Hi,
What's the best idea to learn AC electric for hobby or electrical DIY works at home?
I've searched short courses offered by most uni, they are for apprenticeship/work related…unless I missed it
Learn Electricity for DIY Work
BigLeviathan on 22/10/2016 - 18:26
Last edited 22/10/2016 - 18:26
Last edited 22/10/2016 - 18:26
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Yep, this was like me when I was doing an electronics engineering course, was awesome at the theory and maths in the classroom, but didnt know WTF was going on when it came to the practical side of implementing that theory.
Switched courses after 1st year. Electrickery we called it.
Edit; Did I just inadvertently admit to being smart/dumb? F#$k.
Electrical engineering and being an electrician are two very different things.
Like mechanical engineers (me) and mechanics.
Engineers do a lot of looking at computers and books. Trades are the ones who actually physically do it.
A good engineer will generally be very hands on in his field and have practical experience.
Salty(http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=salty)… someone doesn't like engineers.
"Engineers do a lot of looking at computers and books. Trades are the ones who actually physically do it." lolol..
Didn't they just say they were a mechanical engineer? lolol..
Like mechanical engineers (me) and mechanics.
But you can change your own brake pads without people saying "OMG! What if the brakes fail!!"
Changing brake pads is like changing a light bulb. When done prep play doesn't affect the function of the device.
We should ALL be aware of the electrical issue surrounding us, there are plugs, sockets and loads of other shit.
It's interesting that there has been little mention of the underlying issue beneath the question….the cost of sparky services. We need to acknowledge the need to have a suitably qualified and experienced person to manage this dangerous substance "electricity".
Once you have found a Sparky who is reliable and has reasonable charges then you are ok. The difficulty is finding one.
I guess we could all give our recommendations via ozbargain, but as the services need to be more "local", unfortunately we need to research locally ourselves.
We just got charged $300 to have a power point fitted into our loft which is a single story property, it took him a very steady 1 hour :/
Ouch…yes this is the thing that I want to avoid…did you use servicecentral / hipages to get 3 quotes beforehand?
I called 3 different people and coincidently they were all around the $250 mark, no suprise when the cost ran over and the quality of work was average.
I've got light fittings to change next and I'm dreading the cost for such a simple job which I'm not legally allowed to do but am more than capable.
Just had some light fittings changed, was about $30 per fitting.
I'm very surprised an electrician would even attend for such a minimal amount of money.
Not bad $300 for an hours work.
I'm assuming it'd be less than $50 in materials.
4 year apprenticeship and then gain your license as an electrician is the only option to legally be allowed to change a light switch in Australia. You also cannot just study only, to study the course you must already be employed as an apprentice electrician and typically you would need to spend 4 days a week on-site with your employer and 1 day at TAFE studying.
It sounds like this isn't what you are after. Best to call an electrician to change your light switch. If you are after only some knowledge, see if you can find a friend of a friend who is an electrician who can show you some things. OR, you can just go to the book store and buy the books that are used in the TAFE apprenticeship electrician courses, they are quite good and will teach you a lot, just for information, not for actually doing it of course.
televisi, just to be clear and as others have said, no course or class you take will prepare you or allow you to do electrical work with 240v ac short of getting a trade. It's illegal, dangerous and when you kill someone, you'll go to jail if you're still alive.
cvas, Affirmative :)
OP please dont microwave your phone thinking it will charge it
Hahaha… is this the new NFC technology, that will allow you to charge (read: fry) your phone in 1 minute?
Buy a note 7 It does it automagically. Oh wait, you can't anymore. My bad.
You need to pass all of the Units in UEE30811 - Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician, including your on-job profiling.
Then get your Grade A licence and off you go.
4 years well spent.Alternatively, ask around and find a good sparky to do the work.
Given what it has cost them to learn the trade and set themselves up, their charges are quite fair, in my opinion.I have radio qualifications that let me play with much higher voltages than a sparky, but don't trust myself to do the important stuff like making sure that fault loop impedance is not too high - I want circuit breakers to trip when they should!
What if I have a 4 year Bachelor degree from overseas in Electrical Engineering? Any exemptions or parallel certification tracks then?
There is what is known as Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR), and http://www.tradesrecognitionaustralia.gov.au/Programs/Pages/… is the place to learn more.
You need to speak with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) who delivers that sub-set of UEE30811 and see if you can get any credit.
The problem will be the on-site practical evidence, and you will basically have none.
OTSR is really designed for overseas-qualified electricians (it's the same for some other trades), so as to speed up their qualification time.
Probably worth a 'phone call.
Block-quote Given what it has cost them to learn the trade and set themselves up, their charges are quite fair, in my opinion.
The cost of a trade qualification is offset by the fact you are working to achieve that qualification. You don't get to do that with the majority of university degrees which are far more expensive. And as for the set up costs, there are other jobs out there that have high set up costs, but because they are not legislated as the only ones who can do that work they can't charge high prices.
There is no reason a home handyman shouldn't me able to do simple work in their own home just as they do in NZ. Give people an opportunity to learn how to do it and then a process to check what they have done and it would be quite safe.
Cert III and IV can cost more than a uni degree now.
I think it's stupid we can't do our own work.
It's one thing to run new cables to install something, but to change a down light transformer, or change a light fitting? It's literally like Lego.
When you turn the power off before any work it's hardly dangerous.
Understanding what wires are what and that they only go one place, and not to strip wires too far or damage them as to come in contact with something is pretty simple.
I think we should be able to do a short course for r&r replacing like for like products (with same power ratings +x%).
Again, I am only talking about r&r, not creating our replacing circuits etc.
my old man use to be a grade A electrician, he decided to upgrade the old fuse box and somehow drove a nail into the mains feed for the fuse box. He was nailing in new chipboard backing. Lucky he was using a fibreglass handled hammer. He blew out the fuse box for the whole street. Lucky enough the good fellows at the old SEC came over inspected, had a good laugh and a cup of tea. Then fixed up my dads shocky mistake, lucky they didn't charge us for anything.. Even ppl who should know make mistakes.
I totally agree with you but at the same time I understand why this is the case.
There was a case of GU10 LED light bulbs that had an outer metal heatsink "earthed" to neutral which is all well and good except that the gu10 light bulb can be plugged in two ways and if its not in the intended fashion then the heatsink becomes live! And same can happen if you wire up your electrical plug/outlet/socket the wrong way where the outside of your metal toaster can be live and ready to zap.
The real problem is in why people feel they need to DIY, and the answer is because sparkies charge too much in australia. They charge too much because there is a shortage of sparkies. There is a shortage of sparkies because the union/licensing body is looking after their business by only allowing a limited ammount of spaces in courses.
I needed to do a limited electrical licence and had to get a letter from my employer as to why I should be allowed to do this course (costs 3K to do course and not allowed to play with 240V)
But there is ways to reduce costs. Some sparkies will be happy to do the final connections only, meaning if you can do all the prep work for them ie clear the path for wiring, put holes in wall where you will fit socket. dig trenches for conduits etc as well as be their labourer(but it may cost you more if you dont understand what needs to be done and he/she has to splain everything to you) but you still have to consult with them as to what prep they are happy for you to doAnd same can happen if you wire up your electrical plug/outlet/socket the wrong way where the outside of your metal toaster can be live and ready to zap
It would trip as soon as you plug it in because the outside metal is earthed.
I may (or may not) do my own electrical work at home. If it's something major I lay the cables and install the hardware and get a sparky to come and do the connection & sign it off.
I can sleep comfortably with this because:
1) I can read and understand wiring diagrams and engineering drawings (qualified motor mechanic, aircraft mechanic and mechanical engineer with lots of hands on experience).
2) I have read (and understand) AS3000 - several times over. I've also read any associated codes of practice / guides, etc. I've also helped write electrical procedures.
3) The quality of my work is better than many electricians. (You couln't afford to pay an electrician for what I do)
4) Any work that I do, I start with sketching a wiring diagram. If I don't understand the diagram and where the electrons are flowing, I don't do it.
I started with small stuff (rewiring DC systems, making complete wiring looms for vintage cars) and worked my way up to GPO replacement & installing lights, fans and switches. There are some things I still can't get my head around and call up a mate for that. I also have several electrical engineers I work with that will answer my questions.
If you don't understand it, I wouldn't touch it.
I also may or may not do some of my own electrical work. I learnt from my father who learnt from his electrician father. I also have some study behind me, some experience with 12v electrickery, building and designing low voltage DC electronic circuits and working on cars.
Doing the grunt work for a sparky can save you a bit of money, dragging cables through crawl spaces or roof spaces etc. It's not rocket surgery, but there are some very real dangers with 240v which is why it should be limited to licensed electricians.
Are you a hack or an actual engineer?
There are too many technicians who like to play engineer. lol
According to my title - Engineer. I don't have a degree but I get paid the same as all the "Professional" Engineers I work with and do the same work.
They don't like it either. I don't care :-)
Apparently, it is not illegal in VIC to change lightbulb, refer to this: http://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/urban-legend-or-l…
It’s against the law to change your own light bulb in Victoria
Many people believe that unless you’re a qualified electrician, it’s illegal under Victorian law to change a light bulb in your own home — and doing so will attract a $10 fine.
Thankfully, a spokeswoman for Energy Safe Victoria has good news.
“I can confirm that it is not illegal to change a light bulb in Victoria,” she told news.com.au.
“While the Electricity Safety Act makes it illegal to do your own electrical work if you are not licensed, changing a light bulb and removing a plug from a socket were specifically exempted from this requirement under Order in Council G17.”
"electrical DIY works at home"
No such thing in this country sadly…….
When I was 12, my old man and I rewired our entire house in the UK. Lights, power points and all. Got advice from the electrical supply shop, got everything inspected by a sparky. It is actually a lot of common sense and not hard. Use the right tools, have the right product, have good guidance and it's fine.
Coming here, the rules are different and I can see why it makes sense.
Suggest you put small jobs like that on Airtasker. Might get a sparky apprentice that takes it up. Also, you can see what they do and you'll know that it's correct. You can post pictures, buy the items you need, discuss the job with them beforehand and get them to complete it quickly.
Also, When it came to changing light fittings at my place, I made sure the sparky put plug sockets (clipsal 413 fittings) for each light and plugs on the lights/transformers as needed. So when it comes to changing light fittings, it's just a case of unplugging!
Sooner or later it will be illegal to walk down the street without a licence…
Obtaining said licence will be easy though, just pay the application fee. There will be no need to u derstand anything just another way to collect money.
i would say Google and Youtube what could possibly go wrong?
IMO it's got a lot more to do with trade unions pressuring the government on technical regulations as oppose just about it being a danger to people. (Yes. I understand that you can do yourself harm by wiring if you don't know what you're doing.) But realistically having to pay an electrician insane hourly rates to for instance, replace simple existing switches is ridiculous. It's common sense that a homeowner should be able to do that.
Now, before everyone jumps down my throat look at all the other trades that don't have the same monopoly. For instance, I can go to Bunnings, buy a chainsaw, climb a tree and start chopping and lopping absolutely no problem, as a homeowner, it's not illegal. Is it a stupid thing to do if I don't know what the hell I'm doing? Yep, sure is, but to suggest that I have to have done a four year apprenticeship and spent hundreds of hours at trade school to be able to safely turn off the electricity, unscrew a couple of screws from a switch and put them into another switch and tighten the screws again is just utter BS. Yet that's illegal. But out of those two things what's more dangerous?
It's the same with carpentry and mechanical repairs. Plenty of things can go wrong with either of those instances, and people could get killed and yet as an owner I can do things with no worries. I.E; I can go up in the roof with a nail gun and replace rafters no worries, it's not illegal. I can replace brake pads, tyres, wheels and do mechanical repairs no worries. Could any of those things end up in people getting killed?
I've always found it frustrating and idiotic that I can walk into Bunnings and buy umpteen different power tools that I could easily accidentally kill myself or other people with with no questions asked whatsoever, no training whatsoever with absolute legal impunity but I can't replace a simple switch in my own home because I could hurt someone.
If it's not BS, and not about union pressure then I guess I'm just nuts.
Sorry, end of my rant.
I agree. If it is our safety, as they keep insisting, then there should be a whole big, long list of things we are prohibited from doing.
It's a shakedown to hustle consumers. We cannot even run "permanent" ethernet cabling in our own houses despite it not being particularly dangerous.
I think you'll find anything that's connected to an external network like Telstra or your electricity supplier will not want people doing dodgy unlicensed work that could affect their network. It's easier for them to enforce a straight up NO DIY policy than it is to constantly have to fix things when old mate blows the local transformer or connects his phone cable to a 240V supply.
Right. So I can't cleanly and safely run an ethernet cable from my router in my office through my roof, under my floor or in my wall cavities to my game console in my lounge room because it is going to destroy Telstra's network?
Or I cannot replace an old worn out outlet in my kitchen by myself because I might knockout everyone's power when the local transformer explodes?
Am I allowed to wipe my own ass or do I need a note from the state to tell me I am capable of that without hiring some ridiculously overpriced buffoon to do it for me?
The irony might be that by not allowing people to do simple tasks themselves they ignore them because they don't want to pay someone an unreasonable amount to do a job they could do themselves. Having ethernet cables running across your floor is a tripping hazard. Malfunctioning outlets could be a fire or shock hazard.
Plenty of countries allow homeowners around the world can do basic repairs and internal networking. As far as I know their infrastructure isn't a smouldering mess.
Get mad much? I'm just replying with a fact.
It's easier for utilities to say NO to everything than have to deal with that one guy who (profanity) it up for everyone.
It's not a conspiracy by the union's. Such a retarded opinion.
Show me where I got mad. I am pointing out that your argument simply doesn't hold up to basic scrutiny of the facts. I don't know how you can interpret what I said as anger.
Setting up an internal network in my home is not going to impact Telstra infrastructure, it just routs traffic around my own house. The idea you can knock out everyone's power if you accidentally screw up any basic electrical work is nonsense. There are various fail-safes to make sure everyone doesn't lose power if there is a disruption at one home. If a house floods or is burnt down does everyone's power go out? No.
Maybe Unions have nothing to do with it. I wasn't agreeing so much with that part of the other's posters post as much as the general point about regulation of "dangerous" repairs and maintenance being completely inconsistent.
Cool story,
You're exaggerating what I said but whatever..
For what it's worth what I'm saying isn't an argument, its how it is. It's not my opinion. I couldn't give 2 shits if you think you're smart because you know the power cable is only " red, Green and black " and you go ahead and hook some PowerPoint up.
im simply stating the union's have nothing to do with it, which is what some people believe, you'll find utility company's push the NO DIY work rules because at the end of the day it's easier to say no than accept some people's (profanity) ups.
Also, I never said utilities are the only reason, they are barely one at all. It's more of a safety issue and setting standards that everyone can comply with.
Once again thats not my opinion, it's how the world works.
You're exaggerating what I said but whatever..
Earlier:
when old mate blows the local transformer or connects his phone cable to a 240V supply.
A stupid, implausible thing that no one would or is wholly unlikely was your example.
Well, I can say you've convinced me that there are plenty of stupid people around who need to be protected from themselves. You can consider that somewhat of a victory.
I already addressed that. You're obviously not understanding my posts.
Maybe Unions have nothing to do with it. I wasn't agreeing so much with that part of the other's posters post as much as the general point about regulation of "dangerous" repairs and maintenance being completely inconsistent.
I am talking about easy or trivial repairs & maintenance being prohibited for "public safety". I couldn't care less about Unions in this discussion and I've made that clear.
More or less. Same story with medicine, they restrict access to heroin but seem to have no problem selling us enough alcohol to drown ourselves. There's hypocrisy all across the board, and the way they try and justify it through public safety is hilarious. The one I find most funny is you need a license to cut hair (really? someones going to die from a bad haircut? :P )
However, electricity is in a different category to those things you mentioned. With a chainsaw, there's loud noise, there's an expectation of danger when you pick it up. It's possible to predict the consequences. There's no such warning with electricity, it goes from 0 - 100 in a second. You know what the sound of someone getting electrocuted is? Silence, followed by a warbled grunt, followed by silence again. There's no screaming, or screeching of tires, it just happens
here's a demonstrationIf I had to group electricity with something, it would be explosives, and the government doesn't seem so crash hot on giving joe public access to that either
Then again, things have changed a lot since the early days. RCD's have made the situation a lot safer. I don't see a reason why potentially we couldn't have a situation where homeowners could do work on their own homes, providing the work is certified as safe upon renting or selling. Then you don't need to worry about moving into a new place, reaching up to adjust the showerhead while your showering and receiving a lethal shock because the previous owner fancied himself a electrical hotshot and disconnected the earth from the plumbing because it kept tripping the RCD.
Don't worries we like your rant … at least I do anyway
@BensonP and others
SO this question begs !!
We bought a house (not new) in SA this April. No electrical certificate was issued or required. Clearly the old owner did allot of the stuff himself..
Now.. what would happen if we had an incident?
There was no mandatory certification requirement and who is to say who had done the install?
I even noticed a wire that looked a bit too thick on a fuse in the outside fuse boxI am working with a sparky to get these things resolved but *'it just don't seem right'
Should something happen that can be attributed to fault cabling, or items the previous owner installed, you probably won't be covered by insurance.
Which is not fair! How am I to know who did what?
No requirement to make good but am liable…
Something wrong with that logic!I know it sucks. My suggestion for any future property purchases is to ensure you get this checked during the per-purchase inspection process.
You can then be in a better position to know the costs upfront, or perhaps use this to negotiate a better purchase price.
The way it works in SA is that if the wiring or article in question is attached to the house you cannot do anything to it however if it's something you plug in then you can. For instance if your downlights connect to a socket in the roof via a plug and socket then you can change them as you wish but you cannot change the switch itself as it is hardwired.
agree I think replacing switches and bulbs should be allowed,
only new wiring and connecting new installation to existing LIVE supply should be by a licensed installer.
if one day someone got killed while simply trying to turn lights on … soon switching lights on or off will be illegal too
People know their abilities / limits and naturally tend to hire an expert if they are not confident.
I have seen many people change break pads and do other mechanical work on their cars,
but personally I am only comfortable changing oil and filters, the rest goes to the workshop.
I know many people who pay others to come and change their light bulbs, while majority dont have issue doing it themselves.
We need to reduce red tape!
Everyone focuses on the negatives.. your wife will die if you hang a light bulb in the shower with her, your house will burn down, your neighbours will die, your insurance company will investigate you and send you to jail.
What about the positives from DIY?? How about.. actually nothing will burn down and no one will die if you replace that light switch or bulb if you use some common sense?
I agree noobs or people that are not confident should get someone qualified. But I disagree that you can't do it yourself if you've done it safely and to regulation.
Then the problem becomes how do you determine who is a noob and who is not confident?
Common sense isn't that common.
If the positive happens you lose a few dollars.
If the negative happens you lose your possessions or your life or that of one or more loved ones.
Even if the risk is small, the consequences are enormous.
And that guy botched fixing up the light bulb which was a plug in type. That wasn't home electrical work that killed his wife - it was electrical appliance repair.
Common sense is called common sense because it's common?
For instance, common sense should tell you that you don't hang a 240v bulb that you've tampered with over the shower door while your pregnant wife showers. That's not even common sense, that's stupid.
Unfortunately some people are stupid. Self reflection is a little harder when you're a noob but if you have to ask simple questions like what is the brown wire for?? Then it should be determined that you are NOT confident and you are a noob, so pay a few dollars to get the job done (a "few dollars" lol).
But for those that are not, they should not be scare mongered into thinking they can't change a light bulb without killing someone which is my point.
I do agree with what you're saying though in terms of risk but if the risk is so enormous then what's the difference between a dodgey sparky changing my light fitting vs a competent, safe DIY'er? The only difference is one can legally kill my wife and be covered by insurance?
I don't know the details but it's easy for smart people to stupid things, and if you don't remember doing anything stupid in your life it's because you're remembering selectively.
Here's how it could have happened:
1) Lamp plays up. Guy repairs it. Doesn't realize he's made it unsafe.
2) Some time later begins renovation. Hangs lamp sensibly.
3) Lamp gets moved to shower because wife is tired of the renovation.There is usually a sequence of events. Watch "Air Crash Investigation" or "Seconds From Disaster" or other similar show some time.
As for changing light bulbs: If you can't as an adult learn to safely change a lightbulb, there is something very wrong with you. That is protectionist crap designed to make money not save lives.
I don't need to watch a reenactment TV show to know people make mistakes but there's nothing sensible or smart about hanging a 240v lamp over the door of your shower irrespective of the lamp's history or events leading to a need for a temporary light in the bathroom. If it happened how you suggested then at step 3, common sense should have kicked in. If it didn't then as you say, there's something very wrong with you.
I'm happy for noobs or poeple that aren't confident to pay a "few dollars" to get their bulbs changed by an electrician but like you, I'm not happy to be punished or scare mongered into thinking I need to pay a "few dollars" to get my own light bulbs changed if I can safely do it myself.
@tap:
Of course there is nothing sensible or smart about hanging a 240v lamp over a shower. I'll repeat again: Smart people do stupid things and have stupid moments. And it doesn't require inexperience.
Take a look at how this well known DPE (designated pilot examiner) was stripped of that when she managed to start her aircraft with no one in it and send it hurtling into a hanger damaging her own aircraft, another aircraft and a hangar. All because she didn't secure it as she should have.
http://www.flyingmag.com/unusual-attitudes-another-screw-up#…
That doesn't excuse the stupidity, but it does show that it's not just newbs. It was her 2nd or 3rd such stupid mistake and they probably should have had her hand in her wings altogether if you ask me. Sending unmanned full sized aircraft hurtling along with no pilot she's lucky she didn't kill anyone.
It might sound simple to change a light fitting, but as an example, what if you were to have interconnected neutrals? Would you know how to test for this? There are some faults that can easily kill you even if you believe the circuit is dead.
If i learnt only one thing from my brother. That is dont play with electricity. One wrong move could be your last.
I tend to agree with this. Plumbing eg taps and drain pipes. The worst that could happen is your place floods. Turn mains water off done. Mess to clean up but no great drama.
Well you could contaminate the water supply for not just yourself but also your neighbours. Do you feel like drinking excrement contaminated water because your neighbour was trying to save some money? (Obviously doesn't apply to every job and probably not even common)
And of course plumbers also plumb gas and that can absolutely be deadly leading to gassing people to death or blowing them up.
how my brother do water plumbing. he does it. then pays a plumber to sign off on it.
as for gas. same as for electricity. that's pay someone to do it.
Electrician here. Its all easy to do with the right tools but it is a certified and lisenced trade and is not recommended for hobbyists. Sure you can run some lights and power through your house but do you know how to reference AS/NZS3000 and AS/NZS3008 to ensure the correct installation? Its a tricky situation and alot of the time DIYers run the do the messty time consuming stuff like run the cabeling but do not perform the connection. Contracting an electrician only for the connection portion is sketchy cause they still should inspect and test everything before signing off on the job.
props for wanting to know though :)
Hey Watsonega, I love hearing from actual electricians (especially when they're honest and unbiased). Can I ask.. isn't it nearly impossible to cause a fire or death these days because of modern RCDs?
RCDs are a last line of defense and aren't perfect. You shouldn't rely on them and they don't protect against everything. Also an RCD that hasn't been tested lately is worthless as they have a limited life span.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device#Limita…
"An RCD helps to protect against electric shock when current flows through a person from a phase (live / line / hot) to earth. It cannot protect against electric shock when current flows through a person from phase to neutral or from phase to phase, for example where a finger touches both live and neutral contacts in a light fitting; a device cannot differentiate between current flow through an intended load from flow through a person, though the RCD may still trip if the person is in contact with the ground (earth), as some current may still pass through the persons finger and body to earth."
No I am not an electrician and will defer to their wisdom if I'm told I'm wrong by more than one.
Thanks Watsongega…
Did you have fun Googling what an RCD was? You have to be told by more than one? I'd suggest you copy paste from more than one website next time especially if you're going to use wikipedia.
I would also say it's the only line of defence if you're messing with light fittings and switches (not the last). You are right that they are not 100% reliable but if you maintain them, they have a very high rate of protection.
@tap:
Wow. Way to thank someone for answering your question.
I'd like to point out that you can use Google too and that you wouldn't have needed to ask an electrician if you had bothered. Also Wikipedia is a starting point. If you want links to more web sites, you know those tiny numbers in the text in Wikipedia? People don't put them there because they think subscript is cute or have a number fetish. They link to these things called "sources". Oh and if you're going to rubbish Wikipedia you should be prepared to point something more authoritative yourself.
Wow.
You keep butting in when you're actually no more qualified than the next bloke so please excuse me if I don't find your copy pasting jobs enlightening. I asked Watsonega a direct question based on his experience, not for a paragraph from Wikipedia that is maintained by people like you. For something more "authoritative", how about you start with some of your sources then maybe extend your lazy search to the second or third Google result down the page like this.
@tap:
And with an attitude like yours how much incentive have you given Watsonega to reply?
It's not my job to do any search for you. Calling me lazy when you didn't even bother is ridiculous. As is attacking sources when you don't have any better ones. If you didn't like my answer you were free to ignore it instead of getting snarky and then piling on when challenged. Grow up.
What about sparkys wanting cash in hand? Do we need to get certificates when work is done?
seriously learn plumbing, cuz they're rip off compared to electrician
You need a license to play with peoples shit
Folks, we are all missing something:
There is lots of legal DIY electrical work you can do. It just cannot be permanently connected.
You can repair 240V appliances legally.And also, lets be honest. Telling some people they cannot change their own light fittings or tap washers is like telling a Catholic they are not allowed to masturbate. Technically true, but nobody really cares and nothing will happen.
And some perspective: the most dangerous thing about DIY electrical in Australia is the ladder. Far more DIYers are injured or killed falling off ladders than by electrical shock. Perhaps ladders should be banned without a license.
Difference is once you finish the work and bring down the ladder, it's not going to kill anyone. Electrical faults can lay undiscovered for years then cause disaster.
Again, not all electrical jobs are the same. Rewire vs change a light fitting.
In other countries where people rewire their own house, it is tested and inspected, which makes sense. Simpler jobs might not be.If you do a bad job of changing a light fitting it can start a fire.
I don't like that I can't do that, or install a dimmer switch. Switches and fittings should be straight forward. I would be confident to do that if it were legal. But the rules have to cater to the least competent not the most or even the averagely competent.
Cooking can start a fire. Whats your point?
I don't like that I can't do that,
Yes you can. The police will not leap out from behind your curtains.
It does mean you take on extra responsibility.But the rules have to cater to the least competent.
No they do not. Thats an absurd claim. Think about it.
Your cooking must be bad if it starts an unseen fire behind wall cavities. If you can't understand how ridiculous the comparison is between an electrical fire started in a wall cavity and one that starts in your kitchen, you should stay away from electricity.
Some of us don't only abide by the law if we're likely to be caught. I am pretty sure I could get away with a lot of illegal things but I don't do that.
It is not an absurd claim that the rules have to cater to the least competent. It means you can buy a property without fearing it's a death trap because 2 owners ago a bad handyman decided to do electrical work.
It is not an absurd claim that the rules have to cater to the least competent.
So they should all be designed with the world's least competent electrician in mind?
Cars designed for the nation's worst driver? We really should think through the implications of what we say.
Never mind the flawed assumption that the least competent actually follow rules.No the rules should keep the world's least competent DIYer in mind. He has no qualification. The whole purpose of certification is to ensure a minimum level of confidence. So electricians and drivers both need licenses. The DIYer needs none.
Did you really misunderstand my point or were you just trolling?
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Yes, its true, and no, its not silly. Plenty of "smart" dumb people out there, who may be able to calculate the amount a wire stretches if suspended between two points 10m apart, and how that will effect the load carrying rating of the cable, but will twist wires together instead of using a cable connector. Two totally different skill sets.