DIYer help

[spils]

right guys, i need some help. I have had electric underfloor heating and a bathroom towel rail put in, both on separate new circuits. Having just read the wiki, i'm very worried as i haven't notified the local authority and have not had it done by a part p sparky.

I know that i need a part p certificate to make sure it's safe, but if i call the local part p registered sparky and tell him what i've done, am i putting myself at risk of him grassing me up to the authorities? i guess what i want to know is can i get dropped in it by being honest with a sparky? i'd love to get it fully checked but i'm worried about the implications of getting them round.

what are my options? any help would be appreciated.

 

[SparkyNinja]

Have you asked the electrician for advise?

He may have a colleague who tests his work and notifies it on his behalf. It's not the perfect solution, but it happens often.

I got deeply involved with a rewire in wembley where the electricians went back to poland for crimbo and never came back. I was asked to test and notify the installation BY THE LABC.

Don't worry, there are ways around it.
Do you think your electrician would accept if anything was wrong, and then rectify it accordingly?


No electricians you contact will call the authorities on you. It's up to us 'professionals' to keep you informed, not the other way round.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I have had electric underfloor heating and a bathroom towel rail put in, both on separate new circuits. .

"Put in" was that by somebody else? How long ago was the work done?Have you asked them about providing
a) Installation Certificates
and
b) Notification.

if they don't come up with any answers (they probably won't) then the best thing is to call your local authority, says what has happened and ask what the best way is to legalise it. Don't worry, they won't ask for your address or NI number they should be able to provide a solution for you.

Your "electrician" should be doing it properly. I would encourage you to grass him up!

 

[spils]

hmmm the problem is i've done it all myself without any involvement from an electrician.

whats the worst that could happen...if they're not happy that they can't see the routing, would they want it ripped out and re-installed?

 

[SparkyNinja]

hmmm the problem is i've done it all myself without any involvement from an electrician.

whats the worst that could happen...if they're not happy that they can't see the routing, would they want it ripped out and re-installed?

Get an electrician round and talk him/her through the installation as it was carried out.

Or you can call the LABC and see what action they will take. They would get in tested and inspected before anything near 'ripping out'.


Where did you get the information to carry out the installation?

 

[spils]

i looked up info on safe zones on the net for the towel rad and wired it in to the rcd on the consumer unit with an appropriate breaker.

the underfloor heating in the kitchen i installed using the instructions that came with it.

whilst i know the connections are good, i'm worried about the routing.

which is my nest option-labc or local sparky?

thanks for all your replies so far, it is very much appreciated as i've been stressing all day since reading the wiki.

 

[SparkyNinja]

I would consider getting an electrician in.

Explain to them and see what they suggest.

If I was contacted with this problem I would suggest to the client that I come and do a periodic on the circuits involved, and whilst carrying this out, any information that you would need to be aware of can be raised and discussed, and go from there.

What routing did you take with the cabling? Did you just pull it through wherever it would go, or did you provide a designated route, drilling holes etc?

 

[spils]

a bit of both, for the bathroom i took the cable from the consumer unit in the kitchen, up into the ceiling space. i then routed it along and took it straight up a cavity between the bathroom and bedroom into the loft. i then took it to the front of the bathroom and dropped it down to a fused switch above the door (on the outside). next i took it to a timer (also outside the bathroom) before going back into the loft and down a channel into the bathroom (which i subsequently plastered over). This went to an outlet plate on the wall where the flex for the towel rad connected in.

For the kitchen underfloor heating, i routed the cable from the consumer unit down to floor level in the cavity behind the unit. i then took it behind the skirting to a fused switch on the wall. the cable then went to a timer/thermostat on the wall (again behind the skirting board), then back to a 2g plate where all the connections for the heating elements were made.

Did all of that make sense?

There are some parts where the routing can be seen, and others where it is now plastered over or hidden behind skirting or in a ceiling cavity. I just didnt fancy having to take chunks out of the new plasterwork to show the routing as the mrs would kill me (again)!

 

[rebuke]

The 'legal' thing to do at this point is to notify it to your LABC as a regularisation - you'll normally have to pay a higher charge than if you were just notifying it straight off (e.g. with my LABC regularisation means you pay 120% of the charge if you were notifying properly in advance). They'll then come and inspect and test. If they're not satisfied, they may want you to lift things and/or re-route stuff, so there might be some work involved.

It's unlikely you'll be able to find a sparky who can sign it off (since they're not officially allowed to do this, they'd be risking their registration etc, so most will simply refuse). You might however be able to get one round who can test the circuits for you, and give you e.g. a partial PIR - this won't help with Part P (so technically you'd still be breaking the law), but would probably be acceptable to a buyer's solicitor if you come to sell...

 

[rebuke]

i then routed it along and took it straight up a cavity between the bathroom and bedroom into the loft

When you say cavity - what do you mean exactly here, as there may be a safe zone issue?

i then took it behind the skirting to a fused switch on the wall

Is this going straight up from the floor behind the skirting, or along the skirting (if the latter then it will be out of a safe zone most likely)?

 

[spils]

Right, LABC it is then. How do I go about contacting them?

On the subject of house selling, the HIP doesn't ask for a Part P certificate as being compulsory so why would a solicitor want to see the certificate?

 

[SparkyNinja]

Ring some sparkies and see what they say.

I have called the LABC for clients numerous times from problems like this and explained the situation, and the details of my own registration and my opinion on my inspection of your installation.

Not failed yet.

 

[rebuke]

It depends how clued up the solicitor is, but essentially if it's obvious that notifiable electrical work has been done since Part P came in (e.g. in your case if you point out that the kitchen / bathroom have been re-done recently or whatever on the marketing), then a good solicitor will want to see a completion certificate - in this situation if you don't have one, then one of three things will probably happen:
1. The buyer will demand you get a PIR done (this isn't too bad)
2. The buyer will try and knock some money off the price
3. The buyer will pull out

In terms of contacting the LABC if you want to go down that route, then the easiest thing is probably to find a phone number and give them a call - explain the situation and ask what they recommend (if I were you being careful not to tell them who you are / where you live straight away, just in case!). You can probably find a phone number on your local council's website...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have had electric underfloor heating and a bathroom towel rail put in

hmmm the problem is i've done it all myself without any involvement from an electrician.

what are my options?

Finding an advice site where people don't mind being lied to would be a good first step.

Goodbye, liar.

 

[vv2806]

Why do you think he lies? Saying that you had something "put in" doesn't give any information about who actually put it in.