Confessions of an Electrician...

I have just had a trip down memory lane to 1974.


One of the must have bits of new technology in 1974 was a Polaroid instant camera, I bought one for my parents for Christmas, which I then borrowed.


A few weeks ago I bought a new sat nav and received a free Instax instant camera as a promotional offer, so on the way home tonight I stopped and bought a pack of films.


So I have just loaded a film into a camera for the first time in probably twenty something years and then watched a instant photo develop for the first time in over thirty five years.


The Polaroid cameras opened up all sorts of possibilities back in the 70’s as for the majority of people it was the first time they could take pictures without having to take them to the chemists shop to be developed and printed, we built an extension on a house and when we had to knock through from the old to the new we went up into the bedroom of the house to clear the room, when we moved the wardrobe a bundle of Polaroid pictures fell off the top of it, which we carefully replaced when the wardrobe had been moved to another room.   When the lady of the house brought us a cup of tea I must admit we viewed her in a completely different light!

I told this tale of the Polaroid photos to my wife and she agreed with the opinion I have had for around forty years, that someone placed the photos there on purpose, they are not what you would just leave lying about when the builders are working in your home.


Who done it and why I never really decided. But I always doubt such things “just happened”.


Andy B

I did similar years ago.

Socket in bedroom.

Needed to move wardrobe to get to floor.

One hand on top, loose photos.

Took them down to move `em.

Very enlightening.

Job completed photos back in position. Nowt said.

It gave me a different outlook on the antics of Drs and nurses in hospital offices and wards though

Hardly anyone prints photos anymore, they are just daft enough to let dodgy photos to bounce around the internet.

A couple of years ago I went to a bridalwear shop to find an electrical fault that had tripped a circuit  and had to check the newly installed mirror in the lingerie department to see if a cable in the wall had damaged. Having been into territory thst few men have visited I then received a call to go the the work room of a seamstress who with a team of assistants produced an exclusive range of made to measure "Nude dresses" some of which were being tried on whilst I was there, again territory thst few men have visited. 


Neither were places I ever expected to end up in with or without a bag of tools and a tester.


Andy B 

I should add how there things usually work is I get flustered, whilst the ladies take the mickey out of me.

Two way switched immersion heater


The house belonging to the lady who subsequently became my dear wife had an unusual arrangement to control the immersion heater. It had two switches, one downstairs and one upstairs, wired after the downstairs one. Thus limited control of the heater was possible on both floors, though of course it was not possible to switch the heater on if the other switch was off.


The house electrics needed to be extensively rewired. I was too busy to take on this work myself so an electrician was summoned and I took on a "consultancy" rôle. I suggested to the electrician to rewire the immersion heater circuit as two-way switching. He was loath to do this, and pointed out that an immersion heater needed a two-pole switch, so this was not possible.


Subsequently, when I was rewiring my own house, I thought again that two-way switching of the immersion would be useful. I scoured the IEE Wiring Regulations to see if there was any compulsion anywhere of wiring an immersion heater to a two-pole switch - even though I recognised this was usual practice  - but could not find any. Neither could I reason out any safety consideration requiring two-way switching. After all, nobody worries about using hot taps when the immersion heater is on.


So I went ahead and wired the immersion heater with 20 A two-way switching. I even incorporated an indicator light at each switch. I constructed all this using grid-mounted wiring accessories.


I have never seen a two-way switched immersion heater anywhere else. Does anyone think I  contravened some regulation; this was done around 1980? Shoot me down if you like.

What about regulation 554.3.3, though to be fair I don't know how long that has been in place, so it may not have been there in 1980. Also this is applicable to "Water heaters having immersed and uninsulated heating elements" so if the heating elements are insulated only 554.2.1 applies.

Alasdair

Denis McMahon:
Two way switched immersion heater


 

Hi Denis, I think you meant to post this as a separate topic and not as a reply in the Confessions of an Electrician thread?