Swapping over my consumer unit this weekend...

[Gmw]

I beleive you have good intentions with doing your job yourself.

In the past year since becoming fully fleged i have been asked to install CCUs they have self purchased thinking they have themselves a bargain.
Once it has been explained that it is not as simple as a straight swap people think they are capable of doing it themselves. Fair play you would like to give it a go yourself, obviously the best way to save them pennies. but like everyone else has stated it is never a simple swap.

Before the board can even be considered for changing it is needed that all circuits are electrically sound by performing the necessary tests. for the cost of changing the board by a professional sparky (no more than £400 (on average)) itll cost you near upto that for the LABC of which they may not even grant the job a certificate rendering your time, money and installation worthless.

Also l nothing worse than a nuisance tripping, especially when ya favourite tv program is on or the kettle is on the boil!

Good luck to you anyway

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And of course there's the possibility that some of the existing circuits are wrong, and that like-for-like replacement of MCBs should not be done.

 

[Gees]

Doesnt the LABC do the testing? and supply the test results ? If not they are breaking their own laws...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They are not obliged to do any particular testing, nor are they obliged to provide a BS 7671 I&T EIC.

 

[Taylortwocities]

They may just come to view your 'expertise' and to review the results from your testing as provided on the Schedule of Test Results.

They may send an experienced electrician (they now use folk from NAPIT, etc who are qualified in Inspection and Testing). He may look at your paperwork and decide that your Zs for a particular circuit is too high for the cpd that you have selected and kick you into touch.
or
They may just send a retired carpenter who will not know anything about electrics.

If you use a registered electrician then none of this happens. The electrician is authorised to test and certify his own work and will then tell LABC that everything complies with Building Regulations. No council men at all, and no council fees.

 

[Gees]

They are not obliged to do any particular testing, nor are they obliged to provide a BS 7671 I&T EIC.

On page 11 of the document P under Certification of notifiable work paragraph 1.26 seems to be disagreeing with you?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

On page 11 of the document P under Certification of notifiable work paragraph 1.26 seems to be disagreeing with you?

1.25 The amount of inspection and testing
needed is for the building control body to decide,
based on the nature and extent of the electrical
work. For relatively simple notifiable jobs, such
as adding a socket-outlet to a kitchen circuit,
the inspection and testing requirements will be
minimal. For a house re-wire, a full set of inspections
and tests may need to be carried out.

1.26 The building control body may choose to
carry out the inspection and testing itself, or to
contract out some or all of the work to a specialist
body which will then carry out the work on its
behalf. Building control bodies will carry out the
necessary inspection and testing at their
expense, not at the householders’ expense.

1.27 A building control body will not issue a
BS 7671 installation certificate (as these can be
issued only by those carrying out the work), but
only a Building Regulations completion certificate
(the local authority) or a final certificate (an
approved inspector).

They are not obliged to do any particular testing

That's what 1.25 confirms.

nor are they obliged to provide a BS 7671 I&T EIC.

That's what 1.27 confirms.

 

[spacecat]

u lot dont know a wind up when u see one

 

[Monkeh]

u lot dont know a wind up when u see one

And you don't know how to spell, your point?

 

[Gees]

If the labc decide there IS testing to do then does para 1.26 apply and if they deem no testing is required then there is no need to test at all?

 

[Gees]

u lot dont know a wind up when u see one

There was a similar post from a scottish chappie a few months ago with a similar theme.. Possibly an alter ego of the OP.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

u lot dont know a wind up when u see one

I must admit I did wonder.

What with him and that greengoddess thing (thankfully now expunged - well done admin/mods) I did wonder if the new Govt had already started cutting by closing down some of the homes for the Hard Of Thinking.....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If the labc decide there IS testing to do then does para 1.26 apply and if they deem no testing is required then there is no need to test at all?

Yes, and Yes, but it would, IMO, be irresponsible to say that no testing was needed.

Don't forget that (in theory at any rate) when you notify work you have to say what you will do, i.e. what standards and procedures etc you will follow, to ensure that your work complies with P1. It is then the responsibility of Building Control, having taken your money, to satisfy themselves that you have done what you said you would.

I do have sympathy with LABC's plight. If you're putting up a building and you say that one of the things you'll do to comply with Part A is to have footings yay deep and yay wide, it's a POP for them to send along a man with a measuring stick to check the trench and confirm that it is the size you said. It is immensely more difficult, and more costly (even if they have appropriately skilled employees) to confirm that a rewire complies with BS 7671:2008.

But - the law is what the law is, and I do not agree with LABCs taking out their frustrations or trying to get out of doing something pretty near impossible to do by imposing on innocent members of the public who have done their bit to comply with the law.

 

[sparkwright]

What I'd like to know is can I just cut all the wires out of the old box, and plug them into the new one? Should they all match up in the same place?? Pretty sure I can, but a bit worried about shocking myself again. If I turn the main trip switch off, I should be safe yeah?

Anything else I should look to replace while I'm doing this work - power sockets, light switches etc? Need to order stuff by this evening to ensure getting stuff for the weekend..

The above suggests to me that you should not be doing this work.

You would be better off getting an electrician to do the whole job.

With RCDs controlling all or most circuits, an old fault could now become apparent. Will you be able to fix this?

Are you aware of the importance of getting both the lives and neutrals in the right terminals, and not just where you think you should put them?

Do you really want to get stuck over the weekend, and then have to attempt to call someone in?

Do you really want such an important job as this done to only an amateur standard?

 

[Gees]

If the labc decide there IS testing to do then does para 1.26 apply and if they deem no testing is required then there is no need to test at all?

Yes, and Yes, but it would, IMO, be irresponsible to say that no testing was needed.

Don't forget that (in theory at any rate) when you notify work you have to say what you will do, i.e. what standards and procedures etc you will follow, to ensure that your work complies with P1. It is then the responsibility of Building Control, having taken your money, to satisfy themselves that you have done what you said you would.

I do have sympathy with LABC's plight. If you're putting up a building and you say that one of the things you'll do to comply with Part A is to have footings yay deep and yay wide, it's a POP for them to send along a man with a measuring stick to check the trench and confirm that it is the size you said. It is immensely more difficult, and more costly (even if they have appropriately skilled employees) to confirm that a rewire complies with BS 7671:2008.

But - the law is what the law is, and I do not agree with LABCs taking out their frustrations or trying to get out of doing something pretty near impossible to do by imposing on innocent members of the public who have done their bit to comply with the law.

So there is no way that the householder, having paid the fee, should have to pay for anything else? If the council need to employ someone who knows what they are doing then its up to them to do so, not the householder.