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Thread: responsibility

  1. #1
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    responsibility

    another senario...

    i buy a house in 2002...i get what i expect to be a valid COC...unfortunatey i have lots of problem with the electrical installation so i get another electrican in 2002 to to repair all the faults at my own cost.

    while the electricain is doing the repairs i decide to fit an additional 10 plug sockets in different parts of the house and i have a pool fitted.

    in 2009 the geyser bursts and the plumber advises me that i need to get an electricain to reconnect the geyser properly as he could only do a temp. connection and to sort out the earthing and bonding...he gives me the name of an electrician.

    so i give the electrician a call...he comes around checks what is required and hands in a quote R800...i get another electrician in to give a second quote his quote is R3000...so i ask why...he tells me i have to fit an earth leakage unit because the house doesnt have one...so i call the first electrician and ask why he didnt include the earth leakage unit in the quote...he tells me when connecting a geyser you are not by law required to fit an earth leakage...so we give him the go ahead...

    2 days later he arrives and connects the geyser and fits the bonding straps and earthing as per requirements...we get chatting about the house electrics and COCs so he requests a copy of the COC...

    now here were it get interesting...he checks the COC and notices that according to the COC issued in 2002 there is an earth leakage and it trips at 20 mA...but on inspection by removing the cover of the DB there is no earth leakage and there is no indication of ever having one.

    the COC is not filled in correctly parts of section 3 and 4 are filled in just left blank for example earth continuity is value is blank...elevated voltaged between neutral and earth are missing just to mention a few.

    it gets even more interesting...the customer produces invoices for the electrician who did repairs and fitted additional plug sockets a couple of months after moving in...but no COC for the additional sockets.

    according to the electricain who sorted the geyser out...an earth leakage should have been fitted when the additional sockets where fitted and a COC for the additonal sockets.

    a decision is made to get a valid COC for the property due to the fact that the one issued at the time of transfer was invalid because values were missing and parts are incorrectly completed....and the fact that the new sockets installed were not covered by the a COC.

    the same guy who did the geyser carries out the test...firstly he points out that there is no earth continuity to the swimming pool DB or any of the new sockets from the DB to the new socket...so the sockets are opened and inspected... it is found that the person who installed the sockets did not connect an earth between the plugs mounted on the pvc extention boxes and the building earth...so there is no earth on any of the new sockets...no earth leakage fitted and no COC issued for these sockets...thank goodness nobody in the house or any of 10 granchildren who visit the property havent been electricuted.

    my question is what now...do i just foot the bill and get everything fixed and thank god nothing happened...what are your views.

  2. #2
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    The plumber wanted you to get an electrician to reconnect the geyser... I'm impressed!

  3. #3
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    here the scary part...what if someone is electricuted between now and when this earthing issue on the plugs has been sorted out...who will be liable....

    the customer for not getting someone in to sort it out straight away because he has to foot the bill?

    the electrician who notified them of the dangerous installation and didnt fixit beacuse he doesnt have the right to just go ahead and repair without the owners authority ?

    or the electricain who did the work in...who is now saying he cannot be held responsible for work he did 7 years ago...the attitude is once i walk off site i am no longer responsible for the installation even though he created an extremely dangerous situation for the tenants in the house 7 years ago already and there are invoices clearly indicating his company installed the plugs.

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    The electrician who didn't disconnect because it is a dangerous installation?

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    That is why we scream that the electrical inspectors are brought back. Currently they are call AIA and there are only two in SA, one in Southern Gauteng and one in the Western Cape. The ECA or ECB should be able to "clamp" the previous electrician, because to have COC's you need to be registered with the ECB. I personally would invite the electrician for a meal at my house to congratulate him with his work.....his doctors bill will then cover my costs to obtain a new COC.

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