Old/dangerous Electrics?

[mhf81]

Hello all!

I hope i'm posting this in the right place... I just had a Google about and thought you all might be able to help.

We're privately renting a house and we recently asked the Landlady to send out someone to have a look at our dining room light and a couple of sockets. The light had been buzzing and sometimes flickering, others in the house flicker sometimes too, but anyway...

When the fellow had a look at the light, he found an extra switch live, after some poking and prodding, we noticed our boiler was switching on and off when he connected and disconnected the cable, so the boiler has been botched onto the light circuit. 

When he had a look at the fuseboard, he said it wasn't right and there wasn't anything on it to make it trip, if it needed to... and that it's in a dangerous position considering it's above a doorframe which is directly at the top of a steep old staircase... I'm fairly short and i'd never reach it if I needed to switch it off for whatever reason in an emergency.

I've taken a few photos (great fun perched at the top of our stairs!) I was just wondering if anyone could please take a peek and tell me what you think we should do?

The landlady is being really slow and relaxed about it all (...and away at the moment, spending our rent money no doubt) and so is her handyman. The electrician said the lights need rewiring and that he's made it as safe as it could be and that he'd be back... This was 3 weeks ago now though and we have a 7 month old son. So i'm quite understandably a bit worried and paranoid about it all.

Should we be shouting at the landlady?

Other little things that i've noticed are a flashing socket (bright even in daylight) and on another socket, we had a 4 way extension with nothing more than a TV, small speaker unit, signal booster and Xbox attached, which got stuck in the socket, when we got it free we noticed the live pin had all melted around it... Would that be a problem with the socket or the extension? Obviously too paranoid to use that socket anymore!

I'm feeling really down about the whole house at the moment, I love it for it's old little charms, but scary old electrics aren't quite the charms I like. I've lost all confidence in the place and the abilities of anyone our landlady sends over.

Well, I'll stop waffling now. Thank you to anyone who managed to read through my waffle this far!

Laura.

Oh... I can't post links to the pictures because i'm a new member and need to make 10 posts before I can. GAH! *banging head on desk* 

Is there maybe some way I could email the pictures for someone to post on my behalf? 

 

[Sharpend]

Hopefully admin will be along soon and will assist with pictures.

Welcome to our happy home!!

 

[Andy™]

if you wait a bit, im sure one of th Admin's will change your account so you can post pictures

 

[mhf81]

Thank you both! I'll be hovering around.

 

[Evans Electric]

Must say your electrics sound to be in a poor state .......keep your child away from the sockets .      A lot of landlords are like this TBH ,  some are very good but not all. 

I believe some legislation is coming along ...aimed at landlords responsibilities .

 

[ProDave]

Hopefully the electrician will have dealt with the immediately dangerous items like the loose connections.

Did he just have a look around, or did he do any more formal testing and give you a written report.

I doubt the location of the consumer unit can be complained about, above a door is very common in older houses, though I have heard of landlords being obliged to supply a pair of steps so you have a means of reaching it safely.

Like the rest I await being able to see your pictures to comment further.

The trouble you have is the law is a bit ambiguous. A landlord has a duty to provide a house that is "safe" but that does not mean it has to meet all the very latest standards. So whether you can force the landlord to upgrade an old consumer unit is open to debate. But you most certainly can force him to correct any dangerous faults

The dangerous sockets are more of a concern and you CAN force the landlady to fix those. What do you mean by a "flashing socket"?

 

[Manator]

Unfortunately I can not edit your profile to allow you to post any pictures.

You do have some problems, however your electrician has been a little basic in his interpretation. It is feasable for a boiler to be supplied from a lighting circuit, it is not good practice but can be done. The main concerns would be the loose connections. Until this is sorted do not let your child near any socket outlet.

 

[mhf81]

Thank you all...

My boy isn't crawling yet but it won't be long before he is... But i'll definitely be keeping him away.

Prodave, he just poked about. Looked at things, pulled a few light switches out to look, said something about something needing replacing because of melting... But I didn't see what because I was dealing with my son and he didn't say anymore... He hasn't given anything in writing.

I don't think there's any steps invented that could make reaching it a safe thing, really is quite hairy, the stairs have 2 doorways directly at the top at each side of the stairs... A stepladder would have to perch one leg on one doorframe and one on the other while you perch above, it's bonkers really.

The flashing socket is with our PC plugged in, i've noticed it flash a few times when i've switched it on.

Manator, That's a pain about the pictures. But thanks. I'd really like someone to have a look at the fuseboard. Even to me it doesn't look right. Very old. Some rusty bits. Cables look prehistoric.

 

[ProDave]

What's really needed is an electrician to do an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) but someone will have to pay him for that, either the landlord or yourself.

 

[Zeespark]

MHF, where roughly in the UK are you?

Andy Guinness

 

[mhf81]

We're in Essex.

I think I will get someone in to look at it... I'm really not happy. I thought the fella that came out to look at it all was good, but three weeks later and i've not heared anything... Wether that's him or the Landlady, I don't know!

 

[Manator]

I am in Essex this week, I am working in Hornchurch, but staying in an hotel on the A127 near Brentwood.

 

[Sidewinder]

M,

Holiday Inn?

 

[Manator]

No mate its a Travelodge, and its full of totty tonight because they all go to that sugar hut place in town. I just hope they are quite when they get back to the hotel I am not a happy bunny if woken up by cackling girls.

 

[Sidewinder]

Shame, I used to stay in the Holiday Inn up there regularly, in the end it was bad when I did not need to order a beer when I went into the restaurant, what I wanted just turned up just after I sat down! ; (

Service & food were well OK, plus I was on Ex's

 

[mhf81]

s1360 . photobucket . com / user / mhf81 / profile /

Maybe this will work. Ha!

 

[kme]

The pic for MHF81

I`ve seen MUCH worse in private lets, to be honest. However, a 5 A and 2 15A is an odd layout.

There isn`t an RCD - for safety there ought to be - but getting one fitted, with awkward landlords, can be a pain.

Essex is too far from me, but one of our members may be able to call & assess - the fusebox is one thing; but arcing (flashing) sockets & switches is quite another.

What I WOULD do, in your position; is turn the power off ( daytime ), pull the fuses out, and confirm that the size of the wire in them matches the size on the card of spare wire that you have there.

KME

 

[a3]

Thank you both! I'll be hovering around.

Account upgraded, you can now post pictures  :B-

Tip: At the bottom where you post a reply there is a more reply options, click this and in there you can attach pictures.

 

[ProDave]

Yes that's an old type fuse box.

Not in itself a "fail" I am more concerned about loose and flashing sockets that I think need checking out. Pictures of thos might be handy.

I also don't understand what's so difficult to get at about that fuse box.  Yes it's above a door, that's quite common in old houses. But in order for someone to walk through the door, there will be a floor immediately below the door. A little two step ladder is all you need to stand on to comfortable reach that, and I have known landlords supply one to give you access to the fuse box.

A couple of cheap upgrades are fit plug in circuit breakers in place of the fuses, and an RCD for the sockets (which would be in it's own box next to the fuse box) if the landlord is really too tight to spend probably less than a months rental income on a new consumer unit. there's plenty of room there to fit a new CU.

I share KME's surprise at the mix of circuits. One 5A circuit which is almost certainly ALL the lights in the house on one fuse.  And just two 15A circuits.  well there can't be much electrics in the house then. Not many sockets and only a 15A fuse for the sockets.  I wonder how often you have fuses blowing, and share the concern for checking the correct size fuse wire is in.

If I was the landlord it would have had a new CU and some wiring upgrades. I would certainly want to know more about how many sockets, how they are wired etc.

I would certainly suggest an EICR is the way forward. Tell your landlord you think it's dangerous and you want a certificate from an electrician to say it is safe.

 

[Steve3948]

mhf81, How long have you been renting this property.

The recommendation is that a rented property should be inspected on change of tenancy.

I just wonder if this property has had an EICR and they reported many things wrong so the landlord chose to ignore it.

The sockets sound like they are worn out and I expect a plug almost falls out on its own, a sure sign nothing's been done with this installation in a long time.

The installation needs looking at and upgrading to a decent level.