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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think most people wire their own plugs

144 replies

Toadinthehole · 28/04/2013 02:14

The Guardian has begun an online photo gallery which exhibits people's personal experiences of the cuts in Britain.

Exhibit One is a picture intituled "Wiring my own white goods because I can't afford an electrician".

Link here.

Is someone having a little joke?

OP posts:
Fargo86 · 28/04/2013 02:18

I hope it's a joke. Knowing Guardian readers though, you never know.

BlameItOnTheBogey · 28/04/2013 02:25

Gosh. I am useless at most things and go for all the easy options (ready chopped onions, anyone?) But even I wire my own plugs.

ThatVikRinA22 · 28/04/2013 02:30

i think wiring plugs is a thing of the past anyway - most plugs are moulded on!

the proudest day of my life was changing a plug....oh the good old days....

MidniteScribbler · 28/04/2013 02:36

Ummm nope not something I'd touch.

Original poster
Toadinthehole · 28/04/2013 02:40

...not even with the power off?

AIBU to think perhaps people employed by the Guardian don't generally wire their own plugs?

OP posts:
LittleMissLucy · 28/04/2013 02:42

I read the Guardian AND I wire my own plug. I learned to wire a plug at 14 FFS. Grin

Fargo86 · 28/04/2013 02:45

I'd be embarassed to ring an electrician and ask if they wire plugs.

Jan49 · 28/04/2013 02:57

Surely you couldn't call out an electrician to wire a plug?

I remember the days when you bought an electrical item, had to buy a plug separately, and then when you got it home you had to wire the plug before you could use it. But if you buy electrical goods now they already have a plug on.

Original poster
Toadinthehole · 28/04/2013 02:58

I was taught how to wire a plug at school IIRC.

OP posts:
HolidayArmadillo · 28/04/2013 03:21

We had a special golden plug award at my school.

Fargo86 · 28/04/2013 03:40

bLue on the left, bRown on the right, yellow and green in the middle.

I think we were also taught an older system as well in case we had older items that had different coloured wires, but I don't remember what that was.

MidniteScribbler · 28/04/2013 03:55

This must be one of those differences between the UK and Oz. Never seen an appliance where the plug wasn't completely sealed up. It would never occur to me to cut one open and play with the wires.

ProfPru · 28/04/2013 04:06

I know how, but have never needed to use that skill. Do you live in the 70s?

peanutMD · 28/04/2013 04:22

i never knew you could wire a plug, when would you need to do that?

was never shown anything like that at school

Original poster
Toadinthehole · 28/04/2013 04:29

Well, when the pins in the existing plug get graunched, as happened with the plug on my vacuum cleaner the other week. I cut the old plug off, exposed the wires, and put a new one on.

OP posts:
alwayslateforwork · 28/04/2013 05:04

Peanut Grin

Dear lord, that is the funniest thing I've heard all week. Grin

It hadn't even occurred to me that there are adults who have never wired a plug. Grin

larlemucker · 28/04/2013 05:04

I'm a science teacher and wiring plugs has just come back into KS3 curriculum

ScrambledSmegs · 28/04/2013 05:09

I learnt at school. Didn't think I was that old.

Don't think I've ever needed to use that knowledge though.

Fargo86 · 28/04/2013 05:18

Probably the same people who get the AA out to change a tyre, or hire a painter and decorator to paint the living room.

Original poster
Toadinthehole · 28/04/2013 05:30

Quite right too.

It gets money circulating in the economy, doncha know?

OP posts:
MidniteScribbler · 28/04/2013 05:35

I call if I need a tyre changed. I pay for the service each year, so might as well use it, and with my car, you need to climb underneath to unscrew the spare tyre and the bolts seem to be done up so tight I'd need to be superwoman to get it done. I'm not digging around under a car on the side of the highway thanks.

And I just had my house painted. I worked out that the amount of hours it would take me would actually cost more at my equivalent hourly rate than it would cost me to pay someone to do it. They came in and did the whole house in three days. It would have taken me weeks and it wouldn't have been as professionally done.

There are plenty of people who have studied hard and have years of experience doing certain tasks. I'm happy to pay them to do those jobs for me. Could I do it if I had to? Yes. Do I want to? No.

mathanxiety · 28/04/2013 05:38

Well it was only about 9 months ago that my mum finally learned to pump her own petrol, after the local filling station where they used to do personal service closed. I know she lives in dread of having to accomplish tasks like wiring a plug. She can't see very well. She is almost 80. When dad was alive all of that stuff was his Thing. I think mum would just go out and buy another iron or toaster or hoover in preference to messing about with wiring.

Tee2072 · 28/04/2013 06:26

I grew up in America...you used to have to buy the plug separately????

REALLY???

So much for health and safety gone mad!

DolomitesDonkey · 28/04/2013 06:35

I am crying with laughter at anyone who'd hire an electrician for this.

It had to be a piss-take be because iirc the law was changed in 1989 or so - so that all electrical goods in the UK had to be supplied with a plug.

Can't believe people wouldn't even attempt this. Confused

MrsSpagBol · 28/04/2013 06:38

What midnitescribbler just said. Our living room is being panted on Monday, so take that fargo

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