House Rewiring

[eyeofthebeholder]

Hi Guys,

After creating extensive plans for socket placements etc., we got in a few local sparks to give us quotes. After asking them various questions and coming up with different answers, I decided to take more of an interest in the regulations and have purchased both the ‘16ed Edition’ and ‘Electrician’s Guide to the Building Regulations’.

These guides only seem to give information on new installations only and from speaking to various people, there seems to be confusion on if some of the regulations can be ‘by-passed’ for rewires. Some questions on this are below:

1. Installing the Cables in Floors/Ceilings
It states that ‘When a cable is installed under a floor or above a ceiling it must be run in such a position that it is not liable to damage by contact with the floor or ceiling or their fixings. Unarmoured cables passing through a joist shall be at least 50mm from the top or bottom…..’
My flooring is the standard chipboard T&G and therefore extremely difficult to pull up. I have heard sparks using hole cutters to gain access to the floor space and then pass cables between the joists to another hole. How can these cables not be liable to damage as they will be resting on the ceiling below? The existing cables in the house are tacked to the side of joists over 50mm above/below, but how can this be done without pulling up all the flooring?

2. Socket Heights
It states that’s all sockets and switches should be in easy reach of all people which is stated to be between 45mm and 1200mm. All my existing sockets and switches are outside of these limits (by about 10-15mm). Will I have to move all these in-line with the regs or can I install exist and new sockets at the existing heights?

Thanks for you help!

Best Regards

Adam.

 

[securespark]

1. You can pull down the ceilings???

2. I believe you can fit sockets in existing positions on a rewire, as long as it is not a refurbishment.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Both those documents refer to all electrical works, not just new installations and no regulations can be 'bypassed'. On completion you, or your electrician will certify that the works comply with BS7671.

Your specific points:
1. The cable should be clipped to the joist so it meets the 50mm top and bottom requirement. If sparks do the drill and run thing then its wrong. A bit like exceeding the speed limit, its potentially dangerous, it happens everywhere but its wrong.

2. The socket height requirment is part of the disabled acess requirement (Building Regs Part M) this is meant for new buildings so u are ok to set your sockets the same as the existing.



Edit: Damn you SS. but look at my word count!

 

[pdcelec]

surface mini trunking everywhere. Job done

 

[Colin_p]

surface mini trunking everywhere. Job done

And wouldn't that look lovely.

 

[pdcelec]

The OP does not want to rip the floorboards up or take the ceilings down . I could see no other option

 

[eyeofthebeholder]

1. The cable should be clipped to the joist so it meets the 50mm top and bottom requirement. If sparks do the drill and run thing then its wrong. A bit like exceeding the speed limit, its potentially dangerous, it happens everywhere but its wrong.?

So you are saying it shouldn't be done, but everyone does it?

Away from the joists, there should be no screws or nails going into the ceilings anyway, and if there where, as there is no resistance in the cable, the cable would just move and therefore the screw would not pentrate the cable.

Also, I saw in a previous post this for protecting cables that do not exceed the 50mm through the joist. In the picture it shows the unprotected cable going between to joists under the 50mm. Surely this situation does not conform also as a nail/screw could hit the cable through the floor?

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_In...Index/Necessities~Cable_Protection/index.html


Thanks

Adam.

 

[eyeofthebeholder]

1. You can pull down the ceilings???

Looking at is - it is actually a more viable option. It means we can more easily live in the house while the work is done as no (or very little) flooring will have to be taken up.

It will also be easier to replace the ceiling as there is no T&G with it!

Downside is that all the ceilings will have to be artexed - but it will have to be done at some point anyway as we will need to redecorate!

 

[securespark]

Why Artexed??

They can be skimmed, surely?

 

[eyeofthebeholder]

Why Artexed??

They can be skimmed, surely?

Sorry, you are right! We want flat ceiling anyway.

Is this type of access through the ceiling to rewiring common?

How do other sparks gain access when there is T&G flooring in the house?

 

[electronicsuk]

How do other sparks gain access when there is T&G flooring in the house?

T&G flooring can still be cut to gain access, either using a circular saw set to the same depth as the boards themselves or with care using a floorboard saw.