Table lamps, via wall switches, do I need an FCU

[Paul_C]

For BS7671, fair enough. I was taking "not permitted" to mean not legally permitted by Building Regs. etc.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So you'd advise people to deliberately contravene BS 7671?

 

[Paul_C]

So you'd advise people to deliberately contravene BS 7671?

I would advise people to do whatever is reasonable and safe. That can be done without slavishly following every detail of BS7671, which as you well know is not mandatory.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

am having a professional rewire in a few weeks time

how would you suggest that a professional approaches the problem of carrying out notifiable work which contravenes BS 7671, which probably also contravenes his terms of membership of his scheme?

And why is your instinct always to look for ways to do things which don't comply with BS 7671 but which you believe could be presented as being a reasonable thing to do, rather than trying to find solutions which do comply?

"Not mandatory" is NOT equivalent to "to be ignored unless unavoidable".

 

[Paul_C]

how would you suggest that a professional approaches the problem of carrying out notifiable work which contravenes BS 7671

What problem? His legal obligation is to carry out work which complies with Part P of the Building Regulations. Part P does not require compliance with BS7671. The guidance notes in the Approved Document even say as much. Or do you mean the problem of a job being notified other than under one of the schemes and a building inspector trying to impose rules which don't exist?

which probably also contravenes his terms of membership of his scheme?

That's a rather different issue, which does raise the issue of why all of the schemes stipulate following BS7671 when there is no legal compulsion to follow it, and when official guidance even explicitly mentions two dozen other standards as being acceptable for complying with Part P.

And why is your instinct always to look for ways to do things which don't comply with BS 7671 but which you believe could be presented as being a reasonable thing to do, rather than trying to find solutions which do comply?

It isn't. In this instance I stated that in my opinion it would be easier and better to use BS546 sockets. But if there was some overriding reason for wanting or needing to use connectors of a different type which aren't shuttered, I don't see that as being a major issue just because of BS7671, because I don't regard compliance with every last little requirement of BS7671 as being the most important thing.

Compared to the fact that if you remove the lamp from those table lamps which will be plugged into the sockets there are live contacts which can be touched very easily, the use of unshuttered sockets is actually a pretty trivial point.

"Not mandatory" is NOT equivalent to "to be ignored unless unavoidable".

Neither is "BS7671 is the generally followed standard" equivalent to "BS7671 must be followed in every detail at all times."