Efficient but DUMB! - NON SMART HOME TOUR - Why do builders do THIS?
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- We lift the lid on the wiring of this new build house - look inside the consumer unit and what's hiding in the s-plan junction box.
This new home was built with great energy-saving features - but the controls are dumb.
In this new series, we explore how we can retrofit smart technology to improve energy usage and add great convenience features for the homeowner.
A lot of money was invested in solar PV, s-plan plus heating and whole-house ventilation - shame the wiring didn't get the same treatment!
== 🕐 Time Stamps - Cut to the action 🕕 ==
00:00 Coming up in this series
00:55 2B our smart home take over
01:58 Security system
02:49 Doorbell
03:19 Heating system - S Plan Plus
05:40 Immersion heater
06:04 Heating controls
07:00 Meet Sonny - follow on Instagram
07:10 LED Lighting
08:05 Let's have a look at the Consumer Unit
08:54 Solar Inverter - Type AC RCD
09:31 Woodscrews TOP TIP
10:34 Earth Bonding
10:50 Join us for the Smart Home Takeover
== ===========================
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📹 Presented by
Gary Hayers - Editor eFIXX
Gordon Routledge CEng MIET - Technology Editor eFIXX
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#efixx #electricians #smarthome - Věda a technologie
In my opinion,the world not ready for this smart technology..I have installed modern storage heaters and panel heaters .Set them up ,explained over and over how to use them ,only to find a couple months later they have not used them as they are to complicated. Often just switching them on or off on the isolation switch ,or just plugging in a heater they have bought from argos because it’s simple to use. . I would say as well in about 40% or homes people don’t even know how to work a digital room stat or programer. Just using them as a on off switch. In the old mechanical days 99% of people could walk up to one and know how they work..Smart stuff will save money but it’s the same with cars when it goes wrong it will cost more to repair than it will ever save in its life time.
It’s just my opinion but also based on what I have seen so often
Never a truer word spoken
Exactly my partner struggles to understand that the underfloor heating won’t come on unless the room temperature drops below the temp set on the stat, then complains that the floor is cold.
A truly smart installation done by people who understands both the Technology and stupidity of the end user, simply works, no user input required, and andjustable by seemingly Old means. A “stupid” switch, Can easily be made to do smart things behind the scenes, without rendering the user confused.
@@denniswiechert9791 I like this. Love to see it in action.
It’s great to see the quality of work that professionals produce. The clash between the electrical installation and the plumbing in the airing cupboard is an absolute classic. We often referred to as the shipbuilders jetty race - the foreman lined up all the pipe fitters on the jetty, like a Le Mans start, with the pipes they were going to fit in the engine room. As he blew the whistle the young racing snake with the 3 metre length of 1/2 inch copper disappeared like a shot and leapt down into the engine room and got his pipe lined up and connected no bends, no sweeps as straight as a die. Meanwhile the twelve guys carrying the 24 inch main steam steel pipe arrived in the bowels of the engine room an hour later (it weighed a ton), most perplexed to discover they were going to have to take the bugger back for bending as they needed to double back up and over a 1/2 copper pipe.
like the CFL on the outside light - might have half warmed up before the PIR turns it off!
The intro was excellent
“We get an LED to turn on......... and stay on” 😂
Had me laughing out loud
Very Top Gear summarization.
Cracking video as always guys. Great banter from the two of you. Better than the TV.
MayBe that control unit got whacked when the furniture got moved in ☹️ what a stupid place to install that lot.
How does that lot ever get past as fit for purpose ? Modern houses 👎😖
The heating system wiring looked just like mine looked when the gas safe boiler chap turned up to replace my ancient boiler. Amazingly he just looked at it and knew what did what and hooked in new bits no problem but that was the decent wiring. Down at the calorifier the original installer had managed to cram in wiring for valves and other bits into the tiny enclosure of the cylinder thermostat, wires just twisted together and pushed into ceramic caps, guess that met regs in the day. All since replaced with a proper Honeywell wiring boxes.
Great vid. Love the tongue in cheek humour. This made me feel much better about our 2019 newbuild!
Hopefully in this series we can improve the situation!
Love the way all those electrics are at the bottom of the cupboard - underneath all those pipes and valves full of water! Top marks to the trades for a really neat install........!
As always good informative videos. Nice one lads
Clean shaven after exiting the home - had a hot shower shave then nice of the property owner🤣
Just found you guys and I love your enthusiasm! Great video.
Thanks for the support.
lol...real life drama series right here :-D
This video has been some fun ! Loving the sarcastic commentary from Gaz & Gordon.
After seeing your videos, I get tons of new inspiration to process.
🤦🏻♂️👍
What a bluddy naff location for a consumer unit,just asking to get bashed, or for some young kid to crashed into it running down the stairs..
Challenge coming soon - how to fit an EV point at the rear of the property
@@efixx Run some Hi-Tuff or Doncaster EV Ultra Cable up wall to left of down pipe at front of house to & through attic & drop down rear wall of house & on to the EV charger location.
Project Binky called, they want their intro back...
Project Binky - we thought we’d taken it from old top gears
You guys r my new infotainment for the day👍👍
Smarthomes are my profession and it's really great to see two people explaining the basics on the world wide web. I've seen many unsafe installations in my life. But what I would improve on most of the cables is ferulles and more isolation. I saw that the previous installer used electrical tape. But it was better to completely isolate the wires with professional products.
Intruder alarms are smart enabled now nearly all manufacturers have this feature. I install app based systems daily I would recommend the Pyronix or Texecom systems
We will take a look 👀 thanks
@@efixx more than welcome I’m my preference is Pyronix Euro 46S with app kit it’s a yearly membership but it’s free for the first 12months so try before you buy system. Just speak to an installer or rep for info on the cloud or visit me at hawkservices CO uk 👍🏻 and I’ll send you some details etc
Looks like going to be an interesting set of videos. How about installing something that tells the homeowner how electricity they are generating and how much they are using.
We will try to do that when we explore the solar inverter further
Been in integration for 25 yrs. One yr ago, I attended a job for a super yacht were the electrician had spec'd modulation for video distro. 🤦
We'll never win.
My Netatmo doesn't learn, which is great by me, I like to know what temperature the house is going to be and when.
Smart door bells - " I not in a the moment throw the parcel in my garden, and smash my patio doors and steal everything as I am on holiday in Spain at the moment".
Will there be a follow up to this? IE the ‘after’? And will you guys be doing the work? Be interesting to see some installation work from you two.
Starts tomorrow sorting out the S-plan with a new Wago junction box.
I bought a new build flat to rent out in 2016 and was dismayed to find it had a plastic CU. Because the design was done prior to Amd3 that was acceptable...😩
Looks like lessons have been learned for Amd 2 - but let’s see!
Your right there should be 2 ac isolators at cu and inverter as well as dc isolator at inverter for PV
we've found the solar isolator - stay tuned to find out where!
Nice bit of copper showing in db ,s in heating does it stand for s##t, with smart door bells does it tell people your out?
Ha depends what you link to the door bell.
If the RCD trips then is does so in about 25-40 milliseconds. However I believe once a grid tie inverter loses its external ac supply it can take up to 5 seconds to stop producing electricity. That’s an extra 4.6 seconds during which time someone could get electrocuted via once of the other MCBs that is in the same circuit as the solar panel RCD
Great content as always
Will be great to see some Shelly WiFI relays fitted to enable a smart light switch. Loads of smart switches on the market, but for anyone who wants to retain existing fittings or traditional ones, good option.
Do you have a link ?
Shelly.cloud Bulgarian company, devices cheap and fully CE rated. I have a good few in my house, they are open source by default aswell which is good for easy integration.
Just to add to my previous comment about shelly devices, they will still work perfectly normally when the WiFi stops working which can be a big issue with smart tech relying on external servers. I'd suggest having a look at "Help! The Internet killed my toaster" by Superhouse TV on CZcams
Thanks 🙏 - we will take a closer look.
I use Shelly in my house. Great products and features without costing too much.
My guess is that the installation at the time was designed and quoted before the date for fitting metal consumer units. It was until the properties were designed and quoted after the dead line date that they were fitted. It was another way of scrimping for these new build firms.
The bell transformer should be in seperate enclosure due to voltage difference. RCD are rated at 63A until the manufacturers realised that they should be rated for main incoming fuse unless it's a 60A incoming they should be 100A and type A as you say.
Solar PV should ideally be on an unprotected or RCBO circuit to prevent any tripping isolating the solar for potentially losing time generating. And requires isolation at consumer unit and again as you say missing dual supply stickers.
The alarm system is a texecom veritas R8, faultless. Good alarms we fit the premier elite 24 panels. And you can go smart with them as we fit the app connect for app control for setting unsetting etc via a smart device, not only that we as installers can remote access for maintenance and help with a issues the end user may have. Great systems. I'm currently installing one on a job as we speak. Combination of wired and wireless with smart control.
I'm a great fan of nest so I'd kit out the nest thermostats 1 downstairs and 1 upstairs, nest smoke alarms, nest door bell and nest home hub speaker.
Great video would be good to do as you say and see the smart tech you put forward in practice. And maybe a camera on the front 🙂
Thanks - This is the first time we’ve fitted the Netatmo system. We have also used the nest kit so we decided to give something else a try. The netatmo integrates with Apple HomeKit which next doesn’t. Would be keen to share your experience on setting up apps etc for the customer attaching to their network and on going support issues.
@@efixx I'm happy to share my experience this is what it's about 🙂
I'm sure I saw a clip that you have done fitting the netatmo so I'll give that a watch later. Interested to see what they're like.
Surprised not to see any spare capacity left within the db, yes you could remove old doorbell transformer but not much thought has been put in you can see.
In our opinion too many circuits - a few things could have been combined.
I like to think I am smart. I know my family routines. I set my heating programmer for the required times when in and out of the house...... I am not a fan of the so called smart tech although I like the idea of storing/diverting unused heat/energy for later use by the occupier. One thing, was that a heat alarm in the kitchen there? Fitted so close to the cooker? I hope not. :)
Shocking filling around that downlighter.
Painters and plasters sheesh 🙄
Would like to see the PV - hot water upgade.
Enjoyed the Top Gearesque intro ; )
Thanks - we are working on it !
Here's the hot water upgrade - czcams.com/video/p5mQU2gl25Y/video.html
Good video of a realistic scenario. New car tech new problems. I wonder how the grid and local suppliers will hold out when electric cars start to sell in big numbers? The board position is unbelievable and the fact you have picked a nicer looking board but now has been cluttered up with stickers on the front is a shame?. Im not a sparky but the warning stickers should be under the lid and have to be removed to get the front off. If you are then inside a board and you need to read stickers about whats in there you should not really be in there Imho.
Ah new builds from 2015. Them were the days.
In the consumer board, no fire foam/sealant, and a brown link wire on the neutrals. PV wrong I think but has very little to do with PV. Lack of isolators. Etc
no fire seal needed.
The trouble with a lot of this "smart" technology being installed is the reliability. When we get called in to fix it, theres no info on it. What a "smart" place to fit a consumer unit? Lol!
Top of the left rcd is showing alot of cable
Fitted tons of creston over the years, wouldn't fit anything to do with amazon, google or apple, i prefer a localised network to a complete smart app based network , so many lighting companies out there now to choose from , for LED tape i always use L&S or hafele ...great video by Foggy and Compo as usual
Look forward to your views as we move through the series.
A great price work job
Does that Heating control work on Opentherm?
They have two versions - see tomorrow’s video
That boiler has two SL inputs from memory
To make it truly clever the Opentherm can modulate the boiler and generate more Condensing, being a condensing boiler this should be done. To do this the 2nd SL needs to be wired into the HW, when the HW calls the boiler will go into max rate, at these times the CH should be isolated via the zone valves, once the HW is up to temp the zone valves can open and the CH can be ran correctly
Another option is the Weather compensation
This id say is a truly smart system rather than an on/off control that can be switched remotely
Hope this helps
Definitely a no no guys removing the cover without isolating the main switch.
My NIC EIC inspector would have something to say if I did that in front of him 😄.
Definitely would say that regardless of the plastic consumer unit the cables should have been fire sealed that exit out the back into a cavity/ void .
Can you refer to reg that would cover this. Thx in advance
@@tonymariner5519 BS 7671:2018 for fire stopping Regulation 527.2
In the light you didn’t put fire protection why ?
If you're talking about the downlight shown at the beginning it does look like its a fire rated can. Not that fire rated downlights are actually needed in the average 2 story house.
I would like to offer a possible excuse for the shoddy craftsmanship.
Not sure what it's like in the UK, but over here in the Netherlands the large scale construction market has become so infested with (sub-)contractors and middlemen selling eachother the contract (skimming it at every step) that by the time an actual craftsman reaches the build there's just no budget left for a decent job.
I think we share the same problem - interesting that it’s similar situation in the Netherlands 🇳🇱
I believe it's a compounding of two problems.
First there's EU law that states every contract beyond a certain volume has to be made available for public bidding. Which in itself isn't a bad rule, having multiple qualified electricians bid on a contract will benefit the consumer.
But add to that the fact that with the '08 financial crisis we lost a lot of real craftsmen. And to keep (/get) build volumes up afterwards we threw out all registration rules for (technical) building companies.
So now anyone, unburdened by any knowledge or schooling can call himself an electrician and start bidding on those contacts.
Having killed a bunch of people by anything ranging from asphyxiation by faulty ventilation, poisoning by offgassing foam insulation to the old electrical fire we're now moving towards a certificate system, so that's something at least.
I still believe there's something to be said for the old system of a few years in school, a few years in the field ánd the specific certificates before being allowed to start a business though..
Ps: sorry about this lengthy post. But you guys appear to be genuinely interested enough to read a few more words.. :-)
Smart video and very good but Iam still wait to make a video for torque screwdriver draper how to use torque at 2020 and now we are in 2021
Patience Youssef we'll get to the draper and other things on torque!
@@efixx thanx a lot alot alot Iam sorry but Iam interesting to see how to use torque draper and one question I know draper torque screwdriver set form 1N.M TO 5N.M WHEN U BRINGS IT The draper torque can set less than one torque NM . My order draper torque screwdriver set 19pcs from UK it's now in uk but maybe it's take a long time to be in my hand so important to to now how it can be set a gin Iam sorry to many times I asked about draper torque screwdriver set 19pcs big love to you efixx
The top gear of the electrical trade
Just wait to see what’s coming soon!!
@@efixx the electrical stig? Tests new products out on a time trial?
I dont know about the wifi alarms, the majority of iot devices have very poor security leaving your network open to attack, or worse data fraud and theft, you can replace items in a house but not a missing bank balance, i always advise that anyone with an alarm get a dialer fitted, preferably utilising a sim card. Ring had a huge security flaw up until 6 months ago that basicly meant anyone could get a hold of your wifi password, a security flaw wich is still very much present in a large majority of iot devices that are currently on the market. Untill these conpanys start caring about secure networks and not just making a quick buck ill stick to recomending certain 'dumb' devices as with a little work they can still provide a service comparable to smart devices. Having said all that, great work guys i always look forward to one of your uploads
Thanks - you raise a very valid point it’s important to trust the source of any tech product wired or wireless. We will see what we can do to discuss the issues around security later in the series. We follow the work of Pen Test Partners in this area - www.pentestpartners.com
@@efixx hi guys again great work as usual and I've just checked out that that site I've got to say the brilliant resource thanks for sharing, especially as an industry we are moving more and more towards automation and so having general knowledge of network security even if you don't necessarily work in the networking industry is now becoming more and more important I wouldn't be surprised if further on down the line the regulations start to include basic network security
This is not true. It depends on the placement of the wireless source, you'll always have to change the standard password to a personal one. And use several sensors so one would not get any chance to get into your house. It's almost impossible to break into our house without triggering the alarm. The sensors are zigbee sensors, combined with a smarthome system. The system will turn on all lights, turn on a siren, notify me on my phone, alle cameras in our house will start streaming live streams to our phones through the satellites. The system itself is wired and hidden in a compartment where no jammer is able to disturb it with interference. And if you're able to interfere with the zigbee frequency, you'll be having a hard time, since the camera's pointing at the doors and sensors have a motion option, so the alarm will also get triggered if you're deciding to use a jammer on the sensors. A UPS is placed behind the server so the server will always have power, even if one decides to turn of the main switch. The basic rule is to always change the password. This is it. Then you'll never have to take the extra steps I did. (It's my profession, and I could take the hardware home for free)
I really fail to understand why we fail to install newer systems.
I decided when i redid my house which is 1950s i would put in an underfloor manifold for the radiators and a thermostat in every room it really has reduced our oil cost saved far more than the cost of me installing
For wiring i use brother heat shrink labels super easy know which wire does which room
Ahead of your time - we’ll done - what’s your predictions for the next 20 years.
I have recently started to use printable heat shrink for cable markings. They are a thing of beauty - and work really well.
I also gutted my 1930 house and put UFH in every room, up and down, each with its own wireless thermostat (Evohome)
Well worth it.
@@GrahamDIY can you post a link to your label printer please?
Those printable shrink wrap are revelations I've used them over the years.
@@davidsharp9166 honestly, I never knew they existed. I doubt I’m alone.
I’ve tried lots of ideas to mark cables but nothing has felt the right solution. Then I found shrink wrap.
Someone will moan “oh it’s really expensive, just use a biro...” and to them I say, the cost of the shrink wrap (actually not that much) saves you so much time (and time is money) it’s more than worth it.
cant see the fanny trap on the heat recovery condensate drain
That’s a new term for us - we’ll try to find it !
@@efixx technical term, a HepVo valve, but thats what plumbers call them, needed to stop the risk of smells being drawn into the unit when running, and usually high up on the pipework...., not into a tundish as is often the case
Hi Bert , hi Fred
jesus what a place to put a consumer unit who built those houses trumpets
I got a smart doorbell with a video camera so I can see who's ringing my door bell,so i know who to ignore :)
Which brand did you go with ?
@@efixx ring doorbell
Where the karate belt cable video? Have I missed it
Coming soon!!!
My apologies I posted this twice but last one got the makita multi cutter comment
Oh it seem like posted on wrong video 🤦♂️ been a long day at work 🤣
Fire seal is not expensive. Amount of properties I visit that none is not installed
I'm not the biggest fan of most smart stuff, but it definitely has it's advantages for the heating system so the heating can kick on a bit earlier and turn down a bit later when it's freezing outside instead of just relying on a simple timer, and the owner can turn up or down the temperature remotely if they can go home for the day earlier than usual so they don't have to come home to a cold house. The alarm system would also be a great thing to upgrade so the owner gets notified on their smartphone if the alarm goes off, maybe check a few live camera feeds, automatically call the police if the owner doesn't react within a certain time... And I suppose it's also handy in day to day use to check if the windows and doors are closed and locked.
Let’s see what we can do to this house - stay tuned!
Sorry to say but i don't want to see any smart tec in any home , it makes us lazy , i am an old money git but i like to do things for myself not rely on smart technology . that's just the way i am.as always another fantastic video . but each to there own and it comes down to personal choice .
A j701 is what should have been fitted in heating cupboard whatca mess
State of some of the 'workmanship' on that house. Even the painting is shite and i mean come on my missus, the kids, my nan, even the dog can paint properly.
Sorry did you look in that fuse board and say it’s tidyish?? I’d be embarrassed if that was my work, it’s an absolute mess
We have seen far worse so on the scale it's tidish - but far short of the top class work we like to see!
Come on! It's not messy at all!!!
OCD levels of neatness aren't necessary.......!!(imo.....)
We’re all entitled to our opinions and have our own standards, it’s not against the regs to be messy, just saying if that was mine I’d be embarrassed.
The Britass empire meets home tech....
why are the consumer units made of plastic? we here in North America have NEVER made ours out of plastic.... always steel! have you ever had the chassis of a CU fail?
We've gone all metal a few years ago - this install was one of the last under the old codes (regs) - we've seen lots of bruned out homes - hence the change of codes.
@@efixx why did it take so long? don't people in Europe want safety? they do teach fire safety there don't they? electrical has always been part of that...
@@johnstancliff7328 They used to be made of wood, or at least the chassis! Our main fuse box is still a Wylex wood plastic mix. Then they went all metal, then all plastic or metal, then all plastic, now all metal!!! We have a combination of all on our property - except for a modern 18th edition all metal variety. Nothing like fiddling with fuse wire on a cold dark night 😉.
@@androidcaller7902 wow.... Ours have always been metal because of the safety and longevity of the units... metal won't burn like plastic and keeps the failure contained... at least in most cases.... commercial fires have been linked to large panelboards failing and having a electrical fire. but, thats rare.
@@johnstancliff7328 Our boards went plastic as metal ones used rust out after a time in our climate and depending where the steel came from to make them. The metal boards we fit in the uk are not safer than the plastic boards that were fitted in my opinion. The burned out boards were more likely to be poor instalation and lack of maintenance/checks. The new super improved metal units are often screwed to wood with the back knockouts open to allow the cables in and the flames out! normally directly into wall cavities and through ceilings!!!
I don't like this smart features with servers not in my house... One day they will close their service and all my data/recordings and the security is just gone...
i love the technical banter but the build quality of that house is appalling
Pretty common today,it's a case of slap them up quickly,build quailty suffers/lacking, a lot to be said for finding a plot & self building today...
Think the money was spent on the plumbing 🪠
Why no answer for my comments what I do???
Any half decent solar inverter (including the Omnik shown in this videi) has a GFCI built in. And it will trip on DC leakage current. There is absolutely no need to have that built in your 'consumer unit'. The reason for this is simple: It is mandatory in a lot of countries.
It’s not the solar inverter that’s the issue.
@@JasperJanssen As a matter of fact it is. That's what they are talking about around 9:22: There is an RCD installed, but one that trips only on AC leakage current. They are concerned about the lack of protection against possible DC leakage current through the PV installation. That's not something to worry about, as that protection is built in the solar inverter. Some (specifically Asian built) inverters might not have that kind of protection (those are not legal to use anyway), but the one shown in this video certainly has.
If you think they are concerned about something else than the solar inverter, I am very curious about what that might be.
Microsoft Smart Kettle.
Cue Jessica 😉
The content seems interesting enough but the conversation/audio is seesaw/up and down, really bugs me
Typical mass produced new build imo, no one cares about the home owner, or poor workmanship.
All of it has and will be hacked
Too much talking and not enough doing !
It’s the start of a series