• Replies 23 replies
  • Subscribers 82 subscribers
  • Views 434 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

"Dear Harriet" - agony aunt for ND problems (for fun!)

Alexa

Magazines and newspapers used to have an “agony aunt” column, where people could ask for advice about relationships. So, how about an ND-problems agony aunt?

What’s your question?


Dear Harriet

How can I get my NT neighbours to stop dropping by and ringing my doorbell without warning? They seem unsure and surprised when I answer the door in my pyjamas with unwashed hair on days when I’m not expecting anyone. Should I post a notice on the door to ring come back in half an hour?

Parents

  • Dear Harriet

    I am unable to find any electrician who will call at my house to wire new light fittings. The electricians I’ve spoken to are interested only in large jobs.

    What do you suggest? It looks straightforward to wire myself but that might be illegal. 

  • in reply to ArchaeC
    ArchaeC said:
    I am unable to find any electrician who will call at my house to wire new light fittings.

    If you are doing a like - for - like replacement of lights then it can be very straightforward. I can't offer advice on how to do this in case if falls foul of the rules of this site but I have done this dozens of times myself in many renovation projects. 

    The things I look for are to make sure the power is off at the main breaker and to be safe I test with a multimeter before touching any wire. I always have someone else in the room with me in case there are any issues with balance with being up a ladder and balancing heavy light fittings.

    I do research on suitable cable connectors so I can connect the cables to the new light with the least fuss and still keep everything to the current wiring codes.

    What was always the most difficult thing for me was securing the new light fitting to the ceiling - these are often crumbly plaster of the holes don't line up so many times I have had to open the hole a bit more, install a support piece of wood that I screw to the rafters (and can screw the light fitting into securely) then repair the plasterboard and plaster before installing the new light.

    There is no rocket science and solid common sense is always needed. Once complete I always test the frame of the light fitting in case there is an internal earthing fault and if the frame is live then I remove it and re-wire it to make sure the earth connection is solid. Older lighting circuits don't have an earth wire though so this may not be relevant.

    In the worst case you can do all the prep yourself - get the new light out with the bulbs in it and hire one of the companies that charge by the hour - it tends to be really expensive. Perhaps TaskRabbit or similar task completion apps can help with this too.

    Be safe and good luck.

Reply
  • in reply to ArchaeC
    ArchaeC said:
    I am unable to find any electrician who will call at my house to wire new light fittings.

    If you are doing a like - for - like replacement of lights then it can be very straightforward. I can't offer advice on how to do this in case if falls foul of the rules of this site but I have done this dozens of times myself in many renovation projects. 

    The things I look for are to make sure the power is off at the main breaker and to be safe I test with a multimeter before touching any wire. I always have someone else in the room with me in case there are any issues with balance with being up a ladder and balancing heavy light fittings.

    I do research on suitable cable connectors so I can connect the cables to the new light with the least fuss and still keep everything to the current wiring codes.

    What was always the most difficult thing for me was securing the new light fitting to the ceiling - these are often crumbly plaster of the holes don't line up so many times I have had to open the hole a bit more, install a support piece of wood that I screw to the rafters (and can screw the light fitting into securely) then repair the plasterboard and plaster before installing the new light.

    There is no rocket science and solid common sense is always needed. Once complete I always test the frame of the light fitting in case there is an internal earthing fault and if the frame is live then I remove it and re-wire it to make sure the earth connection is solid. Older lighting circuits don't have an earth wire though so this may not be relevant.

    In the worst case you can do all the prep yourself - get the new light out with the bulbs in it and hire one of the companies that charge by the hour - it tends to be really expensive. Perhaps TaskRabbit or similar task completion apps can help with this too.

    Be safe and good luck.

Children
No Data