consumer unit? Thanks
Do you normally have to wait long for the DNO to cut the tags and remove the fuse or is on their advice to be able to do it yourself? Just passed L3 2365 and starting out and just wanted some clarity on timings or methods... keep up the great videos!
Not sure about others and some probably won't give a straight answer as can be a funny subject but personally I cut that bad boy and pull it without second thought. I'm not taking any risks wirkinf live and waiting for dno is simply laughable (in my opinion). But be sensible, re make sure all loads are off, wear gloves and look away (a blowing fuse can send bits flying though ive never seen it). Take the fuse out and refit the carrier while working. Make sure you seal it up after (especially if its low down and reachable). Just use your electrical knowledge and if you don't feel confident, wait until your more experienced. I would be suspicious of any experienced spark saying they haven't pulled a main fuse to be honest.
@@olec8978 Isn't the home owner is meant to get in touch with their supplier to fit an isolator so that you don't have to break the seals and pull the fuse.
Knipex Installation Pliers: amzn.to/3176X7U
Should not be condeming British made products
Constructive criticism is ok
Are BG products made in Britain? The name might be deceiving...
Made in Shropshire we should be promoting British goods
Only if they are good quality in my opinion
@@nigellewis4686 Thats only a distribution centre afaik, everything comes in from China.
I am a retired electrician in the USA and I enjoy your channel. I watch it all the time. your wire size and color codes are totally different from ours. so are your codes and equipment. your breaker amps are too. always wanted to learn all I can about how electricians in England do things
Me too Rich, I don't go for their set-up not big enough and no real room to see wtf is
going on. I guess it is better than FPE fkng poor equipment. over here we have box fill capacity and every panel in the US has from what I have seen plenty of room for a nice neat job .
The low amps throw me until I jam it into my brain this is single phase 240V @ 50 Hz.
Ring plug circuits are mad until you realize they were a WWII standard to save rationed copper and that each plug is fused. Still, the power available at each plug is crazy - hence the required extensive testing.
I’m finding that no one has any pride in their work anymore. Glad to see you put a lot of pride in your work. Well done
Thanks yeah it’s sad but true
@@artisanelectrics I bet it is because they are the types who say it work fine and money save and don't care it is a mess to them it cover I think it kind of sad
It's a bit harsh calling BG rubbish, they have been around donkeys years, and on a whole their stuff is no worse than any other.
If you seen the crappy Hager boards I was fitting in the 90's you may think different. Then there's those well known brands that were putting British standard stickers on their boards that failed the hot wire test.
Your right about people referring to metal boards as fire rated, a misconception, plus the reg for these boards is about as vague as it gets, but anything will combust given enough heat.
Melt yes combust not necessarily a material will only combust if not fully oxidized already, that's not to say that it won't turn into other energetic forms of matter that create a whole different set of problems if the temperature gets high enough. Just at that point, you are beyond talking in chemistry terms like molecular interactions and are getting into the point all chemical bonds break down completely and you are dealing with a soup of subatomic particles and various ions/nuclei interacting via nuclear physics instead.
@@seraphina985 dress it up as you will, chemistry or physics the result is a fire, my point is anything will burn given enough heat.
@@acelectricalsecurity Combustion has a specific meaning, that is like saying that a nuclear reactor or the sun is undergoing combustion or "burning" they are not though granted if the uncontained core of either came into contact with something combustible in an Oxygen atmosphere they would ignite those materials. But this does not make them "combusting" or "burning" themselves chemistry is an abstraction that doesn't really apply well to matter under these conditions like most abstractions of scientific concepts they are useful models but only within the scope in which they apply in much the same way newtons laws of motion break down at extreme velocities or in deep gravity wells chemistry breaks down at extreme temperatures.
@@seraphina985 to be honest I am not interested, as I said the result is a fire, I don't care about the why's and therefores, I don't know if your an electrician, but if you look in the regs they even say that metal can combust, their words not mine.
@@acelectricalsecurity Yes well the more reactive metals will anyway if they have not already corroded, the exception would of course be metals that simply will not Oxidise in the presence of Oxygen when in their metallic form ie gold etc.
BG gear in the right hands isn’t the end of the world and even the best gear in the world can be ruined with that standard of work😂😂
I’m newly qualified. I remember fitting my first board I was so worried and even though I knew it was all good. I still got the guy I used to work for to pop in and check it. He bought me a beer 🍺
Wow must have been lucky dip with the breakers, stick them in a bucket, stir them around, close your eyes and pick out a breaker 😆😆😆
Haha yeah totally!
🤣🤣🤣
Great video once again Jordan, I prefer the 2mm earth sleeve, and the Knipex pliers are ace been using them for about the last six months.
With regards to the cable entry I prefer to bring all my cables in through the back, that way there’s no issues of holes in the top, side or bottom to worry about (especially if someone comes along after you and removes a cable through the hole and leaves a gap which would be bigger than 2mm. I mount my boards on 16mm x 25mm trunking stuck to the rear of the board with longer screws holding it back to the wall, I also bring my meter tails in the same way through the back looks really neat
As soon as I saw the installation, "rental property" sprang to mind. I've seen a few bodges in my time, but the worst was when we bought our new home in 1987.
The kitchen ceiling light was a metal fitting with 3 spot lamps. When I removed it to fit a fluorescent unit, I found that the connections were held together with sellotape and the metal frame was connected directly to the incoming LIVE cable.
Blimey Mervyn. It’s a miracle you weren’t thrown across the room as soon as you touched the outer casing!
@@Elvis_TheKingLuckily, I have always been very wary of other peoples electrical installations.
I have often wondered about the circumstances regarding the rather early death of the previous owner (by "heart attack"), as we had bought the place from his widow.
Can't say I would choose a BG board either, but it's perhaps a bit unfair to say they are unsafe?
Ursus Maritimus they are not unsafe it is the installers that are unsafe they are a moderately affordable boards that are fine if installed properly. I have never had a problem with them and had many comments on how neat a job it looks.
I didn’t actually say they are unsafe, it’s just most BG boards I’ve seen have been badly installed which makes them unsafe. I used to fit BG boards a few years ago but don’t touch them now due to quality issues.
@@artisanelectrics You said they were cutting corners on safety.
Being one of the cheapest boards on the market £60 only kitchen fitters and cowboy sparks recommend them in my eyes, mainly to get the job as the cheapest quote 🤷♂️ didn't realise electricians still fitted dual rcd boards.
@@asef698 why wouldn't you fit dual rcd boards? are you one of the guys out there that populates a whole board in rcbo's?
That's not a "DIY" disaster... it's a professional kitchen fitter disaster! At least with DIY people usually care about their house and trying to do it right.
Maybe they knocked the handle off that stopcock so they could fit the drain pipe past it. I mean if they were happy to bodge the electrics, why not the rest.
Looking forward to your next video. Totally agree the board needed replacing. If only it had been installed correctly in first place, the landlord would not have to pay twice.
Thanks! Yeah you’re right there! 👍
Loving the multipack of McCoys wedged behind the consumer unit! 🤣
Hi Jordan, Another fine job so far, your videos are coming thick and fast I look forward to seeing them, I like the way you explain in a forensic way and not keep cutting the video almost in real time ,that will help trainees. Keep up the good work.
Thanks very much!
Hager are my favourite for CU’s but, if you want value for money, together with adequate quality......I have found CP Fusebox to be great!
Fusebox look quite a swish operation from what I have seen so far.
😂😓🌈🌤🌤🙏🙏🌤🌤🙏🌈🌈🌈🌈
I will zzz 😕🤞👁👁
😅
It’sz
Nice to see your changing bg Chinese box with a European make Hager give such nice uniform test results.
Always great when you don't have to extend any of the cables 👍
Yeah thank goodness
I too am a tool freak and will be getting a pair of the pliers that you showed in this video.
I attended a callout today. To a Hager board.... To be honest I don't see what all the fuss is about. It was a metal 17th edition dual RCD board. It felt flimsy and the screw terminals were a bit shit when I put the torque screwdriver to them. I will be quoting Crabtree Starbreakers still for now......
@Dark Dream It has saved a lot of time lining up busbars etc.... Looks neat, the only real downside is the cost.
in one of my previous houses neighbours were connected from my side through what looked like 16mm braided and pvc tape fixed in places ancient cables and bare 2.5 earh. Over 10 years there, 3 electric meter swaps and one DNO visit nobody cared. So it's quite funny when you talk about quality and word properly with a giggle in your voice...
If only I had a washing machine that drew 40 Amps, I'd get the washing done a LOT faster. lol
Lovely. Reminds me of a job a lovely lady I knew asked me to change 2 single sockets too doubles. Turned the circuit off at the board. Noticed she had a new board fitted, thought that's great as the old fuses were well out of date. I'm not a sparks but putting a double socket in is easy. As I tested the live wires they were dead. I decided to stick phase tester on nuteral side, to my shock and horror the nuteral were live. I asked my friend who fitted her board. She said the kitchen fitter had a helper who advised her to upgrade it. I called my mate who is a sparks and we went to to have a look. After much head scratching and lifting a few boards, we found a large nuteral tucked down the back of the board. Whatever happened once he got power the kitchen guy left it and ran. My mate swapped the offending wires all was OK. Needless to say I got a call on Christmas eve to say a flood of water had come out under the sink unit. Our good friend the (electrician) had used silacone to connect all the joints on the waste pipes. That fuse array was something else on your board. 😂💣⚡⚡🔥
This is what I like about your channel, Jordan: when I see the title "bodge", I know you're generally quite a tolerant type of guy, and so a bodge is what I'm actually going to see. Not just a wrong coloured cable or a blown light bulb, preceded with a dramatic clickbait "walked off the job!!!" title, common on certain other electricians' TH-cam channels.
Haha thanks love it
Agree, that installation is dangerous and should be reported. It's a bit much to imply that BG is unsafe though? You're operating as a Hager dealer?Also a 2.5mm spur off a 6mm cable/32a mcb is fine as long as it supplies a single socket. Do you downgrade every 32a ring with a spur to 20a? By doing that you just cause them problems down the road when the change their appliance.
I’m not saying BG is unsafe at all it’s just I don’t like the quality of BG boards so I refuse to fit them. I have a choice which materials I use.
BG as a company do some good gear but I have to say the boards they sell are always pushed down the DIY sheds and IMO are a bit naff quality compared to Hager/Crabtree
@@artisanelectrics "Sorry, I don't fit BG units because the quality is so rubbish ... I don't fit junk ... why cut corners on safety"
They'll just get someone else to fit it. Everyone has a budget, not everyone can afford the price difference. No safety difference though.
@@sparkymacsparkface7497 this seems interesting but I didnt understand it all, why are hager the reason we fit metal boards now?
Sparky MacSparkface so what does Sparky Macsparkface fit??
The cement on top of the board was to weigh it down and stop it flexing when there is a breeze blowing through
😂
Regarding the tool...I’ve had some for about 3 weeks now and I purchased them on a whim..late night had a drink and browsing lol,anyway they came and I thought i would not use these to often...how wrong I was...they are my go to tool now and a brilliant multi use tool
Wow it was a lucky dip with those breakers.... Good boards Hagar all ways go for them for Domestic.... Schneider for commercial... nice to see a neat board👍 Great video.
Had a guy try to do his own board change and alterations. Ended up taking several days to sort out why half his lights didn't work and rectifiying other issues. This is why I don't do much domestic and stick to industrial stuff
Is this a game of what’s the Biggest and most expensive CU I can fit?
What did you use as grommet strip in the bottom of consumer unit for the cables 🤔
The Hager stuff they supply is quite good, but sometimes I use Edge Trim from Amazon.
Thanks very much for highlighting this disaster. Most customers would never know that their electrical work was done by a cowboy builder unfortunately. They have no idea about ccc of cables etc and tbh why would they. It goes on trust like most trades. To them it's a good job done. Time for more regulation in the electrical industry just like gas have to protect people from this stuff. Rant over now😞
please take a pic of your bumper sticker when you get it "I DON'T FIT JUNK!" love it
Haha that’s awesome I should do that on some T-Shirts 😂
Im a handyman in Glastonbury and I think I'm going to get some that state "I DONT DO ELECTRICS" I leave that to you guys. Great vids.
@craig Woodley thank god the correct thing to do every trade has its skill for a reason 👍
bloody hell! what a mess that was! thank god someone who actually knows what they are doing turned up!!!
i wonder if the landlady put "brilliant electrician, but very distracted by work to expect the landlady!" on the inventory! 😂😂😂😂
Is there a particular reason the main switch is on the right hand side, is it regulation or is it just where the wire comes into the consumer unit? Ours is on the left (installed 2013)
I started my apprenticeship in May 1981,(3 months shy of my 16th birthday,yes,I'm from opp north and child labour was allowed back then) so I've seen work like this for the past nearly 40 years. Why are people so surprised? Kitchen fitters need 18th edition and part P to do their work and if they stray over into our world the,customer loves the price saving! It's all down to the owners of the household,not down to safety. Show me a home owner who wants to spend £800 on a fully tested and inspected consumer unit when Joe Bloggs the kitchen fitter will chuck one in for £150 plus parts,£80 for a BG 16 way board. job done Sir,quick lets scarper...Rant Over
Curious what you would use if the cables through the back were all to short? It then becomes very congested with connector blocks, so how then do you keep it looking neat and tidy?
I’m an Accountant...FFS 16a on lights...what 1-1.5 T&E...hells bells!
You make some very good points here. And that installation was bloody awful, i winced at the door having been cut with an angle grinder. I also admire that you fit a decent quality board, thats not to say BG are rubbish. Its just personal choice. This also reinforces a view that only qualified persons should be able to purchase electrical installation goods from a bonafide electrical wholesaler. And not be able to walk into the likes of these pop up retailers. You can normally get a first impression of a good electrician when you see how he or she buys. This could be price or quality driven.
I charge around £650 for a CU change. This seems to be the going rate. I can't understand how you can fit a Hager board (£133) and 12 RCBOs (£35 each) and get many board changes.
Hey nothing wrong with BG boards.. And I think Hager were one of the companies not using fire retardants in their plastic boards, but hey lets pay well over the odds to a company that IMO may have been one of the big corner cutters in the name of profit.
If your paying £35.00 each for your rcbo's your being robbed
Hi, what boards do you normally fit?
@@PJB71 I like crabtree or Wylex i just think the hager kit is is overpriced
@@steverobinson8170 Im not paying anything for RCBOs, Im going by the link in the bit above for consumer unit world.
@@PJB71 I normally fit what's available from wholesalers or possibly BG from screwfix. They're all pretty much the same imo and I will normally get the best value board for whatever job requires.
Like you said Jordan people like that must be miserable. I think they just do it so the customer is somewhat satisfied that they don’t have to get in another person to do that job of fitting the electrics But the customers have no idea about the quality of work being done!
Also finding that bag of crisps topped it all off 😂😂
👍😁
"Take PRIDE in your work" .. that is the motto of a TRUE electrical journeyman.
@@Kevin-mp5of ... I don't know what local you're out of, if you are, but I beg to differ. The vast majority of JW's I know and have worked with "Here in the States" are exceptional "Tradesmen".
@@Kevin-mp5of ...Maybe you always see sub par work because that's what you're used to. I'll always put my money on an IBEW wireman for quality, professionalism and broad spectrum of skills. I've been in the trades for over 43 years and I'll go toe to toe with anyone.
I’m all for correcting incorrect work such as you’ve found and your right its very satisfying making it right again but what does worry me that there is an increasing number of sparks that are suffering a superiority complex when finding and dealing with it 🤔 if we are going to critique others work a professional approach I suggest needs to be demonstrated, safe isolation, a concise reason why it’s not right for example. Don’t get me wrong I’ve no wish to troll I subscribe and enjoy your channel there well presented and informative. Keep up the good work
Mark Nicholls good comment thanks
You certainly find some bad jobs! Could you please make your audio a bit louder as sometimes your very quiet. Thanks looking forward to seeing the next video
Thanks for a very interesting video! Are push-in distribution blocks not allowed in UK or just not popular? Screw terminals as included in the Hager box are considered outdated here in Germany...
BG is pants, so was that installation you had the pleasure of ripping out. Hager are the best. Good to work with.
People treat electricity as a joke and cock up all sorts of bodge ups. The law needs changing, if you haven't got the relevent qualifications, you shouldn't be touching it. I spent loads on my qualifications, now my BS7671 needs updating. Until this is done, i leave well alone.
I am absolutley fasinated by your videos and i am not even an electrician....!! maybe it's time for a career change......!!!
A comment from the USA: Some year the UK contractors might want to start demanding that utilities get moved to proper locations during a remodel. How on earth can you guys accept a water meter and shutoff valve being located in such an inaccessible location? How can an electric breaker panel be located in a kitchen cabinet where items can be expected to be stacked in front of it? When we remodel and upgrade a utility the location has to change if the existing location doesn't meet code accessibility requirements. That or our code inspectors would fail the job and the corresponding utility wouldn't be allowed to provide service. And if some contractor cut holes like that in my new kitchen cabinets I'd chase them out of my house with a baseball bat.
That’s a great comment and I wholeheartedly agree, it’s just kind of taken for granted here that these things will be in awkward to access places.
It's worth remembering there are significant architectural differences between the average US and UK home.
A substantial proportion of UK housing stock has solid masonry walls throughout, and many older houses have supply cabling which belongs to the distribution grid, and meters which belong to the energy provider running inside the house.
In practice no homeowner is going to willingly pay hundreds if not thousands of pounds extra for the work to chase out new cable routes, install the new consumer unit, have the distribution grid supplier send someone to verify the work which will be on their "side" of the installation and make good the walls... *For no perceived benefit to themselves.*
I bet you none of the cables to those kitchen sockets are in the prescribed safe zones either. I've seen a few rough installs, but even on the very worst install I've never seen someone view circuit protection ratings as optional funny numbers before. Also, it's surely more difficult to wire a CU in a big fat mess like that than it is to do it properly and dress the cables round the edges and behind the rail so you can see what you're f***ing well doing? I quite like the BG boards, my only gripe is that the covers never seem to quite line up with the breakers after fitting.
So the while determining factor of it being jammed to the right and cut to fit…. Was to accommodate that bell and switch box lol wow
BG are not that bad,in all honesty I find all of your videos lately just seem to be criticising everything,I know you come across bad workmanship but your recent videos just seem to focus on bad installations,I think videos are better when you are showing day to day installation work and giving advice.
I do agree with what you are saying but I think it is a bit harsh calling BG junk.I have dealt with BG boards and I found them OK.Hager do seem to be favourite at the moment but at a higher price .
Thanks I take your comment on board, its just all these EICRs have exposed a lot of bad work and I share whatever jobs I can! Hopefully more constructive jobs coming up rather than ripping out bad stuff...
Hi mate, another great video. I am wondering and could be wrong however are you allowed to cut seals on electrical meter and change tails?
At least they put earth sleeving on 🤪🤪🤪🤪
😂😂😂
im from the states waste of time and money lol just kidding if we where dealing with 240 thru our 2mm cable -we wld hopefully do the same but almost earthing never used like a life jacket but needed
The landlady knew you were there doing the board change on that day, so why on earth couldn't she do the inventory when you'd finished? 😐😐😐
Landlady thought it was a 1 hour job, cos the kitchen fitter only took one hour 😂
@@zjzozn LOL
Charge the landlady extra for the interruption
Complex carbs should be the choice Jordan balanced diet is important 😇 great job as always hope young sparkies are watching.
Yes! Thank you!
On wired bells: I'm actually looking to install one! The Nest Hello doorbell - 24/7 video recording too
Yeah they are good I do fit those sometimes
I know you like your hager. Don't blame you it is quality material. Have you tried the wylex consumer unit's with the NHX mini Rcbos? They are so nice to install.
Why is there no protective earth wire in the garage cable? How do metal housings in the garage get earth connection?
That looks like incremental work. I wonder how many iterations before the big rework?
Hi Jordan, Being that the water and gas pipes are both connected to the heating boiler. would this not mean that if you
bond the gas, you are also bonding the water? Just a thought. I personaly like you would bond both, but is it really needed?
I wonder if the guy making this breaker box would have to pay for the burned down house when something goes wrong....
I hope the guy who put that in is watching. Flipping numpty.
Fitting BG or hagar. Why is BG Rubbish? Ore is Jordan just trying to upsell?
What are those big black parts below the consumer unit? They really look being from another hundred years ago.
That's the service head with the main fuse inside. They should have been replaced a long time ago but many houses still have the originals and the very old ones even have fused neutrals which is very dangerous. I lived in a house that still had its original from the 1920s so yes, a hundred years old.
The kitchen fitters do better work than some established electricial companies in Washington state. My new water heater had five major code violations in it, all done by an established and licensed firm.
You mentioned looping in and out the 10mm bond to the water and gas ... are there any rules to follow when doing this as opposed to running two separate 10mm bonds?
The single bond should be continuous. So strip insulation off the first clamp don’t cut and continue to second clamp.
Hi please could you clarify are you saying BG are dangerous? When people fit cheap boilers they are still safe if fitted correctly surely that’s the same as consumer units?
Not the product itself but we often find it is badly installed because the type of people who want the cheapest job possible don’t usually care about installing it well. BG when installed well can be ok, it’s certainly not dangerous although we have had a few failures on their breakers in the past.
Blimey it drives me made, I don’t think it’s down to pride, but a lack of training, everyone thinks electrics are easy, I loose a lot of work to builders offering the full package. Until it’s as tight as the gas or house holders learn, it’s going to keep happening
I can nearly guarantee they phone you the next time mate 👍
Think you will find the breakers come installed when you buy the board,still no excuse to change the breakers that meets regs
Just about to get my board changed. The kitchen fitter had cut the ring main to add sockets, but used connector blocks to a single cable into socket. One socket had no earth... Doesnt look legit
If you don't use your local wholesalers, to buy materials, they will disappear
True, its good to support them if you can.
The Kitchen fitter probably bought a populated BG unit from Screwfix and didn’t think to change the MCBs for correct values
Installed my first British General board today. Absaloute rubbish! There is no top space so makes it impossible to neatly dress a board when you use the back entry glands. Grommet strip was absaloute rubbish. To top of the poor top space I could only get 7 strand 25mm meter tails so it was a nightmare. What's the going board with decent space to do a proper job. RCBO and RCD split board options for the cheap customers 😀
Great video.....😁📽️😎👍👊✌️🍻🏍️🧰
Thanks! 👍
They do jobs like that because they don't know what they doing
They do it like that because they just want to earn a bit more money, because kitchenfitters get squeezed like mad by kitchensuppliers, ikea and sort or the clients themselves. Everything has to be cheap cheap cheap.
And the warehouses will sell consumerunits and accessories to anyone, so they flip everything together, it works and the client thinks he saved a quid or two and is happy.
Then mister nose in the air (sorry but he has an attitude i can´t stand, patronising, condescending google translate tells me) comes and talks these guys down, talking about no pride in their life.
Well the ones i know have pride in their life, they just get squeezed so much the pride is in little things at work, mostly outside. WOrk is more bish bash bosh it's a gooden.
@@bertbergers9171 Who is mister nose in the air?
how would that water meter ever be read ? is that up to code to bury it behind a cupboard like that ?
How could this be possible? Isn't changing consumer unit and refitting MCBs notifiable work?
What do you think of Schneider boards
Nice job and video
Thanks!
Jordan what’s your opinion on through crimping twin and earths In a cu ? I’ve had a couple of jobs where a few of the cables are too short so to neatly terminate them I through crimped them. I don’t see a problem with it, was even thinking of heat shrinking as well if i come across again
Can’t be avoided sometimes. Always heat shrink with the matching colour and it looks much better and gives the joint some additional support
You shouldn't really crimp single core conductors. The Ideal Spliceline connectors are suitable for extending lighting and ring final circuits. It's readily accessible so anything circuit rated to 32a should be fine. I've seen plenty of crimped terminals which haven't been done correctly.
That is seriously worrying! It’s as if they said “Let’s pick a number from a hat at random, and bosh that mcb in regardless of its function!” 😅
8:47 Doesn't the water meter have to be replaced from time to time in UK? I wonder if they are going to rip apart all the kitchen when this has to be done because I can't imagine a plumber crawling in there. Anyway, there wouldn't be enough space for applying any decent wrench or tongue-and-groove-pliars.
Great video again mate
Cjr fitted a bg board it looked really good
@nigel Lewis try and fit the front to them what a nightmare they are perfect until you button them up 😂🤣!!
@kevin seemed to work for the kitchen fitter so why not.🤣 Rega book is obviously tinder for afire at this point😂(I'm 26 and been self employed a week and this sort of workmanship shocks a small fry like me, gives me hope 😂)
@@Kevin-mp5of by the looks of it that is a easy goal😂
Pretty work.
Thanks
Said it in one ‘cut corners on the electrical installation” unfortunately in typical fashion and going on from your last video it seems by me people are making it a race to the bottom with EICR’s.
You should mention the importance of not feeding single cables in separate holes.
Is it BG board in general you do not like or that a lot of DIY/ poor installers use them?
that was a bad one good work turning it around and making it safe - cant agree with you on your favoured board but we all have our favourites
Shit hot job there mate.... Super tidy 😎
Thanks
Thanks Jordan. Nice one.
I'm not sure I like those 19 strand meter tails. When I was a meter monkey I had to rip out a few British Gas fitted hotshoes and the like which were a bodge to allow a smart gas meter to be installed. They use the 19 strand stuff and yeah, it might be easier to fit, but torquing screws down onto the cable completely mashes it and splays it, meaning if any remedial work (such as ripping the hot shoe out) has to be done, you pretty much have to change the whole tail if you haven't got the length available to re-terminate. Which invariably was the case with BG installs. The mashed up ends of the 19 strand would also wreck the hot shoe, requiring a whole new one to be fitted if you performed any remedial work. Very expensive shortcut sometimes.
Was also waiting to see if you fitted the consumer unit casing tight to the top of the meter. Glad to see some clearance left. Given the reliability of smart meters (specifically the lack thereof) you could cause a client a big headache down the line if you prevent the smart meter being lifted off its hook.
What a shocker seeing such a horrible job. This job couldn’t possibly have been carried out by an electrician, surely not? Who would attempt such work not qualified to do so?
It should be obvious but if they cut Corners with the electrical installation ( and in this case literally cutting the corner of the case off ) imagine what else they've cut Corners with plumbing, gas, heating, framing and or Structure!?
Can you recommend an electrician who covers Sussex? I'll need one soon and I'm afraid I'll end up with the kind of cowboy that fitted that consumer unit!
Sorry don’t know any but you may get a reply in here!
At 02:06 you never know, maybe they wired some sockets in 6-10mm2 for that 40amp rating 😂
Moments later, of course they didn’t.
What does a fully loaded hager rcbo board run nowadays out of curiosity? I fit schneider usually but very rarely hear a bad word about hager
Think the "cement" on top of the consumers unit is actually a Hobnob.
😂😂😂
Quick question, iv been ask to do an consumer unit upgrade, the house is old and has vir cable, would you say it would need a re-wire or would you just change the consumer unit?
Thanks
VIR cable has to be removed it is dangerous, property will need a full rewire or at least to remove all the VIR.
Artisan Electrics thanks for your reply, I appreciate it, keep doing what your doing, love it
@@lukekinchlea7996 Thanks so much!
Do you normally have to wait long for the DNO to cut the tags and remove the fuse or is on their advice to be able to do it yourself? Just passed L3 2365 and starting out and just wanted some clarity on timings or methods... keep up the great videos!
Not sure about others and some probably won't give a straight answer as can be a funny subject but personally I cut that bad boy and pull it without second thought. I'm not taking any risks wirkinf live and waiting for dno is simply laughable (in my opinion). But be sensible, re make sure all loads are off, wear gloves and look away (a blowing fuse can send bits flying though ive never seen it). Take the fuse out and refit the carrier while working. Make sure you seal it up after (especially if its low down and reachable). Just use your electrical knowledge and if you don't feel confident, wait until your more experienced. I would be suspicious of any experienced spark saying they haven't pulled a main fuse to be honest.
I agree
@@olec8978 Isn't the home owner is meant to get in touch with their supplier to fit an isolator so that you don't have to break the seals and pull the fuse.
@@Mattunited09 in an ideal world yes, but that just doesn't happen unfortunately
@@Mattunited09 have to remember most home owners dont no anything about electrics and just want a job done with the least hassle