How can I become a DIY electrician?

[NewOrder]

I have no intention of making this my career, but I would legally be able to do things like adding spurs, changing bathroom lights etc, and as I am a computer engineer I think this could also help my career.

What is the easiest way of becoming a P part competent person?

I am bored, its a long time since I left university and I just want to learn new skills.

I know how ring mains work etc, but I don't know all the regulations and I am sure they are better ways of working than my DIY taught methods.

I have no intention of learning how to rewire my house, but I would like to legally allowed to add an outdoor light with RCD protection etc.

 

[dingbat]

What is the easiest way of becoming a P part competent person?

For what you intend, joining a competent persons scheme is overkill.

You would need a minimum qualification to be eligible to join a scheme - the absolute, bare minimum (as in, not really enough on its own, if you're honest) would be a C & G 2382-10 (Seventeenth Edition Wiring Regs).

This teaches you nothing about electrical principles and installation - for that you'd need to consider a Domestic Installer or EAL course, neither of which would give you any in-depth knowledge... for that you'd need to consider C & G 2330 over 2-3 years.

But that would give you no practical experience... for that you'd need to arrange to work for an electrician.

As well as a basic qualification, in order to join a scheme you would need to purchase test equipment (say £500 + VAT) and buy £2m-worth of public liability insurance.

You would also need to be assessed on site at one or two jobs (depending on scheme) representative of the scope of work you are registering for.

In other words, unless you have money to burn, joining a scheme is only really for those who carry out a trade that involves electrical installations in dwellings.

On the other hand, Part P only requires that "Reasonable provision" be made and for the sort of jobs you have indicated, notification is unlikely to be an issue.

I'm not suggesting you carry on regardless, but rather than use a sledgehammer, why not crack your particular nut by investing in a decent electrical library and some basic test equipment?

 

[Hainsey]

IMHO for the prices of the relevent courses etc you'd be better making friends with a local sparky.

Dont mean to be negative but was hoping to start a 36week city & guilds course at night school and that was £900 then there's another 36 week course after that also costing £900ish and then part p course (about £250) not to mention 17th edition. I want to be proffessional domestic sparky, a commercial/light industrial course will be more money still then there's the issue of practical experience.

I dont think there are any DIY courses because DIYers are not supposed to sign off their own installations hence the reason for the regs in the first place.

 

[NewOrder]

Thanks

I will just buy the 17th edition and just make sure I only do work permited under part P and get a sparky in to do anything else.

The outdoor lights don't need to be bright so I will just use solar ones.

I have a multi meter for checking resistance, and I have a very basic socket tester which is pretty useless as they don't test the resistance of connections etc.

Changing light fittings/sockets/switches in none special zones is as much as I would ever need to do anyway.

I might think about a PAT testing course as an adition to my business.

It seems like being a domestic sparkie must be a dying trade if with all the courses you need to take, although most trades/careers take several years to learn.

 

[mattylad]

Give up now & look for a better job in IT

 

[NewOrder]

I really enjoy my job though I just get bored as fitting power supplies and removing viruses is not stimulating when you have done is 10000 times.

The way the electrical trade is going it seems you will need a degree in physics before you can even start the C&G courses soon or later :.

 

[sm1thson]

I have a multi meter for checking resistance, and I have a very basic socket tester which is pretty useless as they don't test the resistance of connections etc.

A multimeter isnt accurate for high resistances or low resistances, which are the two scenarios you test for in electrics. Read up on testing its the area that is most overlooked in the DIY world, even if you dont end up testing things yourself, understanding the testing help you understand a lot more about the subject.

I will just buy the 17th edition and just make sure I only do work permited under part P and get a sparky in to do anything else.

where possible use the local authority building control way of notifying jobs, just because something is notifiable doesn't mean you cant do it.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I will just buy the 17th edition

And the OSG, the EGTTBR, a good guide to the Wiring Regulations, and Guidance notes 1, 3, 7 & 8. See this: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=75416#75416

and just make sure I only do work permited under part P

There is nothing not permitted under Part P...

The outdoor lights don't need to be bright so I will just use solar ones.

By "don't need to be bright" do you mean "don't actually need to illuminate anything, just give off a gentle decorative glow"?

I have a multi meter for checking resistance, and I have a very basic socket tester which is pretty useless as they don't test the resistance of connections etc.

Start looking on eBay for insulation resistance, continuity, loop & RCD testers....

Changing light fittings/sockets/switches in none special zones is as much as I would ever need to do anyway.

That's a bit different from "What is the easiest way of becoming a P part competent person?"....

It seems like being a domestic sparkie must be a dying trade if with all the courses you need to take, although most trades/careers take several years to learn.

You've always needed (as in "should take") all those courses.

 

[aptsys]

A multimeter isnt accurate for high resistances or low resistances,

Depends on the multimeter. I have a Metrawatt multimeter accurate to 5 decimal places even on the milliohm ranges...

 

[ericmark]

joydivision wrote:

I will just buy the 17th edition

And the OSG, the EGTTBR, a good guide to the Wiring Regulations, and Guidance notes 1, 3, 7 & 8. See this: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=75416#75416
Well book 3 at least but I can’t see even an allied trade being able to understand BS7671:2008 it would be like asking most electricians what is dotted decimal may be easy with someone to explain but hard to pick-up without.

Quote:
and just make sure I only do work permitted under part P

There is nothing not permitted under Part P...
I concur DIY’er is allowed to do the lot it is easy jobs which get daft replace a non run on fan for run on fan and council want £70 which is more than whole job costs?

Quote:
The outdoor lights don't need to be bright so I will just use solar ones.

By "don't need to be bright" do you mean "don't actually need to illuminate anything, just give off a gentle decorative glow"?
In the main I concur but using solar cells can also require part p if not one piece unit again daft prices from council.

Quote:
I have a multi meter for checking resistance, and I have a very basic socket tester which is pretty useless as they don't test the resistance of connections etc.

Start looking on eBay for insulation resistance, continuity, loop & RCD testers....
To hire all singing dancing £75 per week. Single meter about £35 per week. Since I would think you will soon get fed up I would hire for first job and see how you get on.

Quote:
Changing light fittings/sockets/switches in none special zones is as much as I would ever need to do anyway.

That's a bit different from "What is the easiest way of becoming a P part competent person?"....
That’s now all I do and I am qualified as costs too much to do small jobs under Part P full re-wire OK but add a socket in kitchen no way.

Quote:
It seems like being a domestic sparkie must be a dying trade if with all the courses you need to take, although most trades/careers take several years to learn.

You've always needed (as in "should take") all those courses.

Again I concur but for many years the domestic trade did many things that in industry would have been an no no and rules have not changed much only the enforcement and still you get people asking can’t I do xxxx without fitting an RCD. In industry it was why did that fail. On same RCD as what! Then fit RCBO’s now. i.e. down time costs money and forget rules and regulations industrial injuries are also expensive so it was done correct and any chance’ers were quickly shown the door well at least in the main as I carried on working and now it’s the same for domestic market.

__________________

That’s my opinions
Eric
P.S. like yourself I did get a degree so we know what that means!!!

 

[ericmark]

I have yet to see a multimeter that uses 500 volt for insulation test or 200ma for continuity test this shows how a little knowledge is dangerous much better than anything I could have written.
Eric

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Eric - do you have something against using the quote button?

 

[ericmark]

Eric - do you have something against using the quote button?

I see easy when you know how!!!!!!!!
But how do you double quote?

 

[Adam_151]

just enslose what you want in the quote bubble in quote tags:


[ quote ] this is a quote [ /quote ] (without the spaces around the brackets)

can do it as many times as you want in a post

 

[ezekiel]

How can I become a DIY electrician?



you could do it yourself