Ducting in a roof

[Jacques#1]

On the same subject.......

i consulted on a house where an electrician stuffed up. Really did not want to get the guy into trouble, so I managed to get him off the hook, but he will never be recommended buy the residents...infact the opposite.

The house was built before 1992. It has been renovated a few times, and electrical equipment added. The electrician used the old COC and basically just re-wrote it, he did this incorrectly as well (marked post 1992 etc making him liable for anything not up to standard). The S/O's is not switching, there is no main switch (you can see its a new E/L, so the old one had O/L function), some lights is not working etc (the actual switches......"all switcgear is making/breaking circuits"....).

If you are allowed to sign a house before and post 1992, as I have been informed, please tell me, I reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaallllllllllyyyyyyyy want to know, how do you tell what was installed before 1992, and what was installed post 1992??????????? if this house was renovated in 1993 or 1994, its been in the house for 15 odd years, you are not going to tell the difference between old and new!! The gate motor need an isolator, but is a very old Hansa, space heaters have been installed with no isolators, S/O needs replacing, the geysers need Isolators......what in this house then is before 1992, and is reasonably safe????? what is not reasonably safe, and must comply to SANS 10142????????

[murdock]

the question you have to ask is how many people have kept the sans 0142regulations relavant to an electrical installation prior to 1992???

the way i see it the installation is either reasonably safe or not...it not how can you sign over a coc...

an example a fuse box mounted on a piece of wood at the entrance to a house with exposed wiring like they did in the old days...it is clear when an insulation resistance test is carried out...is it safe just because it was installed 40 years ago?

[Jacques#1]

Thanks for your comment Murdock.....but what would you say I must do? My gut is telling me that I must treat the installation as post 1992, and make it safe and up to standard since I cannot tell, my head is telling me that my findings is going to land up by the laywers who is selling the property, it is going to be a few thousand rand, and they are going to get another electrician (3rd one) who may say, yes but how can this guy say he must replace XYZ if this part of the installation is prior to 1992?

Can you see my dilemma? Who was the smart arse who said that you can fill in both blocks on the COC? Did that guy/committee not think for themselves about the consequences????????????

[murdock]

always go with your gut feel...it helps you sleep better at night...you can never be over cautious...the sans book is merly guidlines...so long as you dont feel you are ripping the people off and it is in their best interest to fix it properly...the judge cannot and will not hold you accountable if you have taken resonable steps to ensure the safety of people...however they will nail your backside to the wall if the installation is not reasonably safe...regardless if the installation is 200 years old.

if i am not sure what to do i do it my way or i walk away....or clearly state your observation and intention in the quote and submit it...if they dont accept it...walk away.

in the 19 years of working in this industry as a sole proprietor...i have had to make numerous decision without anyones help...i go with my gut feel...it something doesnt feel right be it the person i am dealing with or the work itself i walk away...there will always be other jobs.

even jobs where i have had opitunities to make big money...but have to pay a fee under the table...i walk away...and still after all these years my little bussiness still pays the bills


if you want... i will give you my email address so you can forward me queries and if i cannot help i now have a person who helps me with complex questions...especially hazardous location and big installations like factories etc.

[Sparks]

I see this is old but the way I work is that despite being pre92 and now needing to be certified "reasonably safe", when I inspect I use the regulations applicable at that point in time with safety requirements added. Thus should there be open wiring I would apply all the requirements for open wiring: support,gap,joints, heght to roof etc. As for ELCBs' they are a pre-requisite to issuing a COC now and have been for a few years. They were made compulsory for new installations at first and were phased in by allowing for installation of one as the installation was changed. If there was not one and you installed 1 socket outlet you were required to install an ELCB. The period of fasing in is over and done. If there is no ELCB you must install one, whether the installation has changed or not, before issueing a COC.