Rewiring Sockets

[shapnacker]

Hi there.

We have just bought an old house that was replastered and redecorated by the previous owner. He has also had all the lighting rewired, unfortunately the sockets need an upgrade. To save money I am thinking of running the wire myself and then hire an electrician to connect everything up.

My question is, can I run the new wire behind the skirting board instead of running the cable through the loft and chsing out the newly plastered walls?

 

[davelx]

NO.

See //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:installation_techniques:walls

 

[sparkiemike]

Hi there.
...I am thinking of running the wire myself and then hire an electrician to connect everything up....

Check that the electrician is prepared to accept this arrangement BEFORE YOU START. Most electricains will not sign off work done by others as the building regs don't allow it.

 

[sparkwright]

Hi there.

We have just bought an old house that was replastered and redecorated by the previous owner. He has also had all the lighting rewired, unfortunately the sockets need an upgrade. To save money I am thinking of running the wire myself and then hire an electrician to connect everything up.

My question is, can I run the new wire behind the skirting board instead of running the cable through the loft and chsing out the newly plastered walls?

You can run cables behind skirting boards vertically, ie from the floor vertically to a socket above.

But you can't run them horizontally behind skirting boards.

 

[shapnacker]

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to drop them from the loft after all. I can't see that a qualified Electrician would not complete the work. I have not cut any wires or connected anything, I have just run a 100 metre wire. could this be an issue?

 

[SimonH2]

Check that the electrician is prepared to accept this arrangement BEFORE YOU START. Most electricains will not sign off work done by others as the building regs don't allow it.

But then it doesn't need signing off for BR - it's not notifiable unless he takes the opportunity to add sockets int eh kitchen (and he can replace/rewire those).

 

[davelx]

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to drop them from the loft after all. I can't see that a qualified Electrician would not complete the work. I have not cut any wires or connected anything, I have just run a 100 metre wire. could this be an issue?

He'd need to be sure how and where you had run them!

 

[EFLImpudence]

Thanks for the advice. I've decided to drop them from the loft after all. I can't see that a qualified Electrician would not complete the work. I have not cut any wires or connected anything, I have just run a 100 metre wire. could this be an issue?

Check that the electrician is prepared to accept this arrangement BEFORE YOU START. Most electricains will not sign off work done by others as the building regs don't allow it.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have just run a 100 metre wire. could this be an issue?

I don't know - you tell us.

You seem adamant, despite what people whom you have asked for advice are telling you, that you are competent to do circuit design to such a standard that an electrician would be quite happy to sign official documents to say that he had done it.

So as I say - you tell us - would 100m of wire be OK from a voltage drop and R1+R2 perspective?

 

[shapnacker]

Hello ban-all-sheds.

"So as I say - you tell us - would 100m of wire be OK from a voltage drop and R1+R2 perspective?"

Not sure what you mean.

 

[ericmark]

We are told the maximum amount of 2.5 mm sq cable that can be used in a final ring is 106 meters. In many cases it is less than this. In BS7671:2008 there is a formula (Equation 6) Appendix 4 - 6.1 which says how to calculate the maximum lenght.

When it comes to testing and inspecting you will be able to check it has not been exceeded with the loop impedance meter. So if you get it wrong it will not be passed and you start all over again.

In real terms because of the cost of the meters required and the charges levied by the LABC it is unlikely that any DIY job will comply with regulations.

In the same way as most motorists will exceed the speed limit from time to time even if unintentional so most DIY electrical work will also be to the letter breaking the law. Just as 31 MPH in 30 area breaks the law the same as 50 MPH in 30 area but the latter is far more serious so it is with electrical work.

Breaking the rules can cause accidents and can result in fines. Plus with electrical work it can make selling the house a problem plus unlike car insurance which is controlled by road traffic act the house insurance can refuse to pay out.

Like travelling on a bus getting the electrician who is a scheme member to do the work does not mean rules will not be broken bus drivers do speed but it will not be your problem.

To replace a damaged socket is like speeding by just a couple of MPH where as doing whole rewire is like doing 80 in 30 limit.

What you are doing when asking an electrician to sign it off is like getting some one else to say they were driving. I am sure I would not sign a tacho card if I was not driving. Or sign out the company pool car.

I hope that puts it into prospective. You can get an electrician to do an electrical condition report but not an installation certificate.

 

[Grizzly]

Hello ban-all-sheds.

"So as I say - you tell us - would 100m of wire be OK from a voltage drop and R1+R2 perspective?"

Not sure what you mean.

Which I think rather proves his point!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

But then it doesn't need signing off for BR - it's not notifiable unless he takes the opportunity to add sockets int eh kitchen.

Which bit of Schedule 2 exempts all that new fixed cabling?

 

[shapnacker]

Thanks for all the feedback.

The common consensus seems to be not to lay the cables even if I do not cut at any point as I might not lay them correctly?

Can I still chase the walls or does this have to be done by a fully qualified electrician as well.

Thanks

 

[JohnW2]

But then it doesn't need signing off for BR - it's not notifiable unless he takes the opportunity to add sockets int eh kitchen.

Which bit of Schedule 2 exempts all that new fixed cabling?

If one were of a mind to try to stretch the rules beyond their apparent 'spirit' ... if one were to retain some token bit of the existing sockets circuit(s), then I suppose that all of the new sockets and new cabling could be argued to be 'adding sockets to an existing circuit' - and, whilst the Schedule is not explicit about this, I would not have thought that removal of the unused bits (nearly all of the original circuits) would be notifiable.

Kind Regards, John