Basic Electrics - Legalities and Difficulty

[bmouthboyo]

Morning all,

Currently undergoing renovating my kitchen in my 70's bungalow and looking into whether or not it will be possible to handle some of the electrics myself, or if it is not really worth the saving over a sparky.

The previous installers have bodged some bits I think that were hidden behind the old kitchen units so looking to tidy all that up too.

This is the first wall and details of work:

1) The air bricks were covered up by the previous units but will now be exposed so not sure if they are essential (will have extractor fan above hob).

2) By the window I think had an old extractor and switch. Would like to use the switch location for the outdoor light which is currently next to existing double socket.

3) Would like to add a new spotlight above the double socket with a switch for it to the left of the socket.

This is the second wall:

4) Remove both existing sockets as there will be a cupboard there.

5) Install a new double socket near where the wall has been removed as well as a dimmer switch for the 2 lights that are temporarily wired to the switch at the top right.

Extractor:

6) This previously was plugged into this dodgy looking plug above some units. New extractor will need power so not sure best way to get this?

If I was to do this myself would it all be legal or would it need signing off by an electrician? If so how much would that cost and would I be better off getting it all done professionally. Want to have the job done correctly but also prefer to approach things DIY if possible to save costs and learn something new

Any advice on the numbered points above much appreciated, Cheers.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I'll just comment on the airbricks and leave the rest of the points to others...

Air bricks were essential in the days of coal fires, no central heating, none room sealed gas appliances, single glazing, poorly fitting windows and doors, condensation and no forced ventilation. My house originally had several of them, but they were blocked in the 1980's, when we had CH installed. Since then I added, DG, CW insulation, forced ventilation - extract in the kitchen, extract in the bathroom and a complete ban on drying any clothes in the house. Basically I prevented all preventable sources of moisture creation in the house.

We have a condensing drier in the utility, but rather than use that, I added several washing hanging lines, added a wall fan to stir the air and a dehumidifier with a drain, to remove the moisture in the room. That works out much cheaper than the drier, dries many more clothes in one go overnight and leaves them perfectly dry for next morning.

 

[ericmark]

Question one is where do you live, in Wales a kitchen is a special location, but it is not in England, so rules change depending where you live. As to safety forgetting regulations for the moment, you need to be able to inspect and test your work, there are forms on the IET web site, and filling in the form is a good tick list to ensure you have done the right checks even if you then bin the form.

You can get an electrical installation condition report (EICR) after the event, but not an installation or minor works certificate, person doing the work must fill in those.

There is no qualification to be an electrician, although there are a string of qualifications that show to other people you have the skill required, as DIY the main person you need to convince that you have the required skill is the local authority building control (LABC), and I found even with a string of qualifications it was hard to get them to allow me to do the whole job, if they require you to get a EICR then cost of the report can exceed the cost of getting an electrician to do the work.

On this site there are pictures of safe zones etc. And in England only a new circuit would require the involvement of LABC, even in Wales I am sure most never bother telling the LABC anyway as the fee is for first £1000 worth of work, it was 10% plus vat, so with small jobs the fee can be more than the job.

In theory the LABC should have a record of work done, one would have expected it would be like the energy rating and you could go on line and view the certificates, however I have not seen such a web site, and it seems the electrical firms only declare their work complies, they don't say exactly what they have done, so there is nothing to show what is what even if the completion or compliance certificate was available on line.

 

[bmouthboyo]

Question one is where do you live, in Wales a kitchen is a special location, but it is not in England, so rules change depending where you live. As to safety forgetting regulations for the moment, you need to be able to inspect and test your work, there are forms on the IET web site, and filling in the form is a good tick list to ensure you have done the right checks even if you then bin the form.

You can get an electrical installation condition report (EICR) after the event, but not an installation or minor works certificate, person doing the work must fill in those.

There is no qualification to be an electrician, although there are a string of qualifications that show to other people you have the skill required, as DIY the main person you need to convince that you have the required skill is the local authority building control (LABC), and I found even with a string of qualifications it was hard to get them to allow me to do the whole job, if they require you to get a EICR then cost of the report can exceed the cost of getting an electrician to do the work.

On this site there are pictures of safe zones etc. And in England only a new circuit would require the involvement of LABC, even in Wales I am sure most never bother telling the LABC anyway as the fee is for first £1000 worth of work, it was 10% plus vat, so with small jobs the fee can be more than the job.

In theory the LABC should have a record of work done, one would have expected it would be like the energy rating and you could go on line and view the certificates, however I have not seen such a web site, and it seems the electrical firms only declare their work complies, they don't say exactly what they have done, so there is nothing to show what is what even if the completion or compliance certificate was available on line.

Thanks for the reply eric. I am based in England so seems I do not have to worry about regulations nor the LABC for my proposed work?

 

[Simon35]

Thanks for the reply eric. I am based in England so seems I do not have to worry about regulations nor the LABC for my proposed work?

Your work should be compliant with Wiring Regs. That means designing, installing and testing.. Whether you choose to DIY, to notify the LABC or whatever is a different issue.

 

[ericmark]

If we look at worse case scenario the death of Emma Shaw shows us courts we work out who was reasonable and will dish out prison sentences. So you need to show you did all you could to ensure the installation was safe. This means you need minor works and/or installation certificates to show you had a duty of care.

Clearly anyone can lie, however if the readings shown on the certificate match the readings taken after an accident where they can be compared, then the inspectors and courts are likely to believe you did all in your power to ensure it was safe. So if the earth loop impedance on your certificate shows 1.2Ω and when they measure they find 0.68Ω they will likely assume you guessed the figures and the certificate is a pack of lies, but if it shows 1.28Ω that would be put down to meter calibration.

Not completing the certificate is like not having insurance for your car, in the past people have got away without insurance for years, and unless they had a crash no one checked, OK different now. But with your paper work, if nothing goes wrong then not questioned, but if as with Emma Shaw some one puts a nail through a cable, then they will look at the paper work.

I wanted a complete rewire of this house, I needed it fast, and also needed paperwork to be able to rent it out, I added cost of new meters to test the work and cost of LABC fees, and it was going to save me around £500 to DIY, so since I wanted it fast, it was better to get a firm in who when they had a chance of not completing on time flooded the house with labour to ensure it was on time.

If you don't have test equipment it will likely cost £750 to get some be it hired or bought second hand. Without it you don't know if the house is safe, maybe you can get away without testing the RCD or measuring the loop impedance, likely if the test button works, the RCD is OK, and 12 months latter your tests mean nothing as far as that goes, and using a simple ohm meter you can test earth is there, although something like the EZ150 plug in tester would be a better idea, even if the reading are not really accurate enough, and an insulation tester will cost without calibration around £35, but next question is do you know how to do it all?

Even doing it on the cheap, it will likely cost £100 for testers. So if using the EZ150 you enter better that 1.5Ω where the pass is likely 1.35Ω so you don't know if it passes but at least you know there is an earth.