Sony Bravia TV...What should I do??

:On 18 mar, 02:27, Ross Herbert wrote: :> On Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:44:42 -0700 (PDT), snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: :>

:> :On 17 mar, 02:42, Ross Herbert wrote: :> : :> :> What he did was highly illegal. :> : :> :really? if it's his own house, how so? :>

:> Most civilised countries have legally enforcible laws requiring that electrical :> wiring be performed according to specified standards, and usually, alterations :> must be carried out by a qualified electrician - even in your own house. :>

:> Since the OP is in the UK, this is particularly so. : :In the Uk it is not 'highly illegal' to modify a mains lead on a Tv :set! stupid in this case, yes, but not illegal!

Modifying the appliance lead may not be illegal, but "chasing" it into a wall and then connecting it to the mains supply via an "in-line joiner" is. The appliance must be connected to the mains via an approved outlet which is accessible so that the appliance can be unplugged. I doubt that an in-line joiner (was this also chased into the wall?) which, from the OP's description, would not be easily accessible or would not allow the appliance to be unplugged.

Here in the USA it is illegal to run any appliance's power cord inside or through a wall. (National Electric Code) No matter what country you're in, the correct way to install your TV on the wall without the mains cable visible is to install a new outlet behind the TV. Depending on your local and national electric codes this connection should be made using Romex (Solid conductors covered by PVC sleeve) or BX (Armored cable). In some cases it is safe to tap into the nearest power outlet for this connection, but there are a lot of variables including how many outlets/fixtures are on the same circuit, how much amperage is being drawn on that circuit, etc. For example, you do not want your TV plugged into the same circuit as a refrigerator, air condtioner or other items that cause a large power drop when they start up.

If the TV has a standard removable power cord, replace it with a new cord and test the TV by plugging it directly into a wall outlet. If it works then you have probably not done any damage to the TV. If it doesn't work you should take it to a repair shop and have it repaired. Next, HAVE AN ELECTRICIAN INSTALL THE OUTLET BEHIND THE TV FOR YOU. It may seem expensive at first, but a qualified electrician won't burn down your house, destroying your property and perhaps killing you and your family.

Interesting thread. When I bought a dishwasher I tried to get an electrician to connect it. He wanted to tap into an existing outlet on the backsplash behind the sink. I told him to piss off, added a run of BX to the breaker box and added a new breaker dedicated to the dishwasher. Doing it myself might not have been legal, but it was a hell of a lot safer.

I've had the same sorts of experiences with licensed so-called professionals. My 70 year old water main split. I dug the entire 35' from the house back to the...Oh Spit! Someone had planted a tree smack on top of the line!

My wife, not believing I'd see the project through quickly enough, called the 'pros'. They came out the next day with a backhoe, intending to trench 'around' the tree...warning me that it would surely not survive the process.

According to Code hereabouts, a water main is allowed only one 90 degree joint, where it turns to go under the house. Not only were they going to kill my tree, they planned to go around the tree, putting three more elbows into the system. (The meter was only five feet from the tree.)

Fortunately, when they arrived, there was a car parked right in the way. I told them to take their machine away, come back the next day and I'd have the excavation done and ready for new pipe.

I excavated the pipe on the far side of the tree, cut it off on both sides and worked the stub out from the house-side. Before the hole could collapse, I threaded a garden hose through it, under the tree. My thought was that I could turn on the hose (my neighbor's) and wash out a larger hole with it.

It proved unnecessary. The plumbers arrived and after much head-scratching (and a threat to get sent away again), decided they 'could' get the new copper through that hole--and did. We used the same trick to get under the house foundation and into the basement, turning a $1600 job into a $400 one--and to Code. (I needed their sign-off to do the meter connection--and to mitigate the $1400 water bill I got the next month.)

jak