Non compliant Distro board

[Tigercubrider]

At work, we have taken over a room that has been a store room for years.
We need a 16A socket added to run a welder.
Because it was a store room, the existing metal cased board has been looked at by our "estates" dept and the opinion is that because the board is "not compliant" we will need a whole new set up. It has an existing 32A heavy duty grey metal cased outlet with the typical chrome on/off type connection fed off it.

While I fully understand the aim of updating electrics to meet modern standards, the building is due to be vacated this time next year and demolished in Jan 21.

Our estates dept tend to over egg any job as charge the client dept a lot for the work. For example replacing two conduit supplied light fluorescent fittings for larger ones, daylight tubes, cost £500 and took two blokes 2 hrs. Cost £500

My question is ( retaining safe practices at all times) is there actually any electrical rule that says that an older installation MUST be upgraded to modern standards when it is for all intents and purposes a very short term project?

I just feel that one dept is over egging their side of the deal, costing another vast sums when the money would be better spent on our new building. At no time would I expect them do bodge it but replacement seems a bit OTT given the short lifespan.

Another example is us being warned about supplying a music system outdoors by feeding an extension lead through a window for an evening. A plug in RCD was used.
Next time we duly applied for a leas suppled by facilities and surprise surprise for £300 a bloke arrived and opened a window, stuck an extension lead out of the window and bunged an RCD on it.

Apart from anything, I am surprised that the non compliant RCD seems to be news to an estates dept who surely should be aware of every distro board in their buildings.

Cheers

 

[EFLImpudence]

My question is ( retaining safe practices at all times) is there actually any electrical rule that says that an older installation MUST be upgraded to modern standards

Not really, but difficult to say from what you have said. The new works must comply with the latest regulations.

First thing is to get them to state why and with what it is not compliant.

 

[SUNRAY]

At work, we have taken over a room that has been a store room for years.
We need a 16A socket added to run a welder.
Because it was a store room, the existing metal cased board has been looked at by our "estates" dept and the opinion is that because the board is "not compliant" we will need a whole new set up. It has an existing 32A heavy duty grey metal cased outlet with the typical chrome on/off type connection fed off it.

While I fully understand the aim of updating electrics to meet modern standards, the building is due to be vacated this time next year and demolished in Jan 21.

Our estates dept tend to over egg any job as charge the client dept a lot for the work. For example replacing two conduit supplied light fluorescent fittings for larger ones, daylight tubes, cost £500 and took two blokes 2 hrs. Cost £500

My question is ( retaining safe practices at all times) is there actually any electrical rule that says that an older installation MUST be upgraded to modern standards when it is for all intents and purposes a very short term project?

I just feel that one dept is over egging their side of the deal, costing another vast sums when the money would be better spent on our new building. At no time would I expect them do bodge it but replacement seems a bit OTT given the short lifespan.

Another example is us being warned about supplying a music system outdoors by feeding an extension lead through a window for an evening. A plug in RCD was used.
Next time we duly applied for a leas suppled by facilities and surprise surprise for £300 a bloke arrived and opened a window, stuck an extension lead out of the window and bunged an RCD on it.

Apart from anything, I am surprised that the non compliant RCD seems to be news to an estates dept who surely should be aware of every distro board in their buildings.

Cheers

Pictures helpa lot with this type of enquiry.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Yeah, I will try but access is hard
I do understand that stuff needs to be safe but honestly, they take the **** a lot with this stuff

For three years we froze our nuts off every winter and last Easter, knowing that we were leaving, the buildings (temporary in ww2) got new boilers that will be used one season then scrapped

 

[SUNRAY]

Yeah, I will try but access is hard
I do understand that stuff needs to be safe but honestly, they take the **** a lot with this stuff

For three years we froze our nuts off every winter and last Easter, knowing that we were leaving, the buildings (temporary in ww2) got new boilers that will be used one season then scrapped

Yep got loads of T-Shirts...

One factory had to be returned to original condition by the tenant when they moved out.
We replaced all of the water resistant flou fittings.
Landlord then asked us to change them to standard fittings as they didn''t want the expense of maintaining them.
New tenant moved in and we made lots of changes and in the wharehouse they wanted water resistant flou fittings.
Nothing like doing the job 3 times. Best of it is we had kept all the fittings...
Magic

 

[SUNRAY]

Get another electrician to give it a check over and if it's safe get a 32A plug to 16A socket lead which includes a 16A MCB for the welder

 

[conny]

I hope when they charged you £300 to 'fit' an extension the charge was towards their PPL and PRS licences?

(PPL = Public Performing Licence PRS = Performing Rights Society).

By law you have to hold these if you play music/films for the benefit of others. If the law is taken to the letter then even listening to your car radio when you have passengers could be breaking the rules, however, this is usually not enforced. On the other hand, if an employer provides the facilities, or allows any member of staff to listen to a radio/cd player, that allows other employees to listen to music then the employer can be fined if they don't have a licences.