Thread: Electrics & Plumbing - What Am I Allowed To Do?

Originally Posted by m2c1Iw

Any pizza left I came in late I could use a beer as well thanks

yeah, getting a little cold, pull up a bean bag, while your up get a beer from the fridge for me mate thanks

I'm amazed at the response this is provoking. As I said earlier I think I'm going to get the electrician in to remove the ceiling fans etc. Even though I've tackled simple electrics in the UK, I might as well get someone in to sort it and then I know it's right (Well it'd bl00dy well better be )

As far as plumbing goes. Replacing the existing bathroom, I think I'll be doing that myself. Why I need a plumber is beyond me. I'm a law abiding kind of person, but do I really need someone to come in and replace an existing sink or to replace a tap washer. I've tackled this job many times before without problems and I'm more than comfortable to do it.

Think I might have a beer and a slice of that pizza myself if there's any left....

We will put a call out to Dominos.
What is it. 5 Supreme and 4 Meateaters and one slab on the way back .

while your at it david check if they still have the deal with the four pack of peters drum sticks ... .i think there's still life in this babe ..

...what about de-wireing a house are you infact aloud to do this i am getting my place rewired (something i do not know how to do ) but am i aloud to rip the old lines out so the new ones can be put in place i also have a fan that i am removing am i aloud to do this ?????


rob

Originally Posted by jags

while your at it david check if they still have the deal with the four pack of peters drum sticks ... .i think there's still life in this babe ..

...what about de-wireing a house are you infact aloud to do this i am getting my place rewired (something i do not know how to do ) but am i aloud to rip the old lines out so the new ones can be put in place i also have a fan that i am removing am i aloud to do this ?????


rob

You mention that your getting your place re-wired and it's something you don't know how to do. Fair enough. So why would you go and rip out the wiring that is there? Is it live? How do you know if it is live or not? How do you know your not going to kill yourself by handling or doing it wrong?

I'm all for DIY where it makes sense. Eg run the new cable. Electrician's I use are more than happy to have me do that as it's the pain part for them and they are usually more than happy to tell you what to do (ie how far apart do you need to put cable clips, run the cable along the side of the timber in the roof, dont run it parallel to phone or data cables within 100mm etc etc. But going an ripping out what is there (ie de-installing, go make sure it's not live first or ask the sparky to check for you.)

Psshhhhhtt!! *Takes sip, pulls up chair*
"Any pizza left?"

Here's a thought. Years ago, when doing a course for the C.T.I.A (Caravan Trades Industries Association) Roadworthy scheme, we were told that 'technically', anyone can work-on/repair an appliance. If it can be unplugged from the wall, it's an appliance. (If it's hardwired in, like your oven, you can't touch it!) Therefore, 'technically' a caravan is an appliance, even though there are usually hardwired power points run throughout the van's interior.

So does that mean, while my shed just has an extension lead running out to it, I can wire the rest of it up, and until it's actually connected to the meter box, it's an appliance??

And as for knowing what I'm doing... A father who's an Electrical Engineer with a PHD and more than 30 years working in that field, is still not "legally" allowed to touch 240/415 Volt wiring???

Yonnee
That would mean that you could do all your own house wiring if the supply came from your own generator and the lead was plugged in.

Sorry but they caught up with that one in the latest batch of changes. The answer is Nope......

I have done all my own plumbing and electrical work for years. Do it correctly and there are no problems.

You guys just don't get it at all, do you?

It's not a question of whether or not people have the ability to do it themselves. It doesn't matter what they do in the UK or the US. It's not a question of what I do or you do in our own homes. It's a question of whether you should be coming onto an open public forum and encouraging people to break the law. It's just staggering.

A guy comes on and says "what am I allowed to do myself". The answer to that is clearly and unequivocably "nothing". None of you can debate that. You're not allowed to change a socket, wire up your own lights, install your own hard wired oven. It's all illegal. The answer to the guy's question is "nothing".

But that's not good enough for some of you. You have to come on and impress us all with how you blantantly go ahead and do your own wiring anyway. And then your advice is "hey, if you think you know what you are doing, go ahead and do it, I say". That is just dumb. Irresponsible. Bad advice.

Stop and think about it for a minute.

Originally Posted by silentC

And then your advice is "hey, if you think you know what you are doing, go ahead and do it, I say". That is just dumb. Irresponsible. Bad advice.

Okay Silent. You win. Close this thread up now. Ozzies will apparently just cave in and do what Little Johnny says. Or whoever. So there is no room for reasoned debate about whether or not the laws are silly. It just IS. I agree it is illegal. I do not agree it is rational. Why not work for change instead of just saying No Can Do?

This is not the place to lobby for a change in legislation. I can assure you that little Johnny is not reading this.

I think the thread asked a valid question. People coming here from the UK and elsewhere don't know what they can and can't do. I think the original poster has asked a very valid and smart question. What can I do? How many people ask that before leaping in?

As I've argued until I'm blue in the face, it's not that I agree with the laws, it's not that I have never broken them, it's not that I don't realise that plenty of people are capable of doing their own wiring, many probably better than a licensed sparkie would.

It is simply that, as an illegal activity, I don't feel that we should be advising people to ignore the regulations and go ahead and do it anyway. That's all. Simple, really.

Originally Posted by Honorary Bloke

Why not work for change instead of just saying No Can Do?

I'm all for change.

Originally Posted by silentC

This is not the place to lobby for a change in legislation.

On the contrary Silent, I think this is an excellent place to start a process of change. The very fact that we have people questioning the justification for the electrical regulations in Australia is an excellent start for the process of change. We should be discussing the justifications for the regulations and why we are out of kilter with the US and UK (who seem to have better safety outcomes!)

Well, fair enough. And of course Little Johnny is not reading this thread. And even if he were (is that Subjunctive or Future Perfect? I always get confused). I realise we are not going to change the world as we know it, but for heavan's (sp?) sake, please don't get blue in the face. You are too valuable to the Forum to lose to a stroke.

[BTW, I have been known to be a possum stirrer. I learned it from Cliff.]

On the contrary Silent, I think this is an excellent place to start a process of change.

OK, fair enough. Yes we should discuss it here. I just don't believe that the discussion should be along the lines of "I've been doing my own wiring for years and if I can do it, so can you."

It only ever seems to come up when people ask questions like this one. So let's have a thread on why we should change the legislation.

for heavan's (sp?) sake, please don't get blue in the face.

I don't really get blue in the face. Just a little bit red sometimes

It's funny, in person people know when not to take me seriously because they can see the look on my face. I probably come across like a Nazi on here. Oh well, it's time for coffee. Oops, there goes the blood pressure again...