Builders that do their own wiring!! The worst fault an electrician has to deal with.

Welcome back to another thrilling episode of who wants to be an electrician, in today’s episode we find Chris and James returning to a job where previously they were unable to change a consumer unit due to the amount of faults found. Did they get to change the consumer unit in today’s episode?
Or has Bob been at it again causing their day to go horribly wrong!!
linktr.ee/CJRELECTRICAL
Shoutout to Consumer unit world. Here’s all the links you need and don’t forget CJR10 for 10% discount!!
www.consumerunitworld.co.uk/f...
This video is for entertainment purposes only please dont try to copy or recreate this video in anyway. Do so at your own peril!!!

[@aktelectricalinstallations9186]

Nicely done Chris. I like the way you just get it done fast and with quality too.

[@jamesbradley2397]

Love the bond you two lads have! I had bad experience with my boss before! These videos are really helping me with my Level 3!! Keep them coming boys and keep up the great work!

[@amarcy5369]

In all fairness the sheared neutral was common practice years ago by most electricians, who never dreamt about the advent of RCBO devices. Now you have the electronic switches you can get over the problem without invasive work . Common practice was to put upstairs and down stairs lighting on the same circuit, and of course far from an ideal remedy . You always go the extra mile to achieve the best possible outcome for your self and the client. Best wishes to you both 😃👍👍👍

[@rubbersteve123]

Really interesting, great fusebox consumer unit. I used your CJR10 on my fusebox items, thanks.

[@paulwalker6211]

Just want to say thanks for your videos they have really helped me understand what I am seeming in diagrams in real life. I’m about to start the path to become an electrician as soon as the training is allowed with covid and feel like I’m not starting with no knowledge at all. Thanks again Paul

[@PurityVendetta]

It's really interesting seeing the weird/stupid stuff people do. I wish I could show you the wiring I was faced with when we bought our bargain cottage... long story. I thought I'd better give the general condition of the wiring. I can only day 😱😱😱 The house had storage heaters. I have no idea who wired them in but the only solution was to disconnect the ancient fuse box (I'm not dignifying it with CU) Way underrated t&e washing lined across the oak beams upstairs. Shall we say total nightmare. I notice one of the major issues electricians seen to face is the actual working out what has gone on before. When I do work I always document it with a diagram and take a few pictures. So easy to do and something I learned to do while working on theatre installs as they're seriously complex in comparison with domestic stuff. Oh, and labeling cables, saves hours in the long run.

[@Swa33er]

Loved the Bundy dig in regards to the Hollywood van set up XD

[@Chris_In_Texas]

I am so glad we don't have to do fire stop goop in all the chases here in the USA. With running extra cables all the time to load centers, it would be impossible without getting that stuff out before you could run another cable, but then again our panels are typically flush mount in the walls already, and not surface mounted. 99% of the time the only cables coming in the back of the panel are service entrance cables, then all the circuits are off the sides or top/bottom. Keep up the good work.

[@exile9237]

Blows my mind how feeder wires are just exposed like that in a shed!

[@neil03051957]

I would protect those cables to the board, even a different wiring system could be considered.

[@Brown969]

I'm no expert...but you definitely touched that gas valve 🤣🤣

[@JaysScript]

😂😂😂😂

[@charleyfloyd3317]

We have the same problem in the US with contractors or homeowners doing their own wiring. I usually tell the customer that it would have been cheaper to hire a licensed electrician to do the job in the first place. Calling me to straighten out the mess is slower and more expensive! Have been able electrical instructor for 41 years teaching electricians and the NEC. Am always fascinated by the difference wiring methods and materials used in the two countries. Thanks for your professionalism!

[@jblyon2]

My Dad was an electrician in the US until he retired (licensed for high voltage for the last 15 years or so). If you think what homeowners do is bad you should hear some of the stories he's told about stuff he found in Navy buildings. Some things he worked on he's flat out refused to talk about until the statute of limitations expires because they were so bad. He reluctantly joined the union when they started firing the electricians who refused to violate code or endanger their lives taking shortcuts.

[@ashmanelectricalservices4318]

It's interesting you do your seals on the incoming side of the isolator, I do mine on the outgoing. Once everything's been torqued up, it'll be very obvious if someone's been in there after me.

[@grahamlush7140]

Great work cleaning up that mess! 👍

[@pauledwards9493]

Nice touch with the fire sealant btw.

[@tomstephens6044]

Love the my builder advert after your rant couple of months back

[@mattWallJsy]

Awesome as always and no Copex in sight! 🤙🏼

[@dhlcomputers]

Loved the FT torque settings on the tails ;-) had me in stiches.

[@joehomanick]

Yes and we did a bit of rear entry 😂😂🤣 great work as usual buddy 💯💯👍🔥🔥

[@cuezed]

Tails would've looked neater if entered through the entry on the left side of the consumer unit

[@MrBaldypete1]

I agree. Also there'd be less cable to potentially hit or catch hold of with with something

[@strongerandwiser2023]

@@MrBaldypete1 cant keep everyone happy can ya

[@Elfnetdesigns]

Or inside some conduit

[@petertallowin6406]

I have that Draper Torque driver. To be honest I can't wait to replace it. It was around a tonne when I bought it a while back, the bits fall out and it doesn't always torque. Plus I find that the correct bit for the screw doesn't always fit in the terminal hole. Nice install dude.

[@dashcamandy2242]

In the "time-honored" tradition of KZbin Comment Nitpicking: The tails are an uneven sinusoidal wave.

[@misstakenot9582]

The meter inductance introduces a phase shift. The offset tails compensates for this.

[@farmerdave7965]

The kilograts will not measure correctly.

[@mark_just_mark]

Congratulations on 50k subscribers 👍 You beat both Nick and Jordan to the milestone...🤣🤣🤣 Oh, and another good video too 👌

[@patrickflanagan8008]

So neat and tidy, very nice work.

[@mauricepol]

I love the neatness of your work !! Don't understand half of what you are doing, but that's my problem.. Seems to be so much different then here in Belgium. But great work !

[@ffrhtn2]

stuffing gland for tails relocated to the side , top left of the casing would be a shorter, neater and safer route.

[@haydenuk02]

Great work and thanks for the awesome content stay safe and take care

[@andyhorobin1605]

Like the stand off washers and nuts for cu very neat.

[@godbluffvdgg]

Jezus! As a builder, here in the states...You guys have some interesting wiring setups...Our residential stuff is simple 14 or 12 gauge romex 2 or 3 wire with a ground...That mess looked like the space shuttle wiring!

[@elelectrician]

Living in the us I get amazed of you’re installing methods

[@fd1150]

Thanks for the vid. appreciated as always but tails look unfinished tied together like that I would have used Bundy10. More so in this case with the route taken. I would have drilled and brought them in on the left. Bit more awkward though I get that. Is he putting a switchplate in for the 2-way switch or having it separate? Got the impression he was putting an additional one.

[@amadorgutierrez2600]

sorry for the google translation, first thing :). These facilities in Spain have been completely prohibited for 4 decades, any electrical cable or hose that is less than 2.5 meters from the ground must be protected with shockproof insulation or cuts, with a rigid plastic or metal tube if it is of risk of explosion, All the boxes must have 1 differential with up to a maximum of 5 independent lines, which must be able to cut phase and neutral. In addition to complying with the color regulations in the marking of cables, this being blue for neutral, black / brown / gray phase and yellow / green for earth. It is only a note of information since I find it strange to see that type of connections today :)

[@NBundyElectrical]

Adam bundy 😂😂😂

[@simiiee]

Was Lookin for your comment. Big up nick and Adam. Real men. Big Respect

[@Cjrelectrical]

👊🏼

[@Jaxonmcguinness]

😂😂 knew you would comment nick

[@leehazelwood6471]

Enjoyed the video, nice tidy work👍

[@michielstegeman6803]

Funny to see the differences between countries. Here in Holland we don't have these open meter tails going to the board. all housings (meter, mains switch, board) are connected and wiring is running inside the housings. No visible leads.

[@matthewstevens7486]

With regards to the borrowed neutral, I had exactly the same in my house, when I added an rcd to the upstairs lights, same thing- tripped rcd, feed from downstairs live but landing had upstairs neutral, luckily i had all the necessary cables to swop around, maybe the same builder.

[@frimleyfrodo]

Borrowed neutrals were common practice in the late sixties/early seventies. My own house built in 1968 has it, but as half the downstairs lighting is now on a new circuit and all my fittings are LED, I combined the upstairs and remaining old downstairs lighting into a single 6A RCBO and made it a single circuit.

[@Cjrelectrical]

Terrible design that and a complete bodge.

[@frimleyfrodo]

Yep. Guess it dates from times when 3 core and earth cables weren’t available and neutrals were never taken to switches. Mine will get rewired one day.......

[@MrDamodee]

Loving the vids as always 🤗

[@TheMattSturgeon]

Is the draper torque driver compatible with the Wera interchangable blades?

[@craigywaigy4703]

Highest loads ALWAYS go closest to dps/rcd as it reduces the busbar current carrying capacity(R increases with temp - P=I2R). Good to see firestopping installed.-PS "Regs" REQUIRE maintaining of fire resistance :) - New surface mount wiring that is within areas where collision can occur should be SWA/conduited,....Remember that you touched it last ;) BTW "Regs + Bldg Regs" require two-way switching at top AND bottom of stairflights - Nice work.

[@niczoom]

Work looks great! Good video

[@125sloth]

Loved the video. Thank God for qualified and experienced electricians. I wish I was in UK. The only reason I say that is because where I live, it is illegal, (and so it should be), for any electrical work , apart from changing a light bulb, to be done by unqualified people. It should always be done by an electrician not DIY ers. The funny thing is that in my country, on the rare occasion a house fire is caused by electrical wiring or other work, (as opposed to electrical fault), it is nearly always due to qualified electricians taking short cuts and not doing the job properly. As I said..a RARE occasion, we do not have many house fires due to shoddy work. However even seasoned experienced electricians have said they have seen a lot of work done by DIY people and it cannot be faulted, because they check and check again all is correct and safe. Doesn't mean it is right to do it. But what I am saying is it is such a shame that a small minority of electricians take these unsafe short cuts, yet the work done by a few DIY'ers is more professional, because they do it correctly, and real electricians who never take a short cut, even say so. However it still needs to be illegal for safety and of course insurance reasons. Something many DIY ers forget or do not realise.

[@andrewnuttall333]

You probably live in Australia or New Zealand where its a joke with electricians!! I have just returned from working in both countries for 9 years the electricians dont have a clue! cable goes everywhere no testing of completed work literaly switch on when finished! In both these countries only so called electricians can work on electrics ask them when was the last time they did an insulation test most would say never!

[@andrewnuttall333]

Just found this vid take a look : kzbin.info/www/bejne/eILHfJeng82UabM

[@125sloth]

@@andrewnuttall333 Well sheep also have 6 legs in New Zealand too I have been told.

[@mrgfromoxford8644]

Is that Draper torque screwdriver the one in tool station for £64 . I was just about to buy a new one

[@kingofthetrowel1725]

Nice one Chris and james 👍👍

[@yeroca]

Looks very nice, and good sleuthing figuring out what the builder did. I'm surprised, though, that building code there doesn't require any armor (e.g. metal conduit) on the tails.

[@robwoods7176]

Loving your KT63, is that new? I have KT63 but it doesn’t do the set of RCD tests and display all the results at the end.

[@Cjrelectrical]

Kt63plus

[@strongerandwiser2023]

Neat job mate well done.

[@matelotjim9035]

Here's a question Chris, does the Draper torque driver fit the wera insulation driver bits?

[@MrBugsier5]

FUN TO SEE HOW THE REGULATIONS ARE DIFFERENT BETWEEN DIFFERENT COUNTRY'S..

[@thedroneguy2024]

Your voice has changed. What are you smokin' today lol. Love the videos..

[@Swirlyr3]

Great job lads I watch use and artisan actually ahah found it funny you mentioned them 🤣👌

[@RichardArblaster]

0:37 BUNDY10!!! 😆😆😆

[@phillipgwynne6580]

Beat me to it!

[@leeprice386]

if james said BUNDY10 i would of been laughing

[@RichardArblaster]

@Lee Price Yeah, next video "James is no longer working for me" 😆😆😆

[@Blitterbug]

Mr N Nagy & Adam Bundy. You bad lad Chris.

[@DavidBerquist334]

Neat here in the 🇺🇸 we put neutral and ground on neutral bar and live on the breaker neutral and ground can go on same busbar in a main box and in a sub panel ground and neutral are on separate busbar

[@alistairhinshelwood9234]

Your rcd tester is playing up I have the kewtech and mine stick on the 4.8 reading so I always double check with my other tester

[@robinhoad2129]

Yes, seems damn quick for a Fusebox RCBO

[@curtisj2165]

I personally wouldn't do my meter tails like that, i would have had them coming across the wall in a straight line. Why did you not get smaller washers for the cleats?

[@wheelerqgm]

Two weeks I’ve been waiting

[@DrTune]

Curious that you have to put the socket wiring (at 19:30) in a conduit yet the tails don't require anything?

[@Hexalobular]

I kept wondering what the deal was with all those radios I thought I heard you mentioning. ;-)

[@Hoops-Senior]

Another interesting video, Chris. :)

[@robertsingleton2364]

I like your videos you explain things very well also with a joke 👍🏼 hope you can answer my question one final circuit doing a whole semi detached house. electrician says ok ! after taking of sockets around house changed board IAM now thinking what's your thoughts cheers 😊

[@robertneill3057]

Probably was common to have a single ring when the incoming cables/service was rated at only 63 amps. In 2001/2002 this was upgraded to 100 amps. Would now advise keeping the kitchen/utility room circuit ring seperate from the rest as this is where most high load appliances are located. Have a Readers Digest /AA Diy loose leaf Manual from the late 1960's. Inside it shows a floor plan of a flat in which the kitchen ring is seperate from the rest of the flat.

[@berenscott8999]

Funny story, I was doing a deployment job, installing new computer equipment into an office. At the same time as this, electricians were doing RCD testing or whatever you call it. Which is, they were overloading circuits to see if they would click off safely. The problem was, they were doing this RCD test after we had installed Lenovo AC adapters onto the circuit. For anyone who doesn't know this, Lenovo AC adapters had an internal switch that once triggered, could only be untriggered by unplugging from the circuit, and plugging it back in again. So, imagine this, you have to go around to every desk after the electrician and unplug and replug every single one. It took forever to work this out as well. The RCD didn't just trip the buildings circuit, but tripped every AC adapter plugged in at each desk. For 2 hours our guys were replacing AC adapters, until someone realised to just pull the plug and put it back in.

[@fatpedro5588]

Why a 32A breaker and 4mm cable for the radial socket circuit Chris?

[@seandempsey7351]

Just wondering as to why you changed the CU? There was no signs of damage or overheating, and as long as your test results are within specified values then there was no reason to change the CU , BS7671 health and safety executive’s note . Just because an installation was installed to an earlier edition of BS 7671 does not mean it will not comply with the current edition and electrical safety at work regulations . Read the health and safety executive’s note in BS7671 page 13 I think or it may be page 18 . Nice tidy job though apart from I would have contained the cables in trunking. Great video as always 👍👍👍❤️

[@paulblueoasis5608]

It’s a thumbs up from me !!

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Nice fast RCBOs...milliseconds matter when you're getting zapped !

[@JC-jv5xw]

Bit suspicious that all readings low and exactly the same, possibly some leakage in cooker

[@drsquirrel00]

The outdoor socket is definitely going to end up wired into the back of that double socket.

[@calumcorbett3739]

Hi Chris, i noticed that the voltage was 250V ac while you carried out your RCD testing. That is quite high for a domestic installation.

[@Cjrelectrical]

Yeah must be right next to the transformer.

[@johnburns4017]

Mine is 250v. Tranformers not far away.

[@raajcctv]

Which camera do you use to make your videos?? Great picture.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

landing lights - it sounds like a runway!

[@t147han]

Im a carpenter and joiner for over 40 years.Not just builders.There are plenty of not very good qualified sparks.I asked about doing the electrican exam.They said i have to do a 5 week course at £3000.Because i have to pass the practical.Even though i explained ive been doing the practical for 30 year plus.

[@georgeworkshop]

Is there any links Showing where to wire that double socket straight into the fuse box please

[@normanboyes4983]

Can you use your discount code for a wiska box? It may look better than that Wago box above the CU.😉

[@sethanix3969]

Wow.... gas mains directly besides the main breakers? Who plans things like this?

[@RedEragong]

Greetings from Germany here, why you dont use "aderendhülsen" or insulated ferrules on your all of you screw connections... It damages the cables without it.... Also do you have caped of neutral and ground bars?

[@johnburns4017]

No excuse not to use ferrules these days. The job is so much more neater, safer and professional looking.

[@christopherhulse8385]

As an electrician myself, iam still amazed at the varying voltages on the incoming supply, i've seen as low as 215v out in the sticks, and as high as 255v. My mains voltage at home is around 248v to 253v, no wonder my old incandescent lamps used to blow often in the olden days!

[@leexgx]

Had a old ups that was super not happy around 1-2am in the morning because for some reason it was detecting that the hz was dropping to 1hz when voltage hit 255v

[@iainkay3630]

@@leexgx same thing in new build area. UPS bloody wakes me up overnight at 1-3am either buzzing or complaining it’s flipped over.

[@cannygrowabeard]

12:46, neat board

[@sephirothsoul999]

Sir, sir, it's CJR10!

[@phillipgwynne6580]

I’m in KZbin heaven tonight, and it’s a good job I’m off work tomorrow. Another big KZbin spark has come out of hiding - DSS Dan, and (don’t know if you watch his content?) he showing his house renovation and it got me thinking about electricians and building work. Out of all the major KZbin sparks I would say you and Dan are probably the best with mechanical/construction extras that maybe needed. Nick Bundy if he can get over Kopex probably not far behind. Dave Savery (and in my defence has said he’s not too keen in there being more mechanical work involved these days), him and Nigel chasing and comparing each other’s work was quite amusing to watch (in all seriousness they’re definitely aren’t Bodjit n Scarper, but not plasterers!). These quinetic switches seem life savers for the client and yourselves.

[@JimWhitaker]

I like the spacers. I've never seen any logical reason for ranking breakers by capacity from the isolator.

[@johnburns4017]

There is no logical reason, as the thick copper bus bar ensure all is safe, with any heat distributed properly.

[@kevonslims7269]

Why in the UK do you guys run exposed high voltage wires, here in the states unless it’s in the attic it has to be in a conduit if the homeowner can touch it, even if it’s a #14 light switch wire.

[@deanfrankwalton]

Make me laugh you do Nice one matey !

[@kevinhart1167]

How do you know when the surge protection has activated?Has the client got to visually check the board every day?

[@Cjrelectrical]

Yeah once every hour

[@georgeworkshop]

The double socket you put underneath the fuse box where does that wire into as that’s what I want to do in my garage is it something a DIY person can do

[@ksyprr]

What is the testing for. Is it just to map where each set of wires go? Also is all the power for the boxes on a single leg or are there two power legs this each one being 120 or one being 220 and the other is a neutral. I'm from North America and was just wondering. BTW love watching your videos

[@mikep-j894]

UK wiring is not like the US - most houses have a single phase (L) (you say hot leg ) and a neutral (N), up to 100A. Also unlike the US the earth (ground) is not connected to neutral on the customer side, only the supplier can do that Larger buildings have 3 phases, each 230v to neutral and 400V between phases. The testing is to ensure that we do not energise if the earthing (grounding) is incomplete, or if the insulation between L and E or N and E is less than typically 1meg ohm. The other tests are how fast the RCDs (you call them GFCI) operate in a simulated fault. Mike

[@filipsworks]

Builders like builders... imagine that electric company while upgrading energy meters - connected everything such way that PE cables went live. Still got picture of glowing probe.

[@david29262]

I can see both sides where to place loads. Closer means less distance. But further away would allow heat dissipation. I'm not a sparky but can any pro answer

[@electrickal1]

We sparkies here in NI seem to follow the BS7671 regulations more than you guys in England. For a start we never drop cables down a cavity or plaster cables straight into masonry, according to BS7671 a circuit should be rewireable so conduit is the obvious choice. Also neutrals being taken from other circuits is taboo, a neutral should neither a borrower nor a lender be!! Those meter tails should be kept as short as possible and supported throughout their entire length, so exiting via the LHS of the consumer unit enclosure would have made for a tidier job. And it's hard to tell on a video but tails should be PVC/PVC which in sure they are, but they just look to be single insulation. Also you dropped a feed and switch wire from the landing light to the landing switch, then you marked the blue core with brown tape, this is also a deviation from the BS, it should have been a twin brown. Correct selection of conductors is important to prevent incorrect connection, for example if someone were to intercept that cable mid length for what ever reason.

[@ruskythegreat]

Anyone else waiting for James to say Bundy10 was the discount code? :D

[@wino99999]

And what would you have done before the advent of kinetic light switch's..... Would you have sleeved the earth wire and used it as a Neutral, whilst deriving the earth from the upstairs lighting..... Or would you have tried to get a 4 Wire cable in between the 2 light switches??

[@Cjrelectrical]

Neutral? Yes id of installed a new 3core and earth.

[@MrNorthj]

I don't know whether its mandatory with regs but does a neutral magnetic field cause a heat build up in a metal enclosure so it needs a live to counter the field

[@Cjrelectrical]

Yep

[@Blackf1ngers]

4x top, 2x sides and bottom! You shouldn't get a finger up the bottom. Unless you want to.

[@TimGauntlett]

4:05 - if you take the tails out of the supply, what are you proving? 😆

[@stephenkaczmar]

Your services are so different from the way we do it in the US it blows my mind. I would get red tagged for leaving all those individual conductors exposed, and for stapling those cables on the brick. Not to mention being confused looking at the black and red wires and them not be low voltage DC lol. But that's why I like watching, its interesting.

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Why do people always put the main switch on the right nowadays? Left-to-right would seem to make more sense, e.g. inputs on schematics are always on the left.

[@Camberwell86]

Might be to do with the fact 90% of the world is right handed and that's the one you need to hit in an emergency? A plumber told me that's why the cold tap goes on the right, because that's the one you turn on in the dark at 3 in the morning.

[@supersparks9466]

People? You mean the manufacturers

[@edc1569]

Yeah I don't get it, my Starbreaker is left to right perhaps down to typical arrangements of electricity meter and supply?

[@chrisclarke1074]

I’m a sparks in France. Board layouts are left to right, definitely more logical.

[@jordruss8621]

@@Camberwell86 im right handed and instinctively go for the left always...

[@myproject3119]

Hi. Just wondering what's the quickest way to become a qualified electrician. I am a landlord and been doing electrical work in my properties for 10yrs plus including rewiring. Now I wish to become qualified mainly so that I can issue other landlords with electrical test certificates. Can you please guide me through the process. Much appreciated

[@marcusstonham]

4 year apprenticeship and onsite experience is only way to be a proper qualified electrician. Then you need to spend money on the correct tools, £500-£1300 for a MFT. You must have indemnity insurance for EICRs and ideally registered with a competent person scheme provider.

[@iainathairydog]

Part P certification involves a short course. You (unfortunately) don't need to do an apprenticeship.

[@manjeetsingh-ec3ki]

James please show next time how you knock out CCU holes thanks

[@MurranButstansager]

Do your knockouts before mounting CCU, use old screwdriver and a hammer, don't rest CCU on concrete floor while doing it or you will scratch it.

[@chris1roll]

Could you have unclipped the shower cable then reclipped it to go into the right hand hole in the CU?

[@alhughes9698]

It really doesn't matter where any MCB goes in a single phase DB. Only thing that causes issues is loose connections.

[@joshuaralph2886]

IP4X on top of an enclosure

[@alsanova]

18:14 - Rude! I've messaged Nick and Adam what you've just said 😂😀👍

[@jacquesb5248]

i know a lot about being electrician, i may not be certified but know enough but some people think it's so easy until something goes wrong cause they didn't follow proper way of doing things.things that need to certified need to be done a certified professional!

[@astonite3488]

So many Electrical Contractors have unskilled Labour