omidknight Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Inspired by the thread "What Credit Crucnch?" by LordThornber. The work is usually carried out by an electrician! . Here is one example from my new mid-terrace house. The kitchen gas cooker hood was ventilated by 100mm pvc 1.8 metres long flexible hose, through a cavity wall and left unsecured to the external shutter. There was no attempt to make good the walls (either inside the house hidden behind units or outside behind the external shutter). Rectified by ourselves - fitted 100mm rigid plastic tube from the cooker to the external shutter and sealed the wall inside and out. Just need to devise a device to stop the shutter banging in the strong winds here now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I always take a tradesmans promise " to do a professional job " as a threat. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 omidknight - 2008-11-11 4:51 PM Inspired by the thread "What Credit Crucnch?" by LordThornber. The work is usually carried out by an electrician! . Here is one example from my new mid-terrace house. The kitchen gas cooker hood was ventilated by 100mm pvc 1.8 metres long flexible hose, through a cavity wall and left unsecured to the external shutter. There was no attempt to make good the walls (either inside the house hidden behind units or outside behind the external shutter). Rectified by ourselves - fitted 100mm rigid plastic tube from the cooker to the external shutter and sealed the wall inside and out. Just need to devise a device to stop the shutter banging in the strong winds here now! Reason: your job probably needed four trades to be completed properly. A bricklayer to make the hole in the wall, and make good the masonry around the terminals after fitting, a H&V fitter to install the hood and the connecting ductwork, and test and commission the hood after fitting, an electrician to wire, connect and test the hood and its lights, and a plasterer (and just possible a painter/decorator) to make good the plaster/plasterboard around the terminal on the inside.The building trade has few multi-skilled tradesmen, each individual tending to stick to what he knows and is familiar with. Some plumbers (but not pipe fitters), mainly the CORGI registered ones, are certificated to do electrics, but by no means all. However, they are not electricians and may not generally undertake more than controls wiring and install power feeds to boilers etc. It is frustrating, but it is generally safer that way!However, that is a far cry from housebuilding, where the competition is fierce and not everyone has the qualifications they need to do all the work they have to take on. Your boy cut corners because he was doing work he wasn't trained to do, and couldn't do some of the work the job needed. You did the best thing and fixed their mess yourself, rather than getting the "builder" back to make a worse mess. Hey ho, if only the world were perfect! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omidknight Posted November 16, 2008 Author Share Posted November 16, 2008 Thanks Brian. No one else ever had any poor work done? Another example - Open in wood french windows fitted with only one recessed bolt at the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 Generally speaking I don't employ "tradesmen" as I consider myself a multi skilled craftsman. My only exception is for domestic gas work where I use a local small business CORGI registered chap who happens to be an ex fireman, I like to think that perhaps as he has seen the results of bad gas work that he goes that extra step to professionalism and thus far I have not been disappointed. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omidknight Posted November 16, 2008 Author Share Posted November 16, 2008 ah so you built your own house as well Dave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 As it's only chatterbox, I'm going off topic a bit in response to Dave's post: but this struck me as funny when I read it a few years back, in a bit of the technical press.A man was working on his car in his garage, which was built onto his house. It was cold, so he had the doors closed. He had drained the petrol tank into an open container, but then nipped inside for lunch, intending to complete the job later. A while later there was a huge explosion, and half his roof disappeared. He and his wife were shocked, though not injured, but the house was a mess. In view of the size of the claim, the insurance company instigated an investigation. Their findings were that the domestic heating boiler was sited in the garage. The open container of petrol was producing copious fumes, which had been drawn in by the boiler and circulated up the warm flue. Then, the thermostat had clicked in, and the boiler had fired. The concentration of fumes in the boiler flue had, by that point, created an explosive mixture, with the above result.Relevance? Well, a bit tenuous I'll admit, but the man's day job was as in insurance risk assessor. Makes you think, doesn't it? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 The only tradesman I've used in the last few years is the local man who services my gas central heating. When it packed up earlier this year, it coincided with it's annual service. They fixed it within 2 days, and serviced it at the same time to save me an extra call-out charge. Can't fault that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 J9withdogs - 2008-11-16 9:33 PM The only tradesman I've used in the last few years is the local man who services my gas central heating. When it packed up earlier this year, it coincided with it's annual service. They fixed it within 2 days, and serviced it at the same time to save me an extra call-out charge. Can't fault that! Janine - but he only did that 'cos you're a totally hot totty! ;-) Old and ugly blokes would have had to pay loads more....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 omidknight - 2008-11-16 9:22 PM ah so you built your own house as well Dave? No I didn't, our house was built in the 1940s but I did build the extension at the rear and when I worked in Birmingham I built the workshop from the ground up, the only bits we had outside contractors in for was a JCB to dig the foundations and a concrete mixer to pour the floor slab! D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Ask around, get personal recommendations from those who are pleased with work done and build up a good working relationship with the 'tradesmen', who by and large will look after their 'regulars'. Always an element of pot luck when you dip into Yellow Pages and sadly there can be the chance of selecting a 'cowboy'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Its amazing how we treat petrol...one of the most volatile explosives on earth... with total indifference.I've lost count of how many injuries I've seen where a person has used petrol as an accelerant for bonfires, and even barbecues. Can you imagine what the burgers must taste like !....assuming you live long enough to eat em !Brian Kirby - 2008-11-16 9:32 PM As it's only chatterbox, I'm going off topic a bit in response to Dave's post: but this struck me as funny when I read it a few years back, in a bit of the technical press.A man was working on his car in his garage, which was built onto his house. It was cold, so he had the doors closed. He had drained the petrol tank into an open container, but then nipped inside for lunch, intending to complete the job later. A while later there was a huge explosion, and half his roof disappeared. He and his wife were shocked, though not injured, but the house was a mess. In view of the size of the claim, the insurance company instigated an investigation. Their findings were that the domestic heating boiler was sited in the garage. The open container of petrol was producing copious fumes, which had been drawn in by the boiler and circulated up the warm flue. Then, the thermostat had clicked in, and the boiler had fired. The concentration of fumes in the boiler flue had, by that point, created an explosive mixture, with the above result.Relevance? Well, a bit tenuous I'll admit, but the man's day job was as in insurance risk assessor. Makes you think, doesn't it? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Many years ago I was working on my Triumph GT6 ( a lovely car like the Spitfire but a coupe rather than open top and with the same 2000 litre straight six as in the Triumph saloons - OK so I am an anorak - I admit it!) and the problem was a smell of petrol when I opened the garage door. I traced it to a perished fuel pipe and set about replacing it. Now I was careful but even so ended up laying on my back under the rear of the car when it was up on ramps and getting a bit of petrol on me and on the ground around me. I was just thinking to myself - “This is not the most sensible thing to be doing” as I replaced the tube and that I should not have started it without better safety precautions when along came my neighbour enquiring whether I could smell petrol (yes I could - a fair bit of it - mainly on me) and low and behold my lovely neighbour standing in the door way of the garage, smoking a cigarette. How we got away with it I will never know. All I remember was him looking at me as I explained what was happening in a voice a couple of octaves higher that normal and his face going white and him backing quickly out of the garage, eyes flicking from me to his cigarette about 10 times a second. Never done anything like that again - and would never want to. I was 22 at the time. Very lucky to have seen 23. People do some really daft things. I know I was one of them. Mind you 4 years before that when fitting an accessory to my Lambretta scooter I put my crash helmet down in the gutter as I fitted this thing called a Fly Screen to it outside the shop where I bought it and then when finished drove all around town showing off how good this fly-screen looked whilst unbeknown to me I had a big dob of dog turd on top of my helmet. I had no idea until I took the helmet off and put it on the kitchen table where my Mum and Dad were having lunch. 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omidknight Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 Well done Dave - fair enough. And I once asked a friend to free a frozen petrol cap on a car with a lighter. Luckily I stopped hime doing it a few seconds later when I realized my mistake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbow-Chasers Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 This may be a bit off thread - but i do recall in my youth, when the laws were less aggressive, popping down to the local gun club. I used to have quite an array back then, clutching and fitted with various firearms, most in bags or cases i quickly popped into the bank to get some savings out for a new car is was buying the next day. I didn't think for a minute! I did notice the staff were looking a bit nervous but still it didn't click until i had to put one on the side to get my savings book out of my pocket! I apologised and all was well - but did make me chuckle down the road, and had a few laughs in the club that night! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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