Complete House Wiring

[DaveyD]

Hi All,
I'm in the process of buying a house, its quite old (1946-1950's) the wiring is also old.
My question is, I've completed and passed the 17th edition wiring regs, but not part P. How much of the work can I do mysellf ?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[bernardgreen]

Provided you notify the local authority you can legally do all the work yourself.

There is no Part P qualification. It is a building regulation about the way installations are notified to the local building control office

The knowledge that enabled you to pass an examination of your knowledge of the 17th edition wiring regs is one thing. Having the experience to design, install and test the wiring is a different matter.

 

[Taylortwocities]

If you plan to do the work yourself, you should read and understand the implications of going down this route.
An outline is in the WIKI at http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:part_p:DIY-Electrical-Work-and-the-Law

You need to be aware that if you DIY it, then LABC will want to inspect the work at certain stages, and as Bernard has said, they will want to see the work has been designed, installed and tested in accordance with BS7671. So you will need to be fully conversant with the Wiring Regulations and also have a set (or access to a set) of calibrated test equipment so that you can produce an Electrical Installation Certificate.

If you feel that your level of competence falls short of this, then you may be better advised to find a registered electrician that will be prepared for you to do the grunt work under his guidance.

 

[DaveyD]

Thanks Chaps,
I contacted my local council building control office who roughly said what you had said, But said I don't need to inform them just do the work, but it will need testing by a Competent person afterwards and then I notify them of the details and they update the property records. They said they used to send out someone themselves to do the testing, but now leave that to the person doing the work.

I did say would someone be happy to test my work? they said they could see the problem I might have, but did give me the company they used and said try them. I've emailed but they haven't got back to me yet.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

But said I don't need to inform them just do the work, but it will need testing by a Competent person afterwards and then I notify them of the details and they update the property records.

That is not how it works.

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that sometimes even Building Control get it wrong. I wonder who it was you spoke to there. In any event, don't believe them. There are 3 and only 3 legal ways to proceed:

1. Have the work done by an electrician who can self-certify compliance with the Building Regulations.
2. Notify in advance, tell the council how you propose to comply with Part P¹ when you have the work done by someone who is not able to self-certify compliance with the Building Regulations (e.g. you), and have them inspect and test the work or tell you what kind of inspection & testing they want you to arrange.
3. In advance contract with a registered third-party certifier² to inspect and test the work as necessary.

It's all in Section 3 of the latest Approved Document P.

It may be that what they thought they were telling you to do was #3, but you doing the work and then trying to get someone involved is pretty much guaranteed to fail.

¹ It might help to know that complying with Part P is complying with this:

nothing to do with notification.

² There are few of these around - you may struggle to find one.

 

[DaveyD]

Thanks for the info.
From your 3 options, it will be number 2, but what do you mean 'tell the council how you propose to comply with Part P¹' would that be draw out a circuit diagram or just a list of circuits with details of cable sizes, the run of cable etc?

The information I got from the Building Control team was vague, I can't understand if its all a Legal requirement, mainly for safety, why things aren't made clearer.

 

[JohnW2]

From your 3 options, it will be number 2, ...

I presume you realise that #2 could involve a notification fee of 'a few hundred pounds', whereas with #1, the cost of notification by a self-certifying electrician is next-to-nothing.

... but what do you mean 'tell the council how you propose to comply with Part P¹' would that be draw out a circuit diagram or just a list of circuits with details of cable sizes, the run of cable etc?

I may be wrong, but I think it is adequate for you to tell them that you propose to comply with Part P by complying with the requirements of the current version of BS7671.

Kind Regards, John

 

[DaveyD]

Thanks John,
It will have to be Number 2 as I will be doing all the work myself, but that will save me quite a bit of money, so will be ok to pay for the testing.

And thanks for the last bit about complying with BS7671, it makes sense.

Dave

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks John, It will have to be Number 2 as I will be doing all the work myself, but that will save me quite a bit of money, so will be ok to pay for the testing.

Fair enough. However, as you probably understand, it's not just the 'testing' you have to pay for - there is a substantial 'notification fee' to be paid, even in cases in which the person undertaking the work is considered competent to do the testing him/herself.

Kind Regards, John

 

[flameport]

If doing this yourself and notifying, you also need to know that it's not just Part P you need to comply with - it's all of them.
Info here: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/

 

[Taylortwocities]

Thanks, FP. Quite right. There are a lot of Building regs that are affected by electrical works.

Some i can think of off the top of my head:
B: Fire safety - when making a swiss cheese out of fire-rated ceilings and other fire compartments
C: Moisture - especially where those pesky downlights are involved
F: Ventilation - there are specific requirements for fans etc
L: Conservation of power - requirements for low energy lighting
P: Electrical - everything you do in the sparking arena

there is a splendid book
Electrician's Guide to the Building Regulations
should get a copy,

together with BS7671 and an On Site Guide.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Shouldn't he already own a copy of BS 7671?

I've completed and passed the 17th edition wiring regs

Might not be the latest version though.

Davey - TLC seems to be the cheapest place to buy a copy if you need.

 

[DaveyD]

Thanks, I'll have a look at their site.

Yes I already have the BS7671 and the on site guide, plus my 4 day course notes!

Dave

 

[RF Lighting]

Wow you've done a 4 day course. Of course you're ready to rewire a house. I wish those courses had been around when I was young. It would have saved all those years I spent on the tools learning the job the old fashioned way.

 

[DaveyD]

Ha Ha, I see where your coming from, it was back in 2008 and was just a formality. But I've been in the Electrical industry 33 years and started with a 4 year apprenticeship.