house rewire under floorboards

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Hi, i'm about to rewire my house using the local council to inspect and certify the work.

now i'm trying to get this right 1st time round and am wondering about the regs on running the ring mains under the floorboards

the 2 rooms in question downstairs have a good 10 inch gap under the joists, do i run the cables under the joists and support them with clips or do i have to drill through the joists ?

and now to the upstairs.

i have no choice in some places and have to go through the joists, i understand i have to drill halfway down the joist, there 6 or 8 inch joists so the cables will be at least 3 inch down. can i drill the holes at any part of the joist or do you have to make the holes a minimum distance from the walls where there supported, and on top of that do i have to add any additional support to the joists where i make the holes ?

the existing wiring runs in notches on top of the joists, can i reuse these or does it break the latest regs ?

in the room above the consumer unit the boards have been cut back, i have removed the skirting and have a clear view down the side of a joist where a lot of wiring runs, can i follow this route again ?

thanks in advance, G.
 
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my brother in law is a sparky, couldnt get him on the phone tonight :)

i should be getting his books to use when i see him tomorrow :D
 
If all you're getting from your "sparks" brother in law is a pile of books to read maybe I need his advise on how to get out of "family favours". :LOL:
 
he is sorting out his own house as he moved a few months ago :)

he is keeping an eye on me though ;)
 
Hi,
I agree with Pensdown.
You will find "The Electricians guide to the building regulations" to be a very informative book, and I would recommend reading it before you get stuck in.
Regards
 
It's rather worrying, actually, that you thought it would be OK for you to rewire your house without having guides to the relevant regulations....
 
I would never re-use notches.

The metal plates are a last resort type thing.

The cables still end up below the minimum depth between joists.

Drill the joists IMO.
 
Hi, i'm about to rewire my house using the local council to inspect and certify the work.

now i'm trying to get this right 1st time round and am wondering about the regs on running the ring mains under the floorboards

the 2 rooms in question downstairs have a good 10 inch gap under the joists, do i run the cables under the joists and support them with clips or do i have to drill through the joists ?

and now to the upstairs.

i have no choice in some places and have to go through the joists, i understand i have to drill halfway down the joist, there 6 or 8 inch joists so the cables will be at least 3 inch down. can i drill the holes at any part of the joist or do you have to make the holes a minimum distance from the walls where there supported, and on top of that do i have to add any additional support to the joists where i make the holes ?

the existing wiring runs in notches on top of the joists, can i reuse these or does it break the latest regs ?

in the room above the consumer unit the boards have been cut back, i have removed the skirting and have a clear view down the side of a joist where a lot of wiring runs, can i follow this route again ?

thanks in advance, G.




I agree with Lectrician ;)
 
It's rather worrying, actually, that you thought it would be OK for you to rewire your house without having guides to the relevant regulations....

I think the OP fully intends to read up on the regs, and he is asking advice on here before doing the job, rather than just use the existing notches. The OP obviously had a good idea that you might not be able to do use them so I think a lot of credit is due.
 
I would never re-use notches.

The metal plates are a last resort type thing.

The cables still end up below the minimum depth between joists.

Drill the joists IMO.
Provided, of course, that the joist hasn't been hacked about so much that drilling holes ends up with it too weak. Re-using old notches is preferable to structural failure.
 
the regs guy at my brothers work suggests reusing notches is preferred so as not to weaken the joists any more.

i don't know why so many of you have a problem with me doing this without your backgrounds as im seeking advice and being shown what to do at every stage of the rewire.

just the same as a sparky having cheap labour and instructing them what to do, its all going to be inspected by the local council and tested to the latest standards.

at least i wont be bodging it like the last so called qualified sparky that bodged every part that was out of sight.

I have to live in this and want it as safe as possible.
 
the regs guy at my brothers work suggests reusing notches is preferred so as not to weaken the joists any more.
I agree.
Earthed metal conduit will also be a better solution instead of using safeplates
i don't know why so many of you have a problem with me doing this without your backgrounds as im seeking advice and being shown what to do at every stage of the rewire.
As long as you don't assume you know what is correct, and seek advise at every stage then im sure you are on the right track.
its all going to be inspected by the local council and tested to the latest standards.
Whoever is going to sign the electrical installation certificate will need to be involved with the rewire at every stage.
If you are relying on just a final sign off visit, I would imagine they would only perform a periodic inspection report.
at least i wont be bodging it like the last so called qualified sparky that bodged every part that was out of sight.
I may have been another DIYer :)
I have to live in this and want it as safe as possible.
Before I started studying electrical installation & BS7671 I thought I knew quite a bit about electrics- I thought its only 3 wires so how much more do I need to know :D
I know realise how much is really involved in designing a circuit- even a simple domestic one.
I am sure you don't want your house to be unsafe, but without adequate knowledge you may be at an unknown risk.
Remember that its not just about it working properly without giving an electric shock, its also about making sure your house doesn't burn down.
Regards
 

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