They say only use a licensed electrician!

[HKB Electronics]

All those adds they run about only using qualified electricians and getting a certificate of compliance!

The picture is of an isolation switch taken off of a string of solar panels of a roof top install.



The system was installed by a "qualified" electrician, certificate of compliance issued and inspective by the appropriate authorities.

The string went faulty after a recent downpour, the isolation switch was found to mechanically not work, on removal of the cover it was found that the housing contained water, it appears water had entered via the gland where the cables enter the switch, not surprised seeing the gland was designed to accept one round cable and not two figure eight cables.

Bad luck you say, the electrician also checked the switch on the other string, it had spiders living in it, gland was loose and also not sealed properly.

Interestingly enough the electrician who replaced the switch did so with a similar unit and similar gland though I watched and made sure he used plenty of silicon in the gland to seal it well. Personally I don't think this is good practice but he is a qualified electrician like the first and should know what he is doing!

He also ran a coating of silicon over the join between the cover and the base, obviously he has no faith in the sealing capabilities of the IP66 rated switch!

Cheers

[tracker]

Welllllll....I'll be a stunned plover !!!!.....who do you ferking well trust then.....

                Clinton or Trump.....The world is screwed......Just saying.

                                                Cheers Tracker.

[briann532]

Sorry mate, I have to disagree with you.

As a licensed sparky and solar licensed in NSW, I love these blokes............
Think of the work they create for me fixing it up.

I have been to 3 jobs recently that I was beaten on price and then they needed me to go fix up the other blokes work.
2 out of 3 of them, the cheaper guy refused to go back to fix things up.

I could list hundreds of similar tales recently, and it's pretty poor, but like all things, there's good and bad.
Good mechanics, bad mechanics, good doctors, bad doctors, good plumbers, etc etc

You also get what you pay for.....

I prefer to go with gut feeling rather than price.
Currently having a lot of work done, not by the cheapest blokes, but their work is worth the price.

Cheers
Brian

[corndog]

Was the gland facing up or facing down in the switch housing.

[Beepa]

Solar install is a very competitive market, sometimes the larger companies send out electricians with not too much experience who are given a pre determined kit and told to throw it in asap. If the job isn't done on time they may lose their jobs etc. At least the smaller operator has a van full of different parts/glands/silicones etc and can do things properly. When our install was done(bigger company) they were surprised to find out I was a sparky and a bit put out that I sat there and watched them do the whole job. I supplied silicone upon request and pointed out a few things, they broke a few tiles and tried to hide them under the panels. I made them put them in an easy spot so I could replace them easier, didn't trust them to come back and fix them.

[HKB Electronics]

Was the gland facing up or facing down in the switch housing.

The gland is located in the end, on the uphill side facing down hill.

[gronk]

Regardless of IP rating, I never trust an electrical enclosure that sits out in the weather.

[denidoug]

Just wondering why the original contractor didnt or wouldn't repair the fault isn't he required by the certificate of compliance to repair or replace faulty workmanship and materials or face the relative authority,we plumbers are required to comply(by law)

[gronk]

Just wondering why the original contractor didnt or wouldn't repair the fault isn't he required by the certificate of compliance to repair or replace faulty workmanship and materials or face the relative authority,we plumbers are required to comply(by law)

When push comes to shove, yes.....but who's going to do the shoving ?

[denidoug]

When push comes to shove, yes.....but who's going to do the shoving ?

Client usually

[Muckinhell]

Having recently completed an electrical apprenticship at 39 and seeing the calibre of young people that went through with me and how they cheated and just stuffed around in tafe, i can only imagine the rest of their apprenticeship would consist of same and am not surprised and have seen similar workmanship. Also it would pay to see who ever is working on your house their license cause its all to common to pass 2,3 and 4th years of as tradesman and charge as tradesmen, I know i was. Its not to say they dont know their stuff either buts its cream in the bosses pocket you shouldnt be paying for.

[Symon]

Well you have to use a licensed electrician if you want your solar rebate, so you don't have much choice.

Unsurprising that there are dodgy ones out there, same can be said for any trade really.

[GGV8Cruza]

Its a minefield when you face any trades, this is one of them. Just yesterday we had the solar sparkies on site commissioning a large system and i introduced them to the electricians on site and they were told that the boards were now energized. It came time for them to work on the board and they opened it up and started working, no testing, no care. We were lucky to be near by in a 6000m2 factory and turned off the main switch.

A lot of the isolators on roofs down here now have a cover over them to prevent water egress

GG

[BaseCamp]

Speaking about the poor state of tradies these days....   

This pic is of live wires (that nearly killed me / gave me a nasty stab); as was carelessly and or incompetently deemed "as good enough" -- to leave lethal overnight in my home in 2015 -- as part of a major bathroom renovation. .......

It was a big saga - the sparky was suspended; by law his company had to file a report to the Qld Govt; I had to go to the doctor. ..

And just like the question "how do planes crash?"....    this @#$& up was the perfect storm....

A combination of live wires;  not capped/insulated;  AND a few mm or copper wire poking out the end.. (see the close up pic).... 

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[Joff]

It's strange you know. I've never met a bad tradesman.. but all those good tradesman have all told me about loads of bad ones so i guess they must be out there   

[WilSurf]

Speaking about the poor state of tradies these days....   

This pic is of live wires (that nearly killed me / gave me a nasty stab); as was carelessly and or incompetently deemed "as good enough" -- to leave lethal overnight in my home in 2015 -- as part of a major bathroom renovation. .......

That's why I have run my own wires and leave them disconnected from the grid until everything is completed.

[slydar]

when we had our extension done I was a bit amazed one morning to see temporary wires left out with just some tape wrapped around them. some time between then and when the plumber came to do some work right next to this the flimsy piece of tape came off and the plumber brushed against the bare wires and received a shock. from what understand he had a few words either with the builder or the electricians themselves who upon arriving a few days later asked me why the tape was taken off the wires! didn't want to cause any rifts so I let my mrs do the talking, however as a former electrician myself I would have as part of my training been expected to put proper terminators and/or a junction box over the wires or not leave them out at all

[tim5565]

I am a Tradie but not an electrician and most of the people I do quotes for will go on a price base thus the cheapest and then complain about second rate work. There are lots of excellent tradesman around but the good smart ones will never be the cheapest and never want to be. I always want to be recommended word of mouth as you are never competing with numbers.


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[BaseCamp]

So the most competitive price; (or one of the cheapest two);  HAS to equate to lethal and or crappy work.....   I hope not!!!

Can't the consumer ever get a decent price without the rubbish of delays; poor workmanship; and generally appalling attitudes from the service provider??

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[Symon]

Can't the consumer ever get a decent price without the rubbish of delays; poor workmanship; and generally appalling attitudes from the service provider??

Sure you can, but the 'decent price' won't usually be the cheapest.

The average consumer doesn't understand the overheads involved with running a business, which is where the problem lies.  People who price themselves low to win work will generally cut corners in order to still turn a profit, if they don't they simply will go broke.

My pet peeve is people who buy Deta/Arlec crap at Bunnings and supply them to the electrician to install, and then whinge like crazy when the stuff fails.  It isn't the electricians fault you insist on buying rubbish.

[corndog]

I am a tradie. I don't waist my time doing work outside my normal work and times. People always want things done on the cheap. Cheap doesn't always come with quality. Speed, inferior work and materials could. One thing I've found though is the tradie that tells you how good he is, usually is the worst one around. Self praise is no praise. No excuse for live cables left not terminated,
just should not happen. As for solar installations they are a market that might be rising in size, but the money to be made by installers might not be very good and it is shrinking. don't know why any good sparkie would be all that interested in it.

[oldmate]

Sure you can, but the 'decent price' won't usually be the cheapest.

The average consumer doesn't understand the overheads involved with running a business, which is where the problem lies.  People who price themselves low to win work will generally cut corners in order to still turn a profit, if they don't they simply will go broke.

My pet peeve is people who buy Deta/Arlec crap at Bunnings and supply them to the electrician to install, and then whinge like crazy when the stuff fails.  It isn't the electricians fault you insist on buying rubbish.

Nailed it.


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[BaseCamp]

Sure you can, but the 'decent price' won't usually be the cheapest.

The average consumer doesn't understand the overheads involved with running a business, which is where the problem lies.  People who price themselves low to win work will generally cut corners in order to still turn a profit, if they don't they simply will go broke.

My pet peeve is people who buy Deta/Arlec crap at Bunnings and supply them to the electrician to install, and then whinge like crazy when the stuff fails.  It isn't the electricians fault you insist on buying rubbish.

Yep - totally agree on both points ...