Meter tails.

[sparkwright]

Pictures may help us here, can't you drill the breeze block rather than chisel it? Can you replace any damaged blockwork?

 

[sparkwright]

Can you drill say 2 25mm holes next to each through the joist and wall, then remove half a brick or whatever above the floor, and/or another below the ceiling, to give you access to thread the cables through?

 

[sparkwright]

How deep are these joists?

 

[xm77]

just because I’m not familiar with the gear here and the practice does not mean I’m not competent, the reason I’m here is to make sure I follow the regs. And as far as I can tell there’s no maximum height for a main switch here.

Part M (section 1.18 - 2015 edition) "Access to and the use of buildings" of the UK Building Regulations requires NEW installations to have reasonable access and in particular regard to be made for those whose reach is limited, and for consumer units such that the unit is out of reach of children while being accessible to say those in a wheelchair.
That means means
1. sockets on walls such that their centre line is between 450mm and 1200mm from the ground.
2. Consumer units (and by implication any associated main switches) to be mounted such that the switches on them are between 1350mm and 1450mm from the ground.

There is nothing of course that preclude the continuing use and like for like replacement of existing consumer units etc in their (often dire) existing places where they have often been found. One I know of is in the garage which is very tall and a ladder is required to access the switches, another in a cloakroom requiring you to stand on the loo....

 

[baldykev]

Is this not notifiable work ? I guess you can not sign of your own work ,so who ever you are thinking of to sign work off ask them for there direction

 

[JohnW2]

Is this not notifiable work ?

One might have thought so, but it's hard to see that it would be (in England), since it's not work in bathroom zones, doesn't involve the replacement of a CU and does not appear to involve any 'new circuits'.

Kind Regards, John

 

[flameport]

Notifiable work in England or Wales, the new circuit is the one from the switchfuse to the consumer unit.
If done properly the consumer unit will be a new one anyway - it's exceptionally unlikely that the existing one is compliant.
In any event, all of the circuits will require extending/altering, and the whole lot will need to be properly inspected and tested.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Also, does not relocating the CU involve replacing it?

 

[John D v2.0]

The part m rules say that if something is not compliant then you can't make it less compliant than before. So it should be around 1400, but if it was at 1600 you can't put out at 1800.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Part M says nothing specific about heights and does not, in any case, apply to alterations.

The Wiring Regulations do say similar regarding less safe electrically than before but that would not apply here.

 

[JohnW2]

Notifiable work in England or Wales, the new circuit is the one from the switchfuse to the consumer unit.

I realise that we have to guess, since the Building do not define "new circuit", but do you really think that calling the extended tails 'a new circuit' is in keeping with the spirit of what is probably intended? If so, as often discussed, installation of an FCU would also become notifiable, wouldn't it?

If done properly the consumer unit will be a new one anyway - it's exceptionally unlikely that the existing one is compliant.

Agreed, but that's a different matter. I was talking about the work so far described by the OP, which doesn't include CU replacement.

In any event, all of the circuits will require extending/altering, and the whole lot will need to be properly inspected and tested.

Also true but, again, the fact that things should be inspected/tested (which is obviously true of any electrical work) has no bearing on whether or not the work is notifiable.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Also, does not relocating the CU involve replacing it?

Despite the derivation of the word ("re" .... "place") I don't think that 're-positioning' would normally taken to constitute 'replacement', do you?

If you said that you had "replaced your washing machine", I would think that virtually everyone would take that to mean that you had taken the previous one out of service and put a new/different one into service in its place. I don't think that (m)any people would even dream of the possibility that you meant that you had, say, moved the existing WM from one side of your kitchen to the other, do you?

However, again, just as the Building Regs don't define "new circuit", nor do they define "replacement" - so I would say that we are left with commonsense and normal usage of language.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

I merely ask the question.

As a location is a place then relocating must be replacing.

 

[xm77]

Part M says nothing specific about heights and does not, in any case, apply to alterations.

See
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/in...ts/80/part_m_-_access_to_and_use_of_buildings
Scroll down the page and download the PDF of Part M (2015 edition incorporating amendments in 2016)
Go to page 9 of the pdf which is section 1.18
para a) give the heights +/- for sockets.
para b) gives the heights +/-for conusmer units.

 

[JohnW2]

See
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/in...ts/80/part_m_-_access_to_and_use_of_buildings
Scroll down the page and download the PDF of Part M (2015 edition incorporating amendments in 2016)
Go to page 9 of the pdf which is section 1.18
para a) give the heights +/- for sockets.
para b) gives the heights +/-for conusmer units.

That is Approved Document M (guidance, not compulsory or 'law'). 'The law' (Part M of the Building Regs) is only what EFLI posted, in its entirety, in post #25.

Kind Regards, John