Quick bit of advice:
My current property has an old 4 fuse pull out fuse board. I am looking to get this replaced with a modern CU.
A few months ago, I had the floorboards up in the whole of the downstairs and noticed the existing ring main had been cut in two and wired with lots of round joining connectors to new sockets, where the old storage heaters used to be. I.e. the old feed wires for the storage heaters had been connected to the ring main. This was done before I owned the property. This meant that the ring was now two radials, over two rooms (living and dining room). Whilst I had the floor up, I therefore laid a new continuous ring across both rooms, but did not connect it. I have left floor boards up where each socket currently is, so you can get to the new wires and feed them up the walls to the existing sockets. That was the idea anyway!
I have recently had an electrician in to quote for changing the CU and have asked him to wire the new ring main into the existing sockets. He said he would have to cut the skirting boards and channel out the plaster to allow the new cables to join with the old sockets so he can wire them up. This I wasn't expecting as I it is only a few inches from floor to socket through a well defined channel in the existing plaster. There is plenty of room to push the cable through.
So, (eventually), my question is: I am going to suggest to the electrician that I will wire up all the existing sockets myself, so I can spend my time routing the cable and do a neat job with out cutting anything. He can then fit the new CU and test the whole installation as part of that work. Any problems I can have the electrician rectify at my cost.
Before I suggest this to the electrician, is this allowed, or will he shoot me down?
And I am sure you're going to say "well surely the electrcian knows best what can and cannot be done" and you're probably right, but I would at least like to have a go a routing the cables. I cannot see any reason why the cable cannot be pushed/fed through through the existing channels. If I am wrong, then I will happily let the electrician fit the wires how he wants.
Thanks.
My current property has an old 4 fuse pull out fuse board. I am looking to get this replaced with a modern CU.
A few months ago, I had the floorboards up in the whole of the downstairs and noticed the existing ring main had been cut in two and wired with lots of round joining connectors to new sockets, where the old storage heaters used to be. I.e. the old feed wires for the storage heaters had been connected to the ring main. This was done before I owned the property. This meant that the ring was now two radials, over two rooms (living and dining room). Whilst I had the floor up, I therefore laid a new continuous ring across both rooms, but did not connect it. I have left floor boards up where each socket currently is, so you can get to the new wires and feed them up the walls to the existing sockets. That was the idea anyway!
I have recently had an electrician in to quote for changing the CU and have asked him to wire the new ring main into the existing sockets. He said he would have to cut the skirting boards and channel out the plaster to allow the new cables to join with the old sockets so he can wire them up. This I wasn't expecting as I it is only a few inches from floor to socket through a well defined channel in the existing plaster. There is plenty of room to push the cable through.
So, (eventually), my question is: I am going to suggest to the electrician that I will wire up all the existing sockets myself, so I can spend my time routing the cable and do a neat job with out cutting anything. He can then fit the new CU and test the whole installation as part of that work. Any problems I can have the electrician rectify at my cost.
Before I suggest this to the electrician, is this allowed, or will he shoot me down?
And I am sure you're going to say "well surely the electrcian knows best what can and cannot be done" and you're probably right, but I would at least like to have a go a routing the cables. I cannot see any reason why the cable cannot be pushed/fed through through the existing channels. If I am wrong, then I will happily let the electrician fit the wires how he wants.
Thanks.