Too much electricity..!

[alavahalf]

Yesterday I went to a customers house to fit some curtain poles...when I had finished she asked if I new anything about lights.
She said her ceiling switch had pulled out of the ceiling...upon inspection I found that the wires going into the switch were bare, and had no insulation on them as it had perished away. They were also a silver colour instead of the usual copper
I said we need to turn the power off at the fuse board...she took me to what she thought was the fuse board......It had two fuses and a large steel box enclosing the mains on/off switch.
My thought was ... one fuse for sockets and one for lights. I pulled one out, and the telly and the lights stayed on....I pulled the other one...and the telly and the lights stayed on....I flicked the mains switch off..and the telly and the lights stayed on.
Where was her power coming from...?
Needless to say... I said she needed to see an electrician.

It was a late 1800s terraced house with bakelite switches still fitted ...

[redman41]

Somewhere in the House she should have an Electricity Meter fitted so that the Electricity Supplier can tell how much Leccy she is using. Wherever it is located she should have another batch of Fuses linked to all her Circuits ?

[beso]

The house desperately need rewiring. The original insulation is probably rubber and cotton. Back in those days they used to plate the strands of copper to prevent corrosion so they had a silver appearance.

A lot of old buildings have dubious wiring. Sometimes the proper input has been bypassed or fed from somewhere else. It could even be from the next house especially in a terrace.

[redman41]

Agree with beso, the whole House sounds like an accident waiting to happen and unless there are Fuses elsewhere to isolate the different Circuits, then the whole place is lethal and needs seeing to ASAP.

[alavahalf]

I did ask her where her meter was...she said she ''did'nt know''...she did'nt think she had one.
She was a bit confused..so I could'nt really press.

[Old_Geezer]

From your description it sounds as if this was an elderly customer. I hope she has familiy or someone to discuss this with, otherwise she has been left in a state of confusion in a danerous abode. it sounds like the sort of situation where the local authority needs to know and do what is necessary to protect her.

[alavahalf]

Sorry to say it, but I seem to have become accustomed to finding this sort of situation.
I now find it harder to think about which one was the worst one....
But dont worry Old Geezer, I have passed it onto a case worker who has all the right contacts in social care...they will have made a visit by now.