Needing a sparky

[mick_dundee]

Depends on how it's wired. Older houses used to loop power at the light switch and run a switched active and an active down the wall to the switch. New places loop power at the switch and run a twin and earth to the light. I'm tipping micks is the former. It'll be something wrong at the light fitting itself. Just don't touch anything near the light unless you turn the power off first.

No shit sherlock, hence i'm after a sparky Guess it's a yellow pages job.

[Benno]

I'd offer but in the next few weeks I barely have time to scratch myself. If things change with work I'll let you know.

[mick_dundee]

No worries Benno thanks, I got a week off coming up if things go according to plan Might have to do some getting to know you type runs on the 9 now i'm farly sure it's sorted.

[6maniac]

Go to bunnings, buy a new switch unit ($10), go home TURN OFF POWER, install new switch, max 5 screws (two holding to wall, three holding wires in place). check connections, turn on power, press switch and watch light bulb glow. It's not farkin' rocket science.

i have a rule for anything over 12 Volts...

IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT! DONT FUCK WITH IT!!!

24 volts shorting out makes me jump enough, never mind 240

i'm too scared to press a 1.5volt electric shock pen...

Very wise, young Wattie

[6maniac]

If you jump @ 24V Wattie, come to work with me and you get to play with 22,000Volts

Tiny stuff - try 132 kv if you want excitement

[Damon Z1000]

i have a rule for anything over 12 Volts...

IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT! DONT FUCK WITH IT!!!

24 volts shorting out makes me jump enough, never mind 240

i'm too scared to press a 1.5volt electric shock pen...

HTFU you softcock.

Household electrics, about as simple as can be

As already said, Bunnings $10, home, power off, this is the one if your not sure 'digital camera out', power off at board, make sure you do it yourself, remove socket retaining screws, pull slightly out from wall and turn over, if your a real bonehead take photo of back of switch for future wiring schematic!, remove wires, open packet from Bunnings remove replacement switch, wire in exactly the same way, fix back to wall with retaining screws, go outside and turn power back on, inside and test. Hey Presto.

I gave up with sparkies and home electrics 10 12 years ago, unless you can get a mate who's a sparky to do it at a good price, DIY, pommies loveit!

When I got to Aus and bought my house, I was just too busy and needed 6 ceiling fans putting in before we moved in. Was gonna DIY but sister said it wasn't done in Aus and I should pay someone. Hmmmmmm. OK. Got her recomended sparky in and 8 hrs later fans were fitted about $400!
3 years later one packed up so I had the time and I thought I would change it, when I went to take it down and replace I was amazed, the bodgy prick, instead of snipping excess wire to the right length he had just coiled it around the fan shaft, about 400mm, the cable had heated and bare live wires had strarted to come through. Checked all the others and ,YEP the same!
Not only could this have caught fire, ceiling and roof space, but could have electrocuted one of us!

So my time of paying electricians in Aus was over because of one bodgy tradesman.

If your sensible and do your homework, you can do as good a job if not better than a white pages sparky. Just follow the guidlines.

ps I take no responsibility if you proceed to do a job and your house burns down

[Gosling1]

.......If your sensible and do your homework, you can do as good a job if not better than a white pages sparky. Just follow the guidlines......

I couldn't agree more. I have replaced a lot of power points inside the house with either twin or 4-outlet points. Its a piece of piss. Removed old fluoro light fittings and wired in new light switches and 3 and 4-way spotlights in a few rooms. Its a piece of piss.

Wired up the entire 4th dimension and workshop using an old power board, it has a Siemens control and earth-leakage circuits for every power point in both sheds. It was a bit more than a piece of piss, more like a chunk really........

*Disclaimer* do it at your own peril. 240v is deadly. I have some good tools to use (power indicating stuff), and had a sparkie show me some tricks years ago, especially when using J-boxes etc. There is nothing 'dodgy' about my connections, I mean can you twist a pair of pliers properly ??? .

[Benno]

If you jump @ 24V Wattie, come to work with me and you get to play with 22,000Volts

Tiny stuff - try 132 kv if you want excitement

Well, back when I used to do some work for SP Ausnet, 550kv was common place

[6maniac]

If you jump @ 24V Wattie, come to work with me and you get to play with 22,000Volts

Tiny stuff - try 132 kv if you want excitement

Well, back when I used to do some work for SP Ausnet, 550kv was common place

OK , you win !!!

[mick_dundee]

F'n hard to find a good tradey for a small job nowadays, everyone wants to rewire your whole house, shop, factory, suburb before they'll look at it... so I had one bloke supposed to come out Wednesday night, he forgot, gives me a call Thursday morn, apologises, be there tonight, comes by, has a poke around, looks at the switch and the light baton, asks for a ladder and a torch which are duly delivered, then says, just gotta go back to Brunswick for something, back in 30 mins, never to be seen from again, gotta love customer service....

[Damon Z1000]

DIYFS

[Valheru70]

As a sparky, I would recommend a licenced contractor, most people seem to think that sparky's overcharge because they don't understand whats required,admittedly this sounds like an easy job but if you do something wrong and get hurt or burn your house down, you wont see a cent of insurance money and there are big fines for doing electrical work without a licence.

Just my 2c

V

[mick_dundee]

Well had another sparky come by, fault n the rof somewwhere he reckons so guess i'll worry about it at a later dae or not at all.