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Water Damaged Wiring To Sky+ Box
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Hey,
Am looking for a bit of advise regarding our water damaged wiring to our SKY+ box.
We moved into our terrace house about 9 1/2 years ago, and had SKY installed almost immediately. As the dish had to be situated at the back, wiring was draped over the roof and into the house.
We upgraded to SKY+ about 3 or so years ago, and all was fine until about 18 months ago when we started having problems with the feed to our box (loss of signal, recording failures etc). We have insurance, so had the engineer visited and replaced the box each time (all but the last occasion with re-conditioned boxes). We thought we were just unlucky with the re-con boxes failing ... so finally were given a new box. Within weeks it to started malfunctioning; now it works okay'ish as long as we dont try to record second channel, but it is starting to have signal issues when we first switch on now (or if we change channels) and all we can do is switch off at the wall to crash it.
We did a bit of research, and discovered we could having water damage to our wiring ... so asked for a high rise team to investigate. Today, just an engineer arrived and not the high rise team as expected. Anyway, he has confirmed that the wiring is water damaged and has fried the second feed into the box. So he left without doing anything, as giving us another box would only temporarily solve the problem.
The engineer said that although the cabelling over the roof could be re-done the same thing will happen again due to the gradiant on the roof, so said that really we need the cabelling to run through the house out of the back. Okay, thats fine ... but here lies the problem ... we will have to source the drilling to be done for ourselves as they can only drill external walls.
I know its a relatively minor issue, but its just frustrating, as we will be out of pocket as will have to get someone in to drill the holes (as havent got a drill that would be man enough for the job).
We have been advised by SKY Customer Services to write in, and I am hoping that since we have had 18 months of problem after problem, that they will be receptive to re-imbursing us.
Its not the money, its the principle. Am just so frustrated.
Has anyone else experienced similiar problems?
Sorry for the long posting!!
Michelle
Am looking for a bit of advise regarding our water damaged wiring to our SKY+ box.
We moved into our terrace house about 9 1/2 years ago, and had SKY installed almost immediately. As the dish had to be situated at the back, wiring was draped over the roof and into the house.
We upgraded to SKY+ about 3 or so years ago, and all was fine until about 18 months ago when we started having problems with the feed to our box (loss of signal, recording failures etc). We have insurance, so had the engineer visited and replaced the box each time (all but the last occasion with re-conditioned boxes). We thought we were just unlucky with the re-con boxes failing ... so finally were given a new box. Within weeks it to started malfunctioning; now it works okay'ish as long as we dont try to record second channel, but it is starting to have signal issues when we first switch on now (or if we change channels) and all we can do is switch off at the wall to crash it.
We did a bit of research, and discovered we could having water damage to our wiring ... so asked for a high rise team to investigate. Today, just an engineer arrived and not the high rise team as expected. Anyway, he has confirmed that the wiring is water damaged and has fried the second feed into the box. So he left without doing anything, as giving us another box would only temporarily solve the problem.
The engineer said that although the cabelling over the roof could be re-done the same thing will happen again due to the gradiant on the roof, so said that really we need the cabelling to run through the house out of the back. Okay, thats fine ... but here lies the problem ... we will have to source the drilling to be done for ourselves as they can only drill external walls.
I know its a relatively minor issue, but its just frustrating, as we will be out of pocket as will have to get someone in to drill the holes (as havent got a drill that would be man enough for the job).
We have been advised by SKY Customer Services to write in, and I am hoping that since we have had 18 months of problem after problem, that they will be receptive to re-imbursing us.
Its not the money, its the principle. Am just so frustrated.
Has anyone else experienced similiar problems?
Sorry for the long posting!!
Michelle
0
Comments
The easy option, rather than drilling internal walls is to run the wire up from the dish at the back of the house and into the loft through the eaves. Then across the loft and back out the other side via the same method. This prevents unsightly wires inside your house and is also a lot cleaner and neater than drilling through numerous internal and external walls.
If your loft is fully boarded there is a chance a standard Sky install should be able to do this for you. You might require the special heights team or an independent depending on if the eaves need to be reached from the outside, or can be accessed from the loft cavity.
Unfortunately Sky installers will not normally enter un-boarded lofts due to the risk of them falling through ceilings. Nothing to stop you entering the loft yourself and feeding the cable for them however.
As already suggested, can you run new cables through the loft? - or get a non-Sky installer to do it for you?.
I hope that helps
My nearby neighbour had a Sky install with miles of cable over the roof,drop down over a sharp tile,a bit of wind your problems start. I pointed this out & he contacted Sky,after a few arguments an engineer taped the coax over the tile.
In the old days of analogue, it was gradual, with digital almost
immediate, well quicker now to loose quality.
Ok judging by the comment about only drilling external walls, my money is on your last visitor being a sub-contractor. We will and I always have drilled internal walls where necessary. It is slower and a lot more delicate but can be done quite neatly with a bit of care and attention. Now I've seen carious post discussing the do's and dont's of a cable over the roof and unfortunately sometimes it is not possible other than to take cable over the roof. Some will say it should be tied on the tiles all the way over or it will rub. Now in my experience I have a 25 year old aerial cable which has just dangled over my roof and is still un-damaged water wise. Personally if I have to take the cable over the roof, I try and feed it behind the gutter and put a clip as close to the eaves as possible in order to keep it tight. I have seen just as many water damaged cables going straight down the wall as I have going over the roof. Strangely most of the water damaged cables I see are ct100 and not shotgun cable. If you want the cable taken through the house then a sky installer will drill the holes as well as some independants. By the way the installer leaving you without fixing the fault is unacceptable as well.
In addition you have had 8/9 years of reliable viewing so it wasn't a completely poor decision to run the cables over the roof initially. Most customer's digiboxes would have given up the ghost within that time period, never mind the cabling.
A cable over the roof will eventually wear through but with a bit of care can be made to last.
There are times when there is no option but to take it over the roof and in these instances I wrap a load of amalgamating tape around a section of the cable. When pulled over the roof I line this bit up with the ridge.
I also do as CTD does - feeding the cable behind the gutter where possible, pull it tight and clip it to the fascia board.
Incidentally, in response to Nigel's comment re unboarded lofts. I go into lofts relatively frequently (in addition to flat roof work, it is one of the reasons we carry crawl boards). If running a cable through a loft is necessary then I'll escalate to my manager and then hop up and do the job. Never had a problem with him agreeing it. I'll only do it though if it's a reasonably clear loft - too much junk and clutter and there's no hope. In these instances the customer will have to go up if they want it in the loft.
Not trying to cause an argument or anything, but why is it such bad practice to throw cables over a roof when I would guess 70%+ of aerials are fitted on the chimney where I live and most if any are not clipped to the tiles. Surely water would cause more damage to the tv than knocking out a tuner on a sky box. Yet I very rarely see water damaged aerial cables. Just curious as to your thoughts thats all.
Going up and OVER causes a great deal more damage than just coming down - most water damage to aerial cables usually occurs at the gutter level - Sky cables thrown over the roof are normally worn through at the apex.
Historically you used to get water damaged TV's, then you got water damaged VCR's (as the aerial no longer fed the TV) - now it's mainly Sky boxes, as the aeraila nd the dish leads go directly in the box.
Depending on the level of water, it very often writes the box/VCR/TV off - sometimes all three - don't stack your VCR and Sky box on top of the TV!
I've yet to see water damage anything other than the tuner on a sky box, but like I was saying earler we have been issued with 'super rods' now to help get the cables over the roof in a 'controlled' manner so that we are not launching them off the top of a ladder. Unfortunately you do get a lot of lofts that are completely impassible due to clutter never mind non-boarded ones which leaves us sometimes with no other alternative then going over. Got to say though I've yet to have to replace a shotgun cable thats full of water, always ct100.
The call has been left 'open' with SKY and we need to inform them when we have had the holes drilled in the wall. He didnt want to give us a new box as the same thing will happen ... and wasnt able to go on the roof, so thats why nothing was repaired.
Given the comments regarding going via the loft, my husband has been discussing with a friend who suggested exactly this. Our loft is unboarded.
We are going to get an independant person in to let us know the best option, as want to get it sorted as soon as possible as at the moment cant use sky to any great extent, but am frustrated that we have to do this and that SKY arnt really assisting.
Am a tad frustrated to say the least ... but never really considered that the wiring was the problem ... surely the engineers should have established this earlier? I suppose with hindsight we should have questioned it ... but neither my husband or I are by any means experts and just accepted what the engineers told us!
Thanks again for all the advise, much appreciated.
Michelle
I think that the other option is to ask our Sky repairer whether their high ladders team will be prepared to go into our unboarded loft, drill through the external walls and run the cable through. Our loft is pretty clear and there is plenty of room to work in as this is an old house.
A friend had an install at a flat using a private contractor. They mounted dish at rear then ran through internal walls to front room and bedroom for multiroom - they charged 150 pounds.
I have drilled internal walls myself - 20 pound drill from Wickes, 5 pound drill bit, 20 pound for a drum of cable from wilkinsons.
That's the problem - Sky don't send 'engineers', they only send installers - who have no technical skills or training as an engineer.
It's like going to see your doctor, and then finding out you're been examined and treated by a receptionist.
In fairness I doubt any domestic aerial companies employ engineers to do install work. Would be slight overkill
Certainly not - but they don't claim they employ 'engineers'.
Well i've come across plenty that do, not just in aerial/sat but washing machine repairs, IT, car mechanics etc. Sky certainly aren't the only guilty party.
All fairly technical jobs, requiring a good degree of knowledge, skill and ability - NOT just bolting a dish on a wall and running a couple of wires, which is essentially 'unskilled'.
While I'm chief engineer in the service department, on the odd occasions I get involved fitting a Sky dish I call myself an installer - I'm 'installing' a system not 'engineering' anything.
Still installation/maintainance stuff though. There may be a differentiator in that Sky's lot are far less capable installers/technicians, but these trades don't 'graduate' to engineer status upon being able to do more things and do them better.
Engineering is about the design of products/solutions using the principles of science. It's something totally different.
Try this thesaurus definition:
"engineer - a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems"
I wonder does seeing water falling out of the cable and deciding its buggered count as using scientific knowledge? I mean it was science lessons in school that taught me electricity and water don't mix.
Which doesn't apply to a lot of uk jobs that are titled 'engineer', such as the ones I listed, to name but a few.