Certificate of compliance

[Isetech]

I have just spent the last 3 days doing an inspection report and a bunch of repairs in an attempt to make a property as reasonably safe as possible without stripping the entire installation.

2.5 days of the inspection report was spent just:

cutting off shody and incorrect connections on downlights,
terminating glands into Db's and extension boxes,
down grading circuit breakers (30 amp with 2.5 twin in parts of the installation,
replacing missing cover and DB blanks.
and the one that concerns me the most, plastic switch and socket outlets which replaced old metal ones,and the person who replaced them doesnt understand the metal piping and metal box is the earth continuity. They dont fit a jumper from the earth terminal to the box. Two reasons this happens, the cusotemr does a quick replacement or the electrical company drops off unslikked staff to do the job
All the metal light fittings and ceiling fans connected with twin+e at the light but because there is no earth wire in the conduit the earth wire is just left not connected in the junction box.
40 amp breaker feeding the stove circuit with a bunch of wires all connected together with skrewits for the elo and hob in the cupoboard.


3 sections to the building,
First section old metal conduit being used for earth continuity. looks like it was installed in the late 70 - early 80's, the original installation done correctly with brass bushes on the end of the metal conduit at the light points etc, then you can see where the unskilled labourers fitted new stuff.

Section 2, PVC conduit with house wire installed in the 90's early 2000's, which you could see was installed by a qualified electrician, the DB wiring is neat, piping secured and straight, adaptors at the boxes etc. Then you can see the fans were installed by a unskilled labourer or the owner, no earth wire connection. The ELO and HOB also connected by a unslikked labourer or owner.

Section 3, just a hash of everything.

[Thys LOW Elektries]

Around here all the old houses, middle 60's, have metal conduits with two wires being used. The interesting part is that at some stage a separate earth had been pulled in from the box to the closest elbow. From the elbow the wires had been coiled together, and from there it ends above the db where the wires had been strapped to the conduit with a Bambi strap. The problem is that the copper wire had disappeared through the ages and you end up with no earth. I guess that is why SANS says the earth must be arranged in such a way that it can not be tampered with.
Also today you see a lot of electricians not earthing the flush steel boxes, and they pull no earth wire in for the lights, I guess they are trying to cut costs.
Then you get the cheap imported lights that have a steel pan with a glass or plastic cover and no earth, only a two-wire connector block
I have also noticed that a number of the cheaper db's come with a steel pan and plastic cover and the steel pan is not earthed, the earth bar is on a plastic rail?!
Guess people don't realize the importance of proper earthing!

[Isetech]

The thing that stands out the most when doing test reports for exisitng installations, the lack of skills and pride in workmanship. Its the little things like fitting a bonding stray with a lug on the earth wire compared to the wire wrapped around the pipe or the twin earth wires in the junction box with no clamp or support.

When you follow groups and forums and see how some people attach clips from the regs, but they have no idea why the reg is even in the SANS book.

To give you a few examples,
the 2.2 m DB height.
The gland on the cable.
The fault level and trip curve of an MCB.
Lightning protectyion and bonding and many more.