claiming for bad job

[dazzadwm]

Last weekend i had a new fuse box installed. when the lad finished he said he had to test various bits n bobs to sign me off as safe. He pointed out that i had a major fault on my lighting circuit in my kitchen. There is no earth to my twin light switch, the downlights are earthed but the cable from the junction box to the switch has no earth.
May 2004 i had a new kitchen fitted from a local kitchen company who obviously hired contractors to wire the electrics. Can i legally claim against either the kitchen company or contractors to have the job put right or is this a grey area.
ps The house was built in 1968 and still had the same kitchen. i bought house Aug 2003.

 

[JohnD]

the cable to the light switch sounds like the one installed in 1968. At that time lighting circuits did not have to have earth wires. Very often the old cable is re-used to save chasing out the walls and having to be replastered and redcorated at extra cost.

AFAIK you can't even buy this no-earth cable any more, so it is not likely the kitchen fitters installed it. It is OK as long as you use plastic switches and light fittings.

If and when you have your entire house rewired, you will have this old cable disconnected and new installed.

 

[dazzadwm]

doh! just spoke to sparky i got it wrong. there is an earth on switch, problem is its not connected to anything at otherside. As for rewire sparky says not needed, wiring passed all tests.

 

[securespark]

the cable to the light switch sounds like the one installed in 1968. At that time lighting circuits did not have to have earth wires.

AFAICT from the 14th Ed., cpc's in lighting came in with that edition in 1966.

 

[Pensdown]

IIRC sparks were still installing to the 14th well into the 15th.....to the 15th well into the 16th....and I'm sure the same will happen with the 17th....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Well it does create an interesting situation.

1) As we all know there is no legal requirement to work to BS7671.

2) After 1st June there will still be no legal requirement to work to BS7671.

3) Although not the latest version, BS7671:2001 Amd 2:2004 will still exist, or even if technically you can't use it's BS number any more The IEE Wiring Regulations 16th Edition will still exist.

4) The legal requirement is simply to make reasonable provision etc.

5) After 1st June the legal requirement will still simply be to make reasonable provision etc.

6) After 1st June, will working to the 16th Edition no longer be reasonably safe?

 

[Qedelec]

Well it does create an interesting situation.

1) As we all know there is no legal requirement to work to BS7671.

2) After 1st June there will still be no legal requirement to work to BS7671.

3) Although not the latest version, BS7671:2001 Amd 2:2004 will still exist, or even if technically you can't use it's BS number any more The IEE Wiring Regulations 16th Edition will still exist.

4) The legal requirement is simply to make reasonable provision etc.

5) After 1st June the legal requirement will still simply be to make reasonable provision etc.

6) After 1st June, will working to the 16th Edition no longer be reasonably safe?

1st June??

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Isn't that the cut-off date?

 

[comms]

1st July Bas not June.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

OK.

1) As we all know there is no legal requirement to work to BS7671.

2) After 1st July there will still be no legal requirement to work to BS7671.

3) Although not the latest version, BS7671:2001 Amd 2:2004 will still exist, or even if technically you can't use it's BS number any more The IEE Wiring Regulations 16th Edition will still exist.

4) The legal requirement is simply to make reasonable provision etc.

5) After 1st July the legal requirement will still simply be to make reasonable provision etc.

6) After 1st July, will working to the 16th Edition no longer be reasonably safe?

 

[Softus]

Does the 17th Edition not come into effect until the 2nd July then?

 

[333rocky333]

Isn't that the cut-off date?

I thought it came into effect 1st june also unless they changed it

http://www.bluewizzard.co.uk/info/regulations/BS7671_2008_Draft_Introduction.pdf

 

[Spark123]

BS7671:2008 Requirements for Electrical Installations was issued on 1st January 2008 and is intended to come into effect on 1st July 2008. Installations designed after 30th June 2008 are to comply with BS7671:2008.

 

[Pensdown]

Well it does create an interesting situation.

1) As we all know there is no legal requirement to work to BS7671

2) After 1st June there will still be no legal requirement to work to BS7671..

Although that's true, I would need to run it by my customers before I could install to another standard. As they are paying for the work, we all have an obligation to install new work to a recognised minimum standard which at present are the British Standards.

3) Although not the latest version, BS7671:2001 Amd 2:2004 will still exist, or even if technically you can't use it's BS number any more The IEE Wiring Regulations 16th Edition will still exist.

4) The legal requirement is simply to make reasonable provision etc.

5) After 1st June the legal requirement will still simply be to make reasonable provision etc.

That's correct and the customer does have a choice. For example, the pre-fabricated houses that are being imported from Germany are built, wired and tested to German standards not ours.

6) After 1st June, will working to the 16th Edition no longer be reasonably safe?

I doubt it because most of the changes in the 17th that affect domestic installations are superficial.

I do think the changes will be implemented much quicker this time around because of Part P. In the past, very few domestic sparks were members of the NIC or ECA so they pretty well installed to their own version of the regs.