Quick qu about cable to EV charger

[ladwey]

My wife bought an electric car and it comes with a free charger and installation; unfortunately the guys doing the installation won't touch anything if it involves a ladder, since that apparently requires extra training (!), and our fuse board is upstairs. I don't want a bunch of trunking all the way along the landing and down the staircase and out through the wall. I know what kind of cable is needed (6mm EV ultra, with data, non SWA), and the appropriate route for it -- up through the ceiling into the loft, out through the eves, then down the side of the house to where the charger will be installed. Since it just involves drilling a few holes and clipping the cable in place, is this something I can do myself? Or is it something that a real electrician will need to do and sign off on?

 

[helplessowner]

The "rules" for EV chargers (not sure if it is actual legislation or just best practice) are that they should be on their own dedicated circuit, the DNO should be notified before installation, and building regulations are required. All of this is usually carried out by the installer.
A properly installed home charger will adjust the rate of charge depending what other electric items are in use to make sure the house electrics don't get overloaded.
Where is your actual meter? It may be easier to install it directly from the meter rather than the consumer unit. Otherwise most EV installers will be happy to have you feed the cable and they just do the techy bits at each end (ours goes from the meter to the charger via underneath the floor - we had to do the dusty crawling around bit).
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/pe...lectric-vehicle-charging/building-regulations

 

[ladwey]

That's useful, thank you very much. A rep from the company came round today and explained where they'd want to install their own box, right next to the consumer unit. It's just the route for the cable that's under discussion -- really I'm just checking that I'm ok to get the cable to the right places inside and outside, so the installers can do their bit without having to climb any ladders, and that an electrician wouldn't need to do that instead. There's no connecting up involved, just drilling and placing the cable, so my hope is that as long as I can follow the regs for placing a cable in the loft then I'm ok to do it.

 

[ericmark]

The installation certificate for all new circuits, not just EV charging point, comes in two versions, one and three signatures, the latter split into design, installation, and finally inspection and testing, so technically the installer has to design the installation, he can have electricians mates and apprentices working for him, so he can agree that you do some work, but he must design it to start with.

Firms like Octopus will install EV charging points, and their electricians are given very strict guidelines, like always fitting a dedicated consumer unit so very sure there are no shared RCD etc. And the electrician has to do as he is told, he may personally see no problem, but he has to do as he is told. My son had an EV charging point fitted, and changed the consumer unit first, so there was room for the EV to come from it, but their electrician still had to fit another consumer unit, the whole idea of a single point of isolation seems to have gone, I look at my own house, with an isolator for the DC on solar panels, an isolator on the mini consumer unit, isolator on main consumer unit, isolator on the grid supply, and isolator on the inverter, and to be frank no real way to have a single isolator.

But the main point is, the only person who can answer your question, is the person fitting the EV point.

 

[helplessowner]

As above, talk to the installer.
It may be a case that they still have to supply the cable (as they will be the ones signing it off).
It may be a case that you can pre-drill the holes and get the supports ready, then when they arrive you can pull and fix the cable while the installer is getting the dedicated box and the actual charger ready to set up (and maybe having a cup of tea) before final connection and testing of each end of their cable.
They may want photos and measurements - some charge extra if an unusually long run of cable is needed.

 

[Murdochcat]

It’s not just a dedicated circuit that also need a specific type of double pole rcd too

 

[flameport]

unfortunately the guys doing the installation won't touch anything if it involves a ladder, since that apparently requires extra training (!),

Do you really want such incompetent types doing any electrical work in your home, regardless of whether it's 'free' or not?

 

[morqthana]

It is not incompetence to recognise that in a work environment special training is required to work at heights.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My wife bought an electric car and it comes with a free charger and installation; unfortunately the guys doing the installation won't touch anything if it involves a ladder, since that apparently requires extra training (!),

Insist, that they send someone out who is competent to use a ladder.

 

[flameport]

It is not incompetence to recognise that in a work environment special training is required to work at heights.

The incompetence is sending people to do a job they are not able to do, and then expecting the homeowner to do large parts of the installation themselves.

 

[ericmark]

I consider my last full-time job, on the building of terminal 5 Heathrow, I was up/down ladders all day, scaffold around every corner, we did have tool bags rather than boxes, which we could carry with a strap, so both hands free to climb ladders, but that was simple common sense, we were never trained to climb ladders, same with Sizewell 'B' tower cranes everywhere, and some long drops if you got it wrong, and no training to climb the ladders.

OK to install a ladder, often the installer would be trained, and in the main would be part of the scaffolding, scaf tags often on the ladder. And I have seen the Sky TV man, put raw bolts in the wall to hold the ladder, but once installed no special training to climb it, heck I remember my 4-year-old sister climbing a ladder, I had to get her down again, she thought it was funny.

Where I work, we have planks on the ladders to stop just that.

It seems a lame excuse, basic don't want to do it, so what excuse can we use. If they suffer from Acrophobia, then say so, not need to blame it on lack of training.

 

[helplessowner]

Unfortunately, if the car comes with a "free" charger and installation, then it is almost certainly one of the big companies, who all have pretty much the same criteria. No ladders, no crawling underfloor, extra costs if cable exceeds their designated "standard" length. They allow a certain length of time for the install, and if the job has more variables than most then they are unhappy. Mainly they arrange the work from photos (supplied by you), measurements (supplied by you) and a description (supplied by you).
Much will depend on whoever turns up to do the installation - mostly they are franchised out and some will be much more "can-do" than others.
Some (like ours) were to fast out the gate to even clear the rubbish - which was just as well because a very important identity label was still loose inside the box instead of being on the charger.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I consider my last full-time job, on the building of terminal 5 Heathrow, I was up/down ladders all day, scaffold around every corner, we did have tool bags rather than boxes, which we could carry with a strap, so both hands free to climb ladders, but that was simple common sense, we were never trained to climb ladders, same with Sizewell 'B' tower cranes everywhere, and some long drops if you got it wrong, and no training to climb the ladders.

Pretty much, my own experience of the workplace, until just before I retired - when the world suddenly went H&S mad. Much of the H&S. I felt, made the job less safe - if you have to climb a ladder, then drill to fix eye bolts to lash the ladder to, but all the job is, is to drill a single hole to fix a bracket - how can it possibly be safer drilling three holes, than just the one you need?

I remember when we needed scaffolding, to haul large cables in, we would just order a delivery of scaffolding and erect it ourselves, to suite us. I remember one two minute job, tightening a bolt, 60 foot up from the bottom of a shaft, and abseiling, on a rope, to tighten it up. The bottom of the shaft was so full of heavy engineering, that installing scaff would have been a nightmare, and taken weeks to devise.

 

[ericmark]

I watched them repairing the walls in Chester by abseiling, the last time I did that, got into a lot of trouble, sons scout camp, no one volunteering to go down first so I did, but in the 70's when I learnt to do it, no harnesses, so I donned a pair of gloves, grabbed the rope and when down, seems now they use special harness to do it.

But in Belfast scaffold was erected by scaffolders, but staging anyone could erect, and I could not see the difference between the two.

Son had same as @helplessowner he had it all set up, but they had to follow set procedure, the likes of Octopus can offer tariffs if installed by them, independent electricians can't equal, so one has really no option.

 

[helplessowner]

Having known somebody who had their life dramatically changed(and shortened) when he fell from a ladder while cleaning out his gutter.. I would hesitate to sneer too much about safety concerns being overkill.
Ladder accidents are very easy, especially when using a ladder is treated casually, and the results can too often be life changing - if not life ending.
It is probably a case that now most reputable firms regard work involving ladders as a 2-person job, rather than single working.
Seeing somebody up a ladder leaning sideways to "just reach that bit" instead of coming down and moving the ladder along - scares the wits out of me.