Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Freaky near miss in the home, can’t get the ‘what ifs’ out of my head…

5 replies

Harridan1981 · 10/10/2022 13:16

I’m not expecting anything from this post but need to get it out.

To start at the beginning, we had a large extension completed last year. Still a bit rough around the edges but liveable. A lot of too-ing and fro-ing from tradespeople towards the end.

For some reason DH has been a little uncomfortable with a couple of bits, including the electrics. We got a certificate from the electrician etc for building control, so that set his mind at rest a bit.

Last week a friend, an electrician, was round to quote for something else. As part of that he looked at our current set up. Long story short he was horrified to see that we had no RCDs/circuit breakers in the new set up. So were something to overload the system, the power wouldn’t go off and we would be none the wiser. So if a bare wire had touched one of the heating pipes for example, our entire heating system would be electrified and anyone who touched it would have fried, and we could have been downstairs not knowing anything about it until we found a body. Or if we changed a lightbulb without switching off at wall (easily done if the bulb has blown and you don’t know if it is on or off) etc etc.

Anyway. Dh is dealing with building control about reporting old electrician, and our friend rejigged his day to fix it for us. He cannot get his head around an electrician making such a fundamental error.

Fast forward to last night, kids in bed, we hear a switch trip, for the sockets. Have a nosy around, can’t see anything so assume it was a dodgy lamp. A few mins later our youngest, 4 appears half asleep. Take him back to bed. Notice a puddle on the floor. So, he got up to go for a wee, but was asleep and wee’d in the corner of his room. He’s never done this before. But as it happens, he wee’d on a plug socket, which is what tripped the system.

As DH pointed out, if we hadn’t had the system fixed last week, that could/would have electrocuted him. Just a week ago. We would have known nothing about it until going up to check on him at bedtime, by which time he would have been long gone.

I can’t get my head past that image, and the weird turn of events.

OP posts:
mac1974 · 10/10/2022 13:28

That's terrifying. I don't think I could let myself think about it if I'm honest. Glad your DS is okay.

mamabear715 · 10/10/2022 14:06

I got an electrician back a few years ago when we kept having problems. Must have got fed up because he removed those from our home.. I was a single mum, didn't know any different until I had a different electrician for something else. He was totally outraged too.. I try NOT to think about it..

Georgeskitchen · 10/10/2022 15:15

Christ that's terrifying 😳 😬

GottaGetOutofDairy · 10/10/2022 15:20

It happens to us all probably more than we realise.

A few years ago I moved a piece of furniture to find the dog had managed to get under there when he was a puppy and chewed through almost all the outer casing of an extension cable. Piled on top of the chew mark was a tumbleweed of dry fur and dust.

I was super careful with him and thought I'd watched him all through his puppyhood except when he was secure. Clearly I'd missed a peice of time...long enough for him to chew a cable under a cabinet I didn't believe he could fit under.

I suspect we dodged two bullets there: an electrocuted puppy and a house fire. Neither would have been as serious as your child being hurt, but just illustrates how for all of us luck is often the thing keeping us safe.

BeanStew22 · 10/10/2022 15:32

Sorry to hear that OP, it must have been a shock . Thank god your friend fixed the fault

Try not to dwell (we all have near misses on a regular basis, we just don’t always know it!) and definitely do what you can to ensure the first electrician is reported!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page