Getting my electrics certified

[GCarnegi]

I have been doing my own household electrics whenever it's needed for years and recently rewired our Kitchen ring with new wire all the way back to the fuse box.

I was appalled to find that previous bodges to our house had spurs coming off of spurs, living room sockets on the kitchen ring, kitchen extractor on the main household ring and wires held together by "choc-blok" connectors.

I did my degree in electronics back in the late 90's and we had a whole subject dedicated to domestic wiring and houseold electrics. I know for sure that the "corrections" I've made to the circuit are good, with good earths, correct cables and routing etc. Ideally I should probably put a new consumer unit in as ours is getting a bit long in the tooth, but not yet.

Anyway, I've heard that I shouldn't do this any more as Kitchen and Bathroom electrics must now be fitted by a certified person. I was wondering if I'm legally bound to get someone in to certify my wiring or if someone has to rip it all out and start again.

How does someone check the routing of cables, for example - ie distance from joists, the depth of the holes through celing joists etc. Seems like an awful lot of work to go to.

When I bought some switches from B&Q they came with a leaflet stating that the regs had changed in England and Wales, but it didn't mention anything about Scotland.

Are there courses I can go on to get myself certified to do my own electrics. I'm not about to start a business as an electrician and have never charged for doing anyones electrics - friends and family do ask for the odd favour though.

I pride myself in the quality of my work and if someone is going to stop me doing it, they're going to need to show me what a certified person would do differently.

Any idea how much it would cost to get a certificate? Would I have been better off leaving the electrics they way they used to be?

Cheers,
Guy

 

[Adam_151]

Have a read of this: //wiki.diynot.com/electrics:part_p:diy_electrical_work_and_the_law

Come back with any unanswered questions you still have

EDIT: Sorry didn't actually notice you were in scotland (I thought you were just commenting on the fact that scotland wasn't mentioned)

Scotland wise, there have not been changes, electrics have been under the building regs for quite a while, but whats notifiable to the council is a lot less than england and wales unless your home has more than 3 stories or is a flat (in which case just about everything requires a building warrent!), for the normal house think its only where electrical work is mixed with structural alterations you need to involve the building officier (such as a loft conversion)

Aside from that, it might be worth getting some test gear if you do electrics often for family and friends etc and learning how to do the proper tests, theres some good books about (like 'The part P doctor') which explain things very clearly

 

[GCarnegi]

I think I might have the get out of jail card.

This room which was a kitchen both before and after the electrical work was carried out, had the sink, worktops, ceiling, plaster walls etc all removed PRIOR to commencing any electrical work, so, technically and by the LABC's own admission, while the work was being carried out, it wasn't really a kitchen.

quote...
"kitchen" means a room or part of a room which contains a
sink and food preparation facilities;

I think during these works, our utility room was actually our kitchen, as it had the sink and the food preparation area. I'll just remember to refit the sink last!


EDIT:

Thanks for the update on Scotland. I did accidentally drop a sledgehammer on the blockwork dividing wall between my kitchen and dining room several times, resulting unfortunately in its complete destruction, however, as I cannot afford to have it rebuilt I believe I can live with the damage now it has beed tidied up and is structurally safe. Definitely wasn't a supporting wall.

cheers for the advice.

Guy

 

[baldelectrician]

You should use a competent person for the work, links below

In Scotland:
Individuals regitered;
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/ListAC.asp
Companies
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/SearchCo.asp?T=Construction&ID=2

In England and Wales:
http://www.competentperson.co.uk

Just an adddition to the Scotlkand thing. Home condition reports (like th HIP in England / Wales, but MANDATORY) are coming to Scotland late this / early next year.

You may or may not need a warrant, it is up to YOU to have all the paperwork in place (structural engineers report etc).
You will need BS 7671 certification for any electrical work you have done.