Regs question

[Taylortwocities]

as for the certificate - if you just need to be competent, then what, my father can just knock one up on the PC?

Yes. The certificates are readily available on line, any one can fill one in and sign it.The person signing is confirming that the work done complies with BS7671.
BUT
the certificate has a few boxes where the results of certain tests need to be entered. Which brings you back to the need for testing.

another note, when I learned it, I thought it was BS3036. I presume that’s changed?

You must have forgotten. BS3036 is a standard for semi-enclosed fuses, more commonly known as rewireable fuses.

The Wiring Regulations have been in force for a L-O-N-G time, and was adopted as a standard (BS7671) by BSI in 1992.

 

[SimonH2]

to be fair I asked my dad about the myriad of testing and he kind of shrugged and said “adding sockets? I guess ideally, but it’s not much of a job”

Sounds about right, it was probably the common attitude when he was practicing.

as for the certificate - if you just need to be competent, then what, my father can just knock one up on the PC?

There's a good set over on the Electricians Forum which are basically the IET model forms, but made into a PDF form so you select options from menus, and fill in the numbers in fields. Makes it fairly easy - it's what I use.

 

[Dylan123]

Sounds about right, it was probably the common attitude when he was practicing.

There's a good set over on the Electricians Forum which are basically the IET model forms, but made into a PDF form so you select options from menus, and fill in the numbers in fields. Makes it fairly easy - it's what I use.

yeah he gave up in about 1985!

will give this some thought now

 

[Dylan123]

Sounds about right, it was probably the common attitude when he was practicing.

There's a good set over on the Electricians Forum which are basically the IET model forms, but made into a PDF form so you select options from menus, and fill in the numbers in fields. Makes it fairly easy - it's what I use.

just last question. Could we fit it all as per my dads ideas and checking the regs, and then pay a spark to test? I heard they won’t do it, and will want to rip it out or start again.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That’s exactly what I was looking for.

to be fair I asked my dad about the myriad of testing and he kind of shrugged and said “adding sockets? I guess ideally, but it’s not much of a job”

The 'bang, no bang test method' can be a very risky way to proceed, especially so for DIY'er. A DIY'er will be lacking in skill and competence, so a fault is much more likely. The
'bang test' relies upon an MCB working as designed, not being faulty and even so, breaking a possibly large short circuit current will likely cause some damage to the MCB.

 

[Dylan123]

The 'bang, no bang test method' can be a very risky way to proceed, especially so for DIY'er. A DIY'er will be lacking in skill and competence, so a fault is much more likely. The
'bang test' relies upon an MCB working as designed, not being faulty and even so, breaking a possibly large short circuit current will likely cause some damage to the MCB.

So this is tricky. My dad clearly did this for a long time without killing anyone.
That’s not to say he won’t yet!

another point is, my spark said my house isn’t wired up like a pro would. So what does that mean for me? A £5k rewire or my insurance and mortgage are invalid?

My conveyancer and MG company didn’t seem interested in checking it out. This is my concern here. The whole house likely isn’t wired to regs or tested. So to add one socket, I would need the whole house tested and then presumably if he didn’t like the ring the new socket is taken from, the whole thing would need doing again and then you’re into thousands probably. For one socket, when I have a former spark in the family who could probably do it.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

just last question. Could we fit it all as per my dads ideas and checking the regs, and then pay a spark to test? I heard they won’t do it, and will want to rip it out or start again.

You could do that, but getting someone to test it and write the certificate would be next to impossible, unless you know someone. A major part of the job, is that of doing the work to a suitable standard, much of which is invisible and cannot be inspected without a lot of work - often as involved as doing the entire job from scratch.

 

[winston1]

Another point is, my spark said my house isn’t wired up like a pro would. So what does that mean for me? A £5k rewire or my insurance and mortgage are invalid?

Not sure what that is supposed to mean. Did you ask how a pro would do it differently? Mortgage can’t be invalid, it is based on the condition of the property when they looked at it. Insurance unlikely to be invalid either.

Bear in mind the so called regs are not even statutory.

 

[Dylan123]

Not sure what that is supposed to mean. Did you ask how a pro would do it differently? Mortgage can’t be invalid, it is based on the condition of the property when they looked at it. Insurance unlikely to be invalid either.

Bear in mind the so called regs are not even statutory.

Not sure what that is supposed to mean. Did you ask how a pro would do it differently? Mortgage can’t be invalid, it is based on the condition of the property when they looked at it. Insurance unlikely to be invalid either.

Bear in mind the so called regs are not even statutory.

He might have been trying for a full re wire. Never know

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

So this is tricky. My dad clearly did this for a long time without killing anyone.
That’s not to say he won’t yet!

There is much less risk for someone competent, in not testing it out, knowing they have done a competent job in the first place - it should of course be tested for peace of mind.

another point is, my spark said my house isn’t wired up like a pro would. So what does that mean for me? A £5k rewire or my insurance and mortgage are invalid?

It depends upon how poor and incompetent the installation is and how many regs have been ignored.

My conveyancer and MG company didn’t seem interested in checking it out. This is my concern here. The whole house likely isn’t wired to regs or tested. So to add one socket, I would need the whole house tested and then presumably if he didn’t like the ring the new socket is taken from, the whole thing would need doing again and then you’re into thousands probably. For one socket, when I have a former spark in the family who could probably do it.

It is recommended that every installation is regularly inspected and tested anyway. It is a legal requirement for a rental property.

"My conveyancer and MG company...." They only have an interest in the structure and value, the electrical system is a very specialised trade which neither are competent or qualified to judge.

 

[thomp1983]

This thread went a bit sideways, if you feel competent to add a couple of sockets get on and do it, happens up and down the country every day.

If you have any concerns about your work or the existing work get a recommended spark in to do an eicr and see what it reveals. Just because something isn't done the way a pro would do it doesn't mean it's unsafe but the only way you'll know that is by having someone do some testing or get the gear and test it yourself.