"They've Used Blu Tack To Hold This Up!!" | This Must Be DIY

[@raychambers3646]

What's the big idea this was one of my better installs !

[@j0nA82]

That silicone next to the meter cabinet says it all about the calibre of tradespeople they've had working on that place.

[@ef7480]

Glad someone else picked up on that...

[@Cablesmith]

I don’t think I’d be fully satisfied with that place until it was fully rewired, it’s the joints and stuff you can’t see or access you’ll never be able to fix without it

[@Menace2thesociety]

Ive recently purchased a property built in 1858 and the electrics are screwed😓 pockets are guna be hurting i can feel it

[@JayTheSparky]

Totally agree! If that’s the state of what you can see…imagine what lies beneath! As Delroy says it’s odd to see this from new, don’t understand the spurring issues & the poor board install. I just suppose there are rough installers now and there always has been a few! Another great video mate, house of horrors that one!

[@EdgyNumber1]

Mate, 60s, 70s, 80s, no one gave a shìt about these estates. They just got thrown up and forgotten. Build it quick and get outta there. My friends mum was on placement in the town planning department in Birmingham years ago and things had gotten so bad, the police raided the place because of the huge levels of corruption in that time. Poorly built blocks, bodge wiring, backhanders you name it, it was all going on.. and then the tenants got left to deal with it. This sort of stuff doesn't surprise me.

[@edc1569]

It’s no slower to do it properly? You just have to hire competent people

[@normanboyes4983]

You are a star Delroy with the patience of a saint. I am not a domestic electrician but I would have left the site within 5 minutes after discovering this POS. I would have told the customer that it was a POS and needed a complete rewire. I certainly would not have been driving an 8 miles fools errand for a replacement lamp. I love how courteous and cheerful you are no matter what.

[@memejest]

Would love this bloke to read me bedtime stories

[@adierob1]

Back in the 70's single sockets and back boxes were fitted as they were cheaper than doubles, lights were fitted over windows instead of the middle of the room so a silhouette wouldn't be over someone getting undressed and when the job was finished a completion certificate was given to the local electricity board who sent someone out to inspect it.

[@simonabbott7323]

Single sockets were commonly used because there just was not the demand there is now. There were far fewer electrical appliances in the 70's and even less in houses built before that. I attended a 1950's LA build where there were only 3 single sockets in the whole house. One in the kitchen, one in the lounge and one in the biggest bedroom.

[@HA05GER]

im in a 60s council house lights are all in middle but yes single sockets everywhere. ive changed most of them. my dads house has the lights over the windows but is a 40s ex council house.

[@taftmh]

c1 would be anything that’s immediately dangerous; ie exposed live parts That class 1 light switch with no cpc is a c2 for sure. There’s no immediate danger but there’s potential for it to become a live part

[@davidpatterson1574]

Delroy, your level of patience has gone to a higher level--

[@Randrew18]

Your laugh is so contagious I love it! 👌

[@davidjohnrobinson2887]

I rewired my first old house from buying a series of mags called "the nack" it was spot on. Who ever wired that place up never had "the nack.

[@davidjohnrobinson2887]

@PETER WILSON Hi Peter. You just reminded me i can"t spell. HA. (K)nack. Ye them mags were tidy, you became a jack of all trades pretty quickly. I went on to put my own central heating in also. Problem was, affording the tools to keep up with this mass of knowledge and get stuck into jobs. Ta.

[@AAW-Electrics]

14:07 - My house is a 1970s house and has the same baffling situation - The upstairs is the only ring final circuit and every plug downstairs, including the kitchen, (all originally singles too btw) are just spurs off that ring final! - Crazy! And also means that you cannot add any extra sockets downstairs without using FCUs everywhere...

[@chrisardern4594]

Council job sent out to tender in the days of the big brown envelopes. The first blue tac drop had CPSC what happened to it? Looks like the landlords drinking chum has had a dabble.

[@JayTheSparky]

Totally agree with this! Seen enough of these to know it was the case!

[@serverstatuscouk]

what the hell happened to the left of the meter cabinet? Looks like someone tried to ice a cake....badly.

[@garydavies6394]

Love this Del 🤣🤣 would love to spend the day with you 👌

[@ianlove3]

Hope when I need an election he or she is as good as you are. Thank you for sharing.

[@Chris-vc6bn]

Love your videos your are proper old school nice to see 👍👍👍👍

[@chrisclose7793]

I think a fuse board upgrade is needed, great video delroy keep up the great work you do it makes me laugh people think they can do electrics and get it wrong and top quality electricians like you delroy have to put it all right

[@looking9175]

Great video Delroy, thanks for sharing it with us.

[@steverobinson8170]

You get this all the time, i came accross a ring main in choc blocks , 3 small tails off the block to the socket then sockets spured off the sockets and 'radials' taken off the spurs . 8 cables all rammed into the back of the box cpc either clipped off or used to carry power apparently installed by his mate who was a sparks , all this in a shop . I was installing the counter system only. I just took pictures as electrics were not down to me and forwarded them to the local DNO . If that lot went up it would have taken out not only the shop but all the accomadation above

[@steve64464]

Should used white blue tack , it has better thermal dissipation or something :-) , it looks like he silicone rubber the lamp fitting up because it was too big for the screw threads.

[@LakesGeek]

"That's why I couldn't screw this up!" The homeowners sure did...

[@raynulife3569]

Hi you wanted to know was there am ELECTRICAL inspection in the old DAYS , the old Wylex consumer units should have been fitted with a paxalin back. What was the inspection for a new installation usually the inspector for the local Electric Board would meet you when connecting mains tails. WHAT WAS THE TEST just put a meagre that you hade to wide the handle to generate 500V on the tails if the reading was high enough it got connected. NO inspection of any wiring.

[@davidexley7858]

Your a real gent Delroy !

[@alanjones3873]

Nothing surprises me about estate developments. My house is 1970s, spurs all over. Several times I tried to add spur and found three multicore in already. You cant get three multicore in a modern socket! NB original fuseboard (wired) was 3 fuses. Cooker, All lights down and upstairs, All sockets down and upstairs on ring. Lighting cable is all red /black or red with green marker,figure of eight or singles.Only additions and changes are sheathed. I have now had a ten way 18th board fitted with additional separates for oven, hob, fridge freezer, kitchen sockets, garage etc. A few more sockets and all now double but load on ring is very low as modern devices dont use much (LED lamps etc) except for one 2kW fire rarely used. Rewiring slowly as I decorate.

[@den196114]

Man talk about shoddy workmanship, a defo candidate for a rewire

[@gbwildlifeuk8269]

1:40 im not an electrician but where there is no earth, there is a red cable, (in addition to the live) with green tape on it. Doesnt the tape mark the red cable to indicate its been used as an earth?

[@richardbowers3981]

Best thing to watch on a Sunday

[@soapflakes]

Great video, thanks Delroy

[@Nigel1969]

Great video Del ... would c2 the metal switch or change to plastic on the spot if client permitted.... know its an inspection and your there to inspect but great informative videos as always :)

[@tomaszj3285]

I picked up some lady was speaking polish in the background. I am polish myself so I know it was my country's language. I could hear only few words though. You are doing great work, I have been watching this channel for some time now . 👍👍👍

[@feelfitterdotcom]

What a state .. a true house or horrors.

[@newlinerealboi3434]

Who the hell did the filling around the pipes next to the meter box? Stevie wonder?

[@adventtrooper]

At a guess, it's a cheap refurb for a buy-to-let client; all-in for one low low price and maximum profit.

[@adamsmithelec]

Good that you rectify the little 30 second jobs whilst you are there. I got sent an EICR which had only 1 c2 on it. 6mm cable inadequately protected by a 40 amp MCB. They were going to charge the client £75 to come back and rectify so got in touch with me to see how much I would charge. Looked at the photographs with the EICR and could see that there was a spare 32 amp MCB right next to the 40 amp!

[@ef7480]

You mean a 4mm? (max 37A).

[@adamsmithelec]

@@ef7480 if you incorrectly assume it’s clipped direct then yes… otherwise, no.

[@joaoserra3839]

In Portugal we never have earth on any lighting stuff that i'm aware of, only for outlets (and many houses not even for outlets), but we also don't have metal boxes for anything so that might be why, always found it peculiar however

[@morleywhite911]

Some comedy gold wiring here del

[@Elvis_TheKing]

Blimey. This gaff will be featuring on next week’s episode of “nightmare tenants, slum landlords”! 😨

[@colgsterr]

What is the cti of blue tack? (Asking for a friend)

[@Matt-vj2rp]

Could the lamp filament have been damaged when doing the IR test ?

[@johngoard8272]

What a shambles Delroy as you said who in their right mind would inspect and pass the job off as ok is obviously not doing the job they are supposed to be doing or do not have the qualifications to do an inspection of new builds or any builds for that matter ?? Corrupt practices??

[@Mountain-Man-3000]

That is some serious "artwork" beside the panel outside!!

[@lebogangshai9346]

By far one of my favourite episodes lol 😂 oh my goodness 😂

[@kiele21]

Love the channel! I'm an interior design student in Hawaii, trying to figure out the American equivalent terminology. So far, I figured what you call a ring, we would call a circuit. That's all I managed so far..

[@spencerwilton5831]

Not really. A ring is a wiring method almost exclusively found in the U.K. That utilises a continuous loop of cable feeding multiple sockets and connected to the consumer unit (breaker box) at each end.

[@kiele21]

@@spencerwilton5831 I sort of had that impression. U.S. wiring is more daisy chained together. I must admit, I'm impressed with all the special safety features. U.S. standards have virtually no safety features at all, unless you count GFI plugs.

[@Marcel_Germann]

There are two methods to build a circuit. Mostly used in the world are radiant circuits. One cable from the panel to the room, from there to the outlets and eventually also feeding the lighting in there. There you have an end on the circuit, where nothing else is connected to. Can be a the last outlet of that circuit. In the UK outlet circuits are usually ring shaped, meaning from the last outlet of the circuit a cable goes back to the panel and is hooked up there. Reason for this is, the circuits are fused with 30 or 32A, but the conductor size used is only 2.5mm² (cross-sectional area of the conductor) and so is rated to fuse it with max. 20 or 25A (depending on the reference method of installation, it's about heat dissipation on that one). That would mean the cable is overloaded, but due to the ring shape of the circuit the load splits and there's no chance of overloading the cable. That system was invented due to a copper shortage to spare copper and still be able to provide enough power. But there's the additional risk that the ring opens up, and then an overload could happen. That's what is getting tested with the so called "ring continuity". In the panel you got two lines (or hots as Americans call them), two neutrals and two CPC (circuit protective conductor or ground) for a ring circuit. For a radiant circuit it's only one line, neutral and CPC. In America they only use radiant circuits and no rings. But I'm not an expert on British electrics, since I'm from Germany and we don't use these ring final circuits here. So if any British electrician sees a mistake in my words just correct me.

[@kiele21]

@@Marcel_Germann this is so interesting! Thank you for explaining that to me. I shall have to research this further.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@Marcel_Germann As far as I can tell, that's correct, although I still doubt the actual copper savings. If you're from the US, imagine a ring final circuit like this: your panel has a 30 amp breaker in it. One 14-2 NM cable goes from that 30 amp to the first outlet, from there to the second, etc., up to the last one. From there, another run of 14-2 goes back to that same 30-amp breaker. Presto, a 30-amp circuit using #14 wire instead of #10. Safe-ish until a DIYer or incompetent electrician (or possibly rodent) breaks the ring. As an additional inconvenience, you need fused plugs since the 30-amp breaker won't be able to protect the #18 cord to your table lamp if it shorts out because it's squashed under a heavy piece of furniture and it certainly won't protect the #14 cord of a power strip from being overloaded. That's an issue you do have with a 15-amp power strip plugged into a 20-amp circuit too though. A glossary UK - US electrical terms would be quite extensive, especially if you wanted to include all "trade slang". Half the technical terms above are American and I wouldn't typically use them. Just to give you a few examples: Panel - Distribution board (a consumer unit is a specific type of distribution board intended for homes) Breaker - MCB Receptacle - Socket etc.

[@hitechsolution678]

From India sir your skills and our skill in india the way of work is totaly different

[@Danechip]

That is PTFE tape. You are my fave since Nagy ...

[@alexatkin]

Looks like silicone sealant rather than PTFE, the way it snaps as he pulls it away.

[@NoRetreatNoSurrender86]

Brother I love you funny as hell I'm a sparky and it cracks me up something Cronik when I see this stuff ❤🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👂you just gotta laugh

[@julianlouis1]

Blue tac thats quality 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Ragnar8504]

Everything about this house screams full rewire! Or possibly teardown and rebuild.

[@stevecraft00]

Theres some early 80s council houses we look after where the downstairs sockets are all spurred off the upstairs sockets above.

[@edc1569]

Electric shower, no RCD, not attached to the wall properly, what could possibly go wrong?

[@ianhosier4042]

You would get a shocker not a shower

[@barrysharp3559]

I’ve seen the spur idea on a complete estate I’ve worked on were ring downstairs and all upstairs sockets spurred??? As you say don’t understand who thought that was a good idea 😂😂

[@comedyhunter]

wow, Makes you wonder just how many houses have such bad wiring in them but they just dont know about it.

[@dav01kar]

The 5th terminal on the electric meter is off peak.

[@Mee3344]

Thought twice, about being sparky, after your videos del.🤣 No easy job in life.

[@JoannaHammond]

@2:05 it's a code 2. No CPC, 2. 1 is for imminent danger. I believe

[@PaulTierney-nb3qe]

Here in the United States we use Gorilla Glue to hold up light fixtures. If you don't have Gorilla Glue, duct tape and a piece of gum will work.

[@_max-g]

They put ptfe tape on that cover to hold it up so it was a plumber that was messing with that light

[@SilverFang95]

I'm curious as to how long you were there for.

[@marcobrock07]

I feel sorry for the new owner , what a mess! 😂. Good video 👍

[@NivagSwerdna]

The "House of Horrors"? Are you sure there isn't a film crew lurking doing some documentary on dodgy trades. I think it's dodgy electricians myself... DIYers would do a better job. Thanks for the video... very entertaining.

[@chriswilliams8121]

If a tenant is there he should report the state of the place to the local everonmental health department in the council the poor guy is basically living in a death trap

[@paulcooper9011]

The cable for the electric shower... Well there is a minimum bend radius for the cable? Lol.

[@DofTF]

Blue-Tac is a well known none conductive Insulator 😂😂😂

[@bigsteve6729]

Definitely DIY no tradesmen's will do that if another lad sees it they will never live it down 😂

[@williamdawson6351]

Builders often use the cheapest workers they can find and move on when the problems come up.

[@rouman7]

Goes to show there were crappy workers even in the 70s or 80 s

[@Ragnar8504]

More than enough. There's a 1980s documentary on YT, called something like "The British Housing Disaster" that points out the horrible history of dangerous pre-fabricated council blocks from the 50s through 70s, quite shocking!

[@djb774]

I think that’s intumescent blue tack?

[@connect4king]

A classic episode del boy.😂

[@pro6seller]

The 5th terminal of that meter is the off peak/Storage heaters. And only comes on at the set times normally set by the meter Always the 4th port is the 24r live if you come across anymore like that. 2 rate meter with day and night readings economy 7.

[@johnkay7025]

Unbelievable how anyone could do a shambles of a job like this and sleep soundly in there bed if I was checking this insulation I would be so frustrated that the state of this wiring words fail me

[@whatworkedforme]

I have been in the service industry for most of my working life and have always seen fitters/electricians cut corners for expediency but now with the culture of 'relativism' (look it up.. sums up the attitude of many people today) rules and regulations are ok when it is convenient to follow them. So when I see Del's customer's rats nest wiring and they plead.. 'No i didn't do it, it was an electrician', they may well be right sometimes.

[@JasperJanssen]

This whole “it looks shit so it must be DIYers” and “it was done by DIYers so it’s obviously going to look shit” is super circular reasoning. There are mistakes an enthusiastic amateur would make - like maybe putting too many sockets on a ring, sort of thing - but the shitty terminations, bell wire in mains wiring, blue tack and mastic to hold fittings together, etc…. Those are much more indicative of bad pros than gifted amateurs.

[@hitechsolution678]

We only charge 1$ for one switch and sometimes less then 1

[@Lacking_something]

Now the Spanish Laughing Guy has passed away, I think we've found his replacement! 🤣🤣🤣

[@RJSElectricalCheshire]

That light switch is not a C1 but definitely a C2.

[@Ragnar8504]

C1 if there actually was a fault and the plate was live when you arrived.

[@DJLeroueHouse]

If it sticks its fixed

[@alpachino468]

Same with my house built in the 70s - every single bedroom upstairs, and hallway, had single sockets installed for some odd reason... 🤷‍♂️

[@nickryan3417]

Double sockets were rather more expensive, required much more effort to fit (nowhere near the same useful power tools available as now) and they were probably only paid to fit a socket, no consideration of "double socket". Slightly earlier houses would have had something like a single socket in the upstairs landing space for plugging in the new fangled vacuum cleaner and anything beyond that was a luxury. And why would they? Nothing else to plug in in the room. Same thinking goes for bedrooms, where the height of luxury would have been an electric bedside lamp, therefore only a single socket required. Work your way through this thinking and you can see why older houses have such issues with modern electrical socket requirements. I mean hell, just at the desk I am sitting at now there are socket needs for computer monitor, speakers (external), computer itself, Internet Access Point, Amazon Echo and mobile phone charger - that's six and that's before I considers the printer, network storage, socket for laptop, paper shredder, charger for camera and so on...

[@86themadhatter27]

Mastic to hold up the light cover? shocking stuff. I'd have used TEC7

[@Jomo-x6n]

🤣 Blue Tack? At least it's not chewing gum.

[@royphillips-z6j]

I remember when they used to have kids on training schemes To do that.

[@lewistempleman9752]

Absolute gold

[@peckelhaze6934]

I have a very similar meter. When you cycle through the display it shows things like Standing charge, Day then Night readings and Total readings. That wiring is very scary. Sounds like children too.

[@Baggiolyful]

😂 yes del

[@martindearman2218]

What in the hell was all that white stuff next to meter cupboard? Silicone? That says everything about the place

[@jbbumpkin]

And my friends who re-wired mine thought it was bad, not having been done for fifty years!

[@alpachino468]

Looking at the state of that house, one can only assume that this is a rented house and the landlord just doesn't give a 💩

[@DaRA1NB0W]

Hi, whenever i watch one of your videos, I always have to turn up the volume when you are speaking. The level goes up and down, I play someone else's video and i have to turn the volume down again.

[@frimleyfrodo]

A previous tenant or owner here was a proper Homebase Harry.

[@normanboyes4983]

Or an irresponsible electrician .

[@MMG_MoonManGuitar]

5.61!!! Damnnnnnn

[@eastwayelectrical]

Crazy right

[@Ragnar8504]

Fine on a TT but seeing the other test results, this isn't a TT, so there's something quite badly wrong.

[@nickryan3417]

Having seen what some professional electricians have done in the past, I could easily believe it to not be DIY. One of the gems (previous place) was where the Father-in-Law queried why I was pulling new cables through for lighting rather than using the existing rats nest of cables (lots of inset lights)... there was an electrical junction point with about 7 wires running into it. Touch it, and one popped out. Put 6 back in and try the 7th and two pop out. Then I showed him the burn marks in a nearby lighting fitting due to the loose wires. All done by a professional and tested. /sigh

[@GarySmith-ki4ky]

I'll give you a laugh, its the longest tale youv'e come across ha-ha ha ha ha!!!

[@Psychotol]

I can't picture a DIYer trying to bodge together a broken ceiling rose, there wouldn't be the desperation to get done and get gone, I mean, how expensive is a new ceiling rose at the end of the day?

[@petermichaelgreen]

I'll admit I did bodge together a ceiling rose once, the light was stuck on and when I opened it I found the terminals hanging loose, so I bodged them back in place. But unlike whoever did the rose in this video I did this only as a temporary measure until I could replace the rose.

[@anthonygray5581]

lovely fire just waiting to happen

[@abzzeus]

"Danger-it-yourself"

[@MrDannyLegend]

Surely you failed that DB?

[@tcntad87]

This place has to be renovated and rewired asap

[@dans5101]

It just got worse and worse didn't it 😂, great vid Del

[@moodyga40]

quote to rewire

[@MarkGarth]

Probably the work of a house basher back in the 80's getting paid the bare minimum per house.

[@edc1569]

Two 2.5mm radials on a 30A fuse is not ok - it’s absolutely wrong.