DANGER OF THE WEEK AWARD

Bad DIYers

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We were recently invited to sort out some dodgy backyard electrics. It was surprising that no one had managed to get a shock off this exposed wiring. When we traced back all of the cables that were darting around behind bushes and exposed to the elements they all traced back to the shed. The shed was also wired incorrectly in that the old and cracked trunking had been walked on and exposed to heavy moisture.

What you can’t see in these pictures is the route that the cable follows from the shed back to the house which involves indoor style trunking as well as outdoor trunking and some areas with no trunking. The house electrics are controlled by an older Wylex wire fuse box so the house has no RCD.

It makes no difference if you wire up your back yard with proper waterproof switches and sockets if the same care isn’t used for the cable runs and most importantly the power source. We’ve seen dozens of sheds, shacks and greenhouses which have missing or damaged earths and many with neutral faults. Because the faults aren’t on the line (live) side of the circuit the fuse doesn’t blow so everybody assumes all is well. Often times it’s not. If you don’t understand electrics and don’t have test equipment then you can’t tell if the work you have done is correct. Call a professional for outside electrical work.

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