I'm worried now

[sammyjayneex]

Hello

yesterday my husband screwed some screws on the wall for a picture. It was near a light switch but he didn't think he would screw it in a wire but because it's a old house the wiring is obviously not the norm so he screwed in to the wire by mistake. The lights tripped In the electric board. He had to open up the board because he didn't want to just leave it like that (we can't get an appointment for someone to come out till Monday) so he opened up the wall and opened up the plastic casing that covers the wires and repaired the wires as they were burnt so he had to cut the burnt part of the wire and repair with connectors as a temporary fix until Monday
anyway the house was built in 1935 si I'm now worried that the plastic casing around the wires was old and could have contained asbestos and he has just cut a small hole in the plastic. Could our family be put in danger now for asbestos illness or is it unlikely that part of the house contains it? and was it used in homes in that way in the 1930s

Was meant to say he had to open up the wall a little to reach wires

LTB

Sorry what does LTB mean

Not the most helpful advice (Leave The Bastard) and usually is found in the relationships board Only advice I can think of is to check the survey and see if there is any mention of asbestos?

I would be more worried about the diy electrical repairs

Why would you say something like that on a thread im generally worried about

It's not my house I am renting

So I don't know how I will check the surveys

I think (and a swift google confirms it) that asbestos wasn't generally used in walls, and apparently it didn't become popular until the '50's, so it's unlikely to be an issue in your '35 home. Asbestos in domestic properties is generally found in artex on the ceilings.

Thank you!

You have been helpful
I am going to have the electrical problems checked on Monday when someone comes out
If the house is rented and I have done a 'short term repair' will I be in trouble for this? Or will they understand and do the repair properly
I understand I will be charged a cost for this.

It's very unlikely there was asbestos in the wall and even if there is, asbestos related conditions are cumulative. The chances of there being any impact from a one off exposure are miniscule.

Your landlord is not going to be thrilled that you have damaged the electrics and then knocked a hole in the wall and done an unlawful bodge repair, no. If they're a decent landlord they will repair it properly. But as soon as you caused the problem you should have called the landlord so they could have it fixed properly. They may even have insurance that would have covered it.

I really worried now
Will I get evicted? Don't know what to do now I'm really panicking
It was only a temporary repair as I was scared just leaving it like that

Will this issue with the light cause problems for the rest of the electrics in the house?

The lights are generally on a different circuit from other things like sockets. If there is a separate fuse for the lights which tripped then that is a good indicator.

What does your tenancy agreement say about putting things up on the wall? It's common that there is a clause stating you must ask the landlord's permission.

I am a landlord and if as my tenants you had done this, I would be looking to recover the repair costs from you. If this is a one off, then you are unlikely to get evicted. If you are within the initial term of the AST you can't be evicted in England & Wales anyway.

For goodness sake read you tenancy agreement so you are clear what you must do and not do and buy a cable and stud detector!

My tenancy agreement doesn't say I can't out pictures in the wall. I'm just really worried now and scared of telling them but I know I have to
Is there any other way I can get around this without getting in serious trouble?
And if they recover the costs can I pay weekly on top of rent or will they ask for it all straight away

You should always use a detector when drilling into walls, sounds like your other half has made the best of the situation in the circumstances. You will need to insulate where you have joined the cable though either with some replacement conduit or maybe a junction box . I doubt it has affected anything else as the trip went and cut the power . I would get it checked out though.

www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-pd06-digital-detector/37920

It's not the end of the world, if you can see that it's not burned the cable further up and down from the join I would get a bit of conduit and fill the wall and make good with paint. Just so you have peace of mind you do need an electrician look it over.

I can't tell you how much it will be, or how your landlord will deal with it, but stop worrying NOW.

It was an accident and everything did as it should by cutting the electricity to the damaged wires.

Your landlord may be insured for this, in which case the cost to them is the policy excess.

See what they have to say and deal with that, rather than worrying about what might be. IME an apology goes a long way.

By drilling into the cables they have made contact, the trip cut power. Your other half has reconnected cable using plastic cable joiners with screw clamping the wire. Your only problem really is getting it checked and making good the insulation and repair the damage to the wall

www.screwfix.com/p/20a-6-terminal-heavy-duty-junction-box-black/2195d

www.screwfix.com/search?search=conduit

That's the stuff the electrician will probably use to make good

OP - you've done the right thing arranging for an electrician to check everything, just make sure the landlord knows; he or she may want a report from the electrician, you'll find out when you speak to them.