What I referred to was the way the bracket is hooked inside the spring. If the fitting is turned around you will see where the bracket should slot in. Something to get some paint off then slide the bracket in position and you have the required earth continuity. The bracket is then also securely mounted and if bent a bit increases the distance of the connecting block from the lamp. The manufacturers are not concerned with meeting the regs as they acquire SANS approval irrespective.
To sign of an electrical certificate on work done by a non qualified person who did the work under no supervision is an illegal act.Originally Posted by johnnymes
Well aware of this fact.
I am doing most of the work myself because I just don't trust most electrical contractors anymore, and even if I use them, it will mean i have to supervise the contractor's self trained off the street laborer inside my roof to make sure I really get what im paying for.
When I am finished with my renovation, i am getting a trusted professional electrician in to do the CoC, and move my DB board.
J.
Any electrician worth his salt would never consider doing such a thing as it may cost him his license.
Unfortunately in this industry that is not an option for you.
Your experience with electrical contractors has been dismal, perhaps you should stop using the types who use "self trained off the street laborer"
Contact your local Electrical Contractors Association Branch and get referred to a Qualified Electrician and if you have any comebacks then the ECA will deal with it on your behalf.
Alternatively contact the "trusted professional electrician" who you want to sign the COC and get him to do the entire job.
Attitudes such a this one annoy me, get the proper person in, pay him what he is worth for a proper job and then you will have no more problems, simple.
To make a mistake is human, to learn from that mistake is knowledge and knowledge is strength.
if Jonnymes does his installation according to spec then surely it can simply be checked by a qualified electrician and if all is OK, sign it off and pay and let him go. To me it smacks of bureaucracy to make it illegal
Sparks I have agonised over this fitting for years. Despite much research i cannot get anybody to tell me why it is acceptable to use.
I have come to the conclusion however, that the round part in which the lamp is held is not a part of the lamp fitting and is classified simply as a positioning device.
To make a mistake is human, to learn from that mistake is knowledge and knowledge is strength.
Diddithimself. If a non qualified person attempts such a job then he is not in a position to know the spec in the first place, Its all very well coming onto a forum and asking questions but there is much more to it than what is posted here. Many electricians on this forum have endured a 5 year apprenticeship followed up by 20 or 30 years experience, not to mention the endless hours of night school to get the wiremans license just to be in a position to be able to do the job correctly by encompassing ALL the factors in the electrical installation. It is not bureaucracy but plain common sense that tells one; If you want a job done correctly then hire a professional who knows what he is doing, pay him what he is worth and have the satisfaction of knowing that your and your family are safe in your own home.
Point in question; Yesterday is was asked to come to a house here in Primrose. I stripped down one plug in the kitchen to find out why here was no earth on it. This is what I found.
The plug socket outlet, along with 4 others in the kitchen, was wired with 1.5mm flat twin and earth cable instead of the required 2.5mm cable.
They were all supplied from the oven stove isolator which is protected by a 35 amp circuit breaker, 1.5mm cable has a rating of 14.5 amps.
Now, because the earth had not been connected in the stove isolator, the earth leakage did not trip when required to protect the plug and the consumer.
To call this dangerous is an understatement, to call it attempted murder or at the very least potential culpable homicide, would be more appropriate
And this work was done by the builder who renovated the kitchen 6 years ago. The same guy who had seen it done over and over again until he thought that he could do it himself because he "knew the specs" and could save a few bucks.
So before you decide to do it yourself, or even worse "go the cheap route", think about the potential consequences of your actions and how much the lives of those around you are worth.
There is a reason why electricians have to be qualified.
There is a reason why electricians have to be registered
There is a reason why we have to issue an electrical certificate on the work we do.
That reason my friend is YOUR SAFETY!
To make a mistake is human, to learn from that mistake is knowledge and knowledge is strength.
I dont get what all the fuss is about, if you go to your local electrical wholesaler, the counter saleman will give you all the advise you need, what size cable to use, boxes, etc, and sell you all the sans approved equipment you need, so why do you have to pay an "electrician" (all the way from zimbabwe, kenya) who charge a ridiculous price (anywhere from as low as R120 per team, with as many as 5 in a team) to come and mess up your electrical installation on your property, when you can do it yourself properly and get one of the many certified electricians willing to make a quick buck on the side knowing full well that there is no policing in the electrical industry in SA.
As for the insurance companies paying out, if you are a good customer they dont want to loose and have the right broker looking after you, chances are pretty good, you gona get paid out. They will increase your premium to cover for the loss, but hey, no free rides, or if you unlucky like me and say the wrong thing (truth) to the assessor you gona be repairing it yourself even if it was done by a certified electrician.
guys just a quick question here.... can downlights be daisy chained? or do we need to use an inspection box and feed each light from there??
Why not, and use rip cord it is much cheaper than twin+e, just make sure when you fill in your coc, that you dont write your name or ID number on the document.
Dont joke, I have come across two houses where the xtensions, and one was a complete cottage, were wired in ripcord by some chap advertising his business on a tree
To make a mistake is human, to learn from that mistake is knowledge and knowledge is strength.
Leecatt, thanks for the explanation. Wow, I am amazed that the family in Primrose have NOT yet had a tragedy with wiring like that!! I did say so long as one does the installation according to specifications, then it should be eligible for a COC. I did not say if one does a slapdash job without considering the safety aspect. But as you correctly say, you guys have trained for years in your field and obviously like my Engineering Qualification cost me big bucks yours cost you too and if everybody simply did the job himself, we would be unemployed.
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