Things are definitely better electrical protection wise. However the new style push fit connectors are pants I've seen various failures of these over the last couple of years. As to pushing wires into sockets, I can't deny I've done it if desperate but using split rawlplugs to hold conductors in securely. As to the original post over the pointing it was good enough 100yrs ago and lasted for many years. Plastic trims won't last as long nor will concrete tiles compared with slate or proper clay tiles. Surprising how many new house lose their ridge tiles and plastic trims in a decent wind. I had my clay tile roof relaid with new laths and breathable membrane along with proper lead flashing after it started to fail after 110yrs. Most concrete tiles only last around 30yrs before they need replacing.
My dad used to use some of his tools in his garage without plugs. He just used an electricians screwdriver and shoved the bare wires into the sockets. He never had much respect for 240v mains.
Just a wee tingle if you get something wrong.
I tried to wire up a washing machine motor that way once.
I'm okay now.
My grandad showed me how to use matchsticks to push in the live conductors when I was about 10 years old. Spent many a happy hour stripping the back off my “portable” crt tv.
I have no idea how I actually survived being young and clueless.
I used to muck about with old valve radios and radio grams as a kid. Making various hybrid tower systems before they arrived in the UK. Couldn't get tellies very often as people repaired them back then.
I used to muck about with old valve radios and radio grams as a kid. Making various hybrid tower systems before they arrived in the UK. Couldn't get tellies very often as people repaired them back then.
So did I. Another case of "how did I survive childhood".
My dad used to use some of his tools in his garage without plugs. He just used an electricians screwdriver and shoved the bare wires into the sockets. He never had much respect for 240v mains.
My dad was similar, except that it was the 5A lighting circuit.
I can recall visiting once and he showed me the state of the wires for the lights, under the upstairs floor boards. I think they must have been the original*, and as he picked them up, the insulation was shedding off them. These were still live. I told him to stop, his reply was something along the lines of "It's only 5A".
* (after the gas lighting was replaced! I removed one of those pipes a couple of years ago)
I spent my apprenticeship pulling out the old lead and also rubber insulated cables. I actually did an install in an old factory that had bare copper conductors all around the place and the sparks just wrapped cables onto them and ran them to the machines.
My dad used to use some of his tools in his garage without plugs. He just used an electricians screwdriver and shoved the bare wires into the sockets. He never had much respect for 240v mains.
My dad was similar, except that it was the 5A lighting circuit.
I can recall visiting once and he showed me the state of the wires for the lights, under the upstairs floor boards. I think they must have been the original*, and as he picked them up, the insulation was shedding off them. These were still live. I told him to stop, his reply was something along the lines of "It's only 5A".
* (after the gas lighting was replaced! I removed one of those pipes a couple of years ago)
Probably working under the "volts jolt, current kills" :-)
Ain't we all. Realised I've been working for 40yrs and my lads are just starting out and they've got 50 and 45yrs respectively to work If they go to current retirement age.
Are things safer nowadays with RCDs, rather than fuses? They seem to work well (trip) when you get a faulty electrical device- like a kettle about to go up in smoke.
When you look at a house fuse board the individual circuits are on MCBs. MCBs are essentially resettable fuses. These seek to prevent overloading of cables and prevent fires assuming you installed the right wire size for the fuse. The board will only have one or two RCDs which are residual current devices. These trip on imbalance in current between feed and return to the board. i.e. you or something else is getting electrocuted hence the current imbalance. These are set to trip at a speed and imbalance that is below killing a person.
So things are safer in terms of electrocution but in terms of fire it is about getting the system wiring and the fuses correctly sized.
Certainly mcb,s are alot better in that if correctly sized to the circuit they can't really be cheated. The old rewireable fuses on the other hand could be abused. I've seen 30amp fuse wire used on 5amp lighting circuits and solid copper wire / welding rods used as fuses. Even after 40 something yrs of being an electrician I still haven't seen everything that can be cheated or bodged.
When we bought it over 30 years ago our 1930s semi still had the original lead sheathed wiring for the upstairs lighting circuit. Surveyor told us not to go in the loft till it had been replaced Finances were stretched cling-film thin so we only had the dodgy stuff replaced and a new consumer unit at the time. Would love to have the whole thing rewired to current specs but can't face the upheaval / mess.
When we bought it over 30 years ago our 1930s semi still had the original lead sheathed wiring for the upstairs lighting circuit. Surveyor told us not to go in the loft till it had been replaced Finances were stretched cling-film thin so we only had the dodgy stuff replaced and a new consumer unit at the time. Would love to have the whole thing rewired to current specs but can't face the upheaval / mess.
Seriously if you still have lead sheafed cable, get it replaced ASAP if not sooner. Its nearly 50 yrs past its sell by date.
The lead sheathed stuff was replaced pronto; we have that new-fangled plastic coated cable everywhere now. Just wish we'd been able to afford to tell them to rip out everything and start again from scratch at the time so we'd have more sockets in the places we need them
As long as the old lead sheathed stuffs not in use your OK. There's still miles of it left under floorboards in older houses and the old gas light pipes as well. Along with the odd parkdrive packet and beer bottles.
As long as the old lead sheathed stuffs not in use your OK. There's still miles of it left under floorboards in older houses and the old gas light pipes as well. Along with the odd parkdrive packet and beer bottles.
My first house was 1890 ish. I found a cigaerette packet which was "Wild Woodbines" (perhaps a forerunner of Woodbine ciggies?) I just did a search and they looked something like this..
What made it really stand out was that it was a Five cigarette pack.
As long as the old lead sheathed stuffs not in use your OK. There's still miles of it left under floorboards in older houses and the old gas light pipes as well. Along with the odd parkdrive packet and beer bottles.
We found a rusty gas pipe buried in our bathroom wall. Called out plumber who was very blasé until it started hissing (we'd already turned off the gas and the power).
1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
It's not just the pointing, its the wooden laths that have been used for years in our older buildings. Laths are the interlocking parts at the bottom of the tiles which help hold the tiles together and allow for the expansion and contraction of the building. Tiles that aren’t secured properly can crack and cause the roof tiles to fall off the building. In the past people used to use wooden laths, but they were treated with a biocide to prevent rotting. These days people use synthetic laths which aren’t treated. They also use polymer connectors to secure the laths, these aren’t as effective as the older type of nails and are prone to working loose. I think the older wooden laths and nails were made of a better quality timber and so lasted longer, but I agree people should be careful when working with older buildings and check the laths are secure.
Posts
As to the original post over the pointing it was good enough 100yrs ago and lasted for many years. Plastic trims won't last as long nor will concrete tiles compared with slate or proper clay tiles. Surprising how many new house lose their ridge tiles and plastic trims in a decent wind.
I had my clay tile roof relaid with new laths and breathable membrane along with proper lead flashing after it started to fail after 110yrs. Most concrete tiles only last around 30yrs before they need replacing.
I have no idea how I actually survived being young and clueless.
I can recall visiting once and he showed me the state of the wires for the lights, under the upstairs floor boards. I think they must have been the original*, and as he picked them up, the insulation was shedding off them. These were still live. I told him to stop, his reply was something along the lines of "It's only 5A".
* (after the gas lighting was replaced! I removed one of those pipes a couple of years ago)
The older I get, the better I was.
So things are safer in terms of electrocution but in terms of fire it is about getting the system wiring and the fuses correctly sized.
Finances were stretched cling-film thin so we only had the dodgy stuff replaced and a new consumer unit at the time. Would love to have the whole thing rewired to current specs but can't face the upheaval / mess.
What made it really stand out was that it was a Five cigarette pack.
The older I get, the better I was.
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition