Last night’s callout involved a tenant with only half of their lights working. After some testing, I had to squeeze through the loft hatch to investigate.
What I found was a poorly executed junction/extension of cables. It was clear that this was not done by a competent person: A) It should have been done with an appropriate junction box, and B) Extending the cable 200mm (8 inches) to the pendant fitting was unnecessary when it could have been done within a junction box.
Additionally, the amount of fuse wire used was inadequate—it wouldn’t have blown under fault conditions, as the cable melted before the fuse could act.
I installed the correct junction box, used a single piece of 5 amp fuse wire, and tested and re-energized the circuit. This was a close call—such issues can cause house fires.
Remember, electricity is dangerous, and it’s crucial to have a competent person handle electrical work. Stay safe and ensure all electrical tasks are done by professionals.
