Personally competent?

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In my life as an engineer I've designed switchboards and MCCs for some pretty big installations (Savoy Hotel, Dartmoor Prison, hospitals, RAF stations etc...) and now I'm thinking of rewiring the house I recently bought. It's only 30 years old but the 'protection'(!) consists of a fuseboard with 3 fuses; lights, power , cooker.
I plan to replace all the wiring and every electrical fitting, and some I will move to better positions. It will be split into logical circuits, each of which will be protected by RCD / RCBO / or appropriate item. Part P waffles on about competent persons and my question is this: I have a 17th Edition C&G Certificate (Installation, not Testing), but I'm not going to register and pay a fortune as I am not going to work as an electrician. Now where do you reckon I fit into the rules?
 
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You fit into the "pay your local council £200 to have it inspected & tested" category.

Either that or DIY and don't notify it (make sure you test the whole thing though). But you won't get much support for doing that on here.
 
Either that or DIY and don't notify it (make sure you test the whole thing though). But you won't get much support for doing that on here.
And you may have problems down the road explaining how the house was rewired without the LABC completion certificate. ;)
 
You notify the work to the your local building controls prior to work starting.
Pay the application fee.
They inspect on 1st and second fix.
It gets I&T by them or a third part.
Then they sign it off.
and wait for certs
Providing meets relevant standards.
 
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I hear some cowboys do it with the old colored wires that a friend bought for them on eBay (they sell for the same price as the new colors). So, if they were asked, well it was done pre part P wasn't it. Doubt any of those cowboys had your qualifications though. From what I hear, exactly none of them has been prosecuted.

Edited... Oh, at least some of those cowboys did read the part P before doing it though. You'd probably best read that before you pay £200 to the guy from the council who knows less about electricity than you do as an engineer to come and tell you that your work fits the bill.
 
Hi there

Do you not have an electrician (who is registered) friend who can "supervise" your work and test / sign off the job.

Council prices vary a great deal. It would be worth finding out how your local building controls operate the scheme. Here we have the most expensive if you are not reg'd at £285. But I see on the forum that in some areas; if you can demonstrate competency; and have test equipment they will charge only £45, a bargain.

Also you sound like a high flying top earning type of chap why not get a lowly local spark to do the job for you :D

Martin
 
Either that or DIY and don't notify it (make sure you test the whole thing though). But you won't get much support for doing that on here.

Which is something I find distinctly odd. Have so many people been so brainwashed into the "tax & regulate everything" approach of socialistic government that they don't see anything wrong with these extortionate fees and overbearing regulations?

And you may have problems down the road explaining how the house was rewired without the LABC completion certificate. ;)

How far down the road? The statute of limitations on building regs. enforcement is quite short. Once it expires, it doesn't matter if one of the tinpot little dictators at LABC finds out about it or not. So unless you're planning on selling up in less than a year or two, it's not going to matter.

I hear some cowboys do it with the old colored wires

The new cable was available before Part P came into force, so it's presence is not an indication of a potential breach of the building regs.

So when an 17th edition board is fitted, how do they explain that?

There's no such thing as a "17th edition board." There might be a date code on it somewhere which could give away when the work was done, but again, who's likely to find out within the short statute of limitations?
 
Also you sound like a high flying top earning type of chap why not get a lowly local spark to do the job for you :D

Martin

Maybe he just feels insulted the nanny state demeaned him to have to ask to do work on his own palace. I would if I was he.

Of course if you know what you are doing they will never know so their opinion doesn't have relevance in this topic anyway.

Do you really care about the opinion of a government which makes stealth tax under names such as "sex abuse victim surcharge" (for car owners):

Click.

No I'm not joking. It's almost like they are saying "if you have a brain, just don't mind me."
 
How far down the road? The statute of limitations on building regs. enforcement is quite short. Once it expires, it doesn't matter if one of the tinpot little dictators at LABC finds out about it or not. So unless you're planning on selling up in less than a year or two, it's not going to matter.
I don't disagree - it was more in comment to the possible pitfalls of not having a completion certificate.

At the risk of this turning into another Part P debate, now it's here I can't see it disappearing anytime soon - whether a change in goverment or not. :rolleyes:
 
As someone who has ignored part P and done what the hell they liked I will supply I am in favor of part P on the following:

1) If I did work bad enough to get found out, I deserve to get found out.
2) Electricians get a real trade.
3) It's only a crime if you get caught.

So... do as you think makes sense ;)
 
Also you sound like a high flying top earning type of chap why not get a lowly local spark to do the job for you :D

Martin

Maybe he just feels insulted the nanny state demeaned him to have to ask to do work on his own palace. I would if I was he.

Of course if you know what you are doing they will never know so their opinion doesn't have relevance in this topic anyway.

Do you really care about the opinion of a government which makes stealth tax under names such as "sex abuse victim surcharge" (for car owners):

Click.

No I'm not joking. It's almost like they are saying "if you have a brain, just don't mind me."

I just love it when some one philosophises over what another persons feeling might be. I would feel that I can express my own feelings about a matter without help.

As for whether the Part P police will ever catch up if he just does the job, there has been plenty on tis in previous posts.

And to your general point about politics in general in this country, well I for one am fed up with the lot of it. General election this year - none of the above~!

Martin

I have just read the link to the telegraph page and I think it is wonderful the more they can squeeze out of the common criminal the less the law abiding have to pay. Great idea.
 
"I would feel that I can express my own feelings about a matter without help." - What did you mean by this?

None of the above = apathy = no objection to the state of play = Labour?

How can the Part P police catch? I don't need to read the forum.

1) Grass - Be careful who you tell.
2) Enquiry - due to obvious effects of substandard work - Your problem.
3) Random probe - make some waffle up about the colors of the wires and gumtree.

No, I reallly don't see the part P police catching anyone other than those who they should. even when I agree their scope is wrong.
 

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