House Rewire

[stevech]

Hi,

I am about to rewire my house, I'm not an electrician but have worked on many house rewires over the years.

If I was to rewire my house and then get it passed by an electrician does it have to be 17th edition or will it get passed as satisfactory but NCS


Thanks
Steve

 

[bernardgreen]

You will find it difficult to find an electrican who will sign off some one elses work as being compliant.

If you are planning to do a DIY re-wire then the first thing to do is to speak to your local building control officers at the town hall. Ask them what they require in the way of documentation about the design and testing of your installation to allow them to accept your signature on a certificate of compliance to the standard they require for the work.

 

[riveralt]

Hi,
I am about to rewire my house, I'm not an electrician but have worked on many house rewires over the years.
If I was to rewire my house and then get it passed by an electrician does it have to be 17th edition or will it get passed as satisfactory but NCS
Thanks
Steve

You do not have to follow the 17th or any other edition of BS7671 as long as you can demonstrate that the installation meets these requirements.
//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:part_p:statutory_instrument
If you intend to do the work yourself, then you will need to notify your Local Authority Building Control, pay their fee, demonstrate how you will meet the above requirements and produce an Electrical Installation Certificate together with schedules of inspections and test results.
//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:part_p:diy_electrical_work_and_the_law

You should also be aware that you cannot just get your work passed by an electrician - he will need to be involved in every part of the design, installation and testing of the circuits - to do otherwise would be illegal and make any work you have done invalid.

 

[stevech]

Thanks for your replies.

I will get on to the local authority tomorrow and will look at the links you have posted.

With the local authority involved then it would make sense really to follow the 17th edition. Am I right in thinking that the equipotential bonding is simplified and eliminates cross-bonding?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Am I right in thinking that the equipotential bonding is simplified and eliminates cross-bonding?

Yes, probably - with the correct terms.

Main protective bonding is required from the MET to the incoming services, Water, Gas etc. incl. Central Heating if necessary.

If the circuits in the bathroom and other similar locations are protected by RCDs - which they will be after rewiring - and required disconnection times can be met then Supplementary Equipotential Bonding (cross bonding ?) may be omitted.

 

[stevech]

Fast reply cheers, I'm sure this won't be my last post

 

[ban-all-sheds]

• For a circuit to supply a given load, how would you go about deciding what cable and protective device to use? You can't just copy what you currently have because that might be wrong, and it's going to become your responsibility.
  
  
• Do you know which circuits can be ring finals and which cannot, and what the advantages and disadvantages of each are?
  
  
• Do you know what the two main lighting circuit topologies are, and what the advantages and disadvantages of each are?
  
  
• How do you calculate maximum demand and how can diversity be used?
  
  
• What are the 3 different types of domestic single-phase supplies provided in this country, how would you recognise them, and what differences do each make to the requirements for the rest of the installation, particularly any outdoor supplies?
  
  
• Can you correctly identify all components and connections of a circuit by method of testing or otherwise? In doing so can you identify or recognise anything wrong or dangerous with the circuit?
  
  
• Do you understand how the way in which you install cables affects how much current they can carry? You can't just copy what you currently have because that might be wrong, and it's going to become your responsibility.
  
  
• What are the rules concerning cables concealed in walls, partitions and under floors? You can't just copy what you currently have because that might be wrong, and it's going to become your responsibility.
  
  
• What are the rules for cables run outdoors, buried in the ground or overhead? You can't just copy what you currently have because that might be wrong, and it's going to become your responsibility.
  
  
• Where cables need to be joined, how should this be done / not be done and in what circumstances are different methods acceptable?
  
  
• Can you identify extraneous conductive parts, and do you know the requirements for main and supplementary bonding of them?
  
  
• Which circuits should be RCD protected?
  
  
• How do you propose to isolate your supply so that you can connect up your new CU?
  
  
• Do you know what tests you would carry out on the installation - what sequence you'd do them in and at what point you would energise the installation, and for each test do you know what is being measured, why it is important, how you would carry out the test, and with what equipment, and what sort of results you would expect to get if everything was OK?

The thing is, rewiring a house, installing new CUs, outside supplies, submains etc is not a trivial job, and I can assure you that it involves knowing far more than you think it does.

Asking questions here can be a useful part of a learning process, but they are not a substitute for proper structured studying. The key term there is "learning process" - you cannot learn all the things you need to know just by asking questions here. It isn't structured enough - it won't provide you with a way to progress where each step builds on what you learned before.

You can't carry out a job of this magnitude by asking whatever random questions happen to occur to you. What if you get something wrong because you have no idea your knowledge is wrong? What if you miss something because you simply have no idea it even exists, and just don't realise you don't know it?

• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics
  
  
• //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:books
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/electricity.html
  
  
• http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/domesticinstallations.html
  
  
• http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/1.1.htm[/list]I suggest you get stuck into the last link right away - it won't give you design ideas, and unfortunately it doesn't refer to the current edition of the Wiring Regulations, but it's free, and will still give you a good grounding which you can augment with more up to date publications.

 

[stevech]

Thanks for your reply.

I'll take this on board and will certainly get me head stuck into reading the info on the links you have provided.

 

[17thman]

Hi, I dont know what you do for a living and dont know what you earn but

whilst i admire anyone trying to do anything for themselves. As bas says, "you dont know what you dont know"

Have you considered that you could get your house rewired in 8/10 days on average. where by you may take 4/5 weeks to do it if you have little experience, rythym etc. or another job to do.

With a professional rewire you get exacting standards and thoroughly thought through installations. I guesss we can all make electrical connections but cable installation is just as important. Like where to drill joists, grouping of cables, understanding of safe zones.

how about running a freezer, non rcd protected and its cable installation method.

Also you will have to find a lying electrician and pay building control fees.

I dont normally say this sort of thing to motivated dilligent people because it is a DIY forum but you may well be better off employing a sparky to do it all and concentrating on your career. (that may sound condecending)

I have tried to be an amatuer psychologist to some of my friends and they have ended up worse for the chat and then got better after seeking professional help