Moving to france

[Tony6]

HI I have a house in france which im looking to renovate completly .I will hopefully be carrying out the the re-wire myself ,but have a lot of learning to do first when it comes to french electrics.

There are to many questions to ask?

Can any one draw me up a complete wiring plan ?To conform with french regs.

There will be a dink in it,and not just a pint?????????????

Thanks Tony

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

I've seen french electrics, you can forget a screwdriver and use matches to poke the wires in, also buy a white sheet so you can surrender when another nation says BOO, the french like other people to fight their battles for them

 

[AdamW]

Ooooh, political! Scoby, I have noticed a pattern here to your comments on foreign electrics, you even managed to work your opinions on French electrics into a discussion on German ovens!

Anyway, there was a very helpful and knowledgable French electrician on this forum somewhere but I can't find him now. From what I remember of his postings they work on radial circuits rather than ring mains, and make judicious use of 4-way extension leads.

Perhaps it might be worth seeing if you can try implementing some UK wiring regs, in the interests of Europe and all that. Do you reckon that installing a big isolating transformer between the CU and the grid would allow you to do whatever wiring you wanted? I.e. UK plug sockets, a decent earth, quality light switches.

Do they still have those whacking big phone plugs out there? First time I saw one of those I wasn't sure what the heck it was!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Do they still have those whacking big phone plugs out there?

Yes they do - I've got one in my travelling kit, along with a 4-way UK power strip with an IEC-320 socket on the end, on the grounds that everywhere you go you can find a kettle or PC power cable that you can borrow, and then you can plug in your laptop, phone charger, portable stereo, hairdryer etc and not have to bother with those wretched adapters.

PS to Scoby - at least the French didn't let their leaders lie to them and take them into an illegal act of aggression against a sovereign nation.....

 

[Tony6]

Thanks for the typical english reply im surel you must go to spain for your hoildays and drink larger.

At least the french fight for there own people and their rights as workers .

To improve there life style.

Not like us brits who let everyone and take over

Tony

 

[AdamW]

Good idea on the kettle lead style 4-way adaptor. You could even use that in a 120V country with some equipment. Most PC/laptop power supplies and I think mobile phone chargers are auto-switch voltage.

I think perhaps some people have taken Scoby's comments a little too seriously! I prefer to remain as neutral as possible on this. Although I would agree that their wiring and building codes do leave a lot to be desired!

I want to see some German wiring. I suspect the cables would be as thick as your arm and terminated with industrial-grade connections, but I could be wrong.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Good idea on the kettle lead style 4-way adaptor. You could even use that in a 120V country with some equipment. Most PC/laptop power supplies and I think mobile phone chargers are auto-switch voltage.

I've used it in in the USA.

..I want to see some German wiring. I suspect the cables would be as thick as your arm and terminated with industrial-grade connections, but I could be wrong.

Yo - and you wouldn't fancy any German female electricians.

Oh dear, more racial stereotypes...

 

[AdamW]

Yes, the whole "Vorsprung Durch Technik" could be a stereotype but I think it is better to try to work to a higher standard than to sit back and feel superior cos we have tighter regulations than most other countries.

Never met a female electrician of any nationality... would it be a "shocking" experience? (I think that is the worst joke on diynot yet!)

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Well I suppose if it was cold, you could always offer to insulator. But she might blow a fuse.

 

[AdamW]

Well I suppose if it was cold, you could always offer to insulator. But she might blow a fuse.

I stand corrected. THAT was the worst joke on DIYnot ever!

 

[securespark]

There was a girl on our course at college back in the 80's but the other lads teased her so much she quit.

And the reason I think they teased her was because she was much better at it than them. B******S!!

 

[Big_Spark]

I must say that if you wire the house to French regulations, then you may as well sell your soul to the devil.

French and electrical regulations do not generally meet anywhere near common sense. The way they do things is..ahem different to say the least.

Personally I would suggest wiring it as if it was in England, I would even use British outlets, that would save a lot of fafffing about with those silly adaptors too.

You might get a few problems with the local inspector, we did a house for Lord Harris in France, wired to English regs with British products, the Local Inspector was at a loss when presented with the wiring diagrams, hand-over dicumentation and test certificates, I don't think he had ever seen any before!

He was a nice enough chap, and once he had got his head around things was very pleased and signed off the supply no problem.

He did throw in a few "You English are crazy" comments!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So if a French person moving to this country decided to rewire his house according to French wiring regulations, you'd have no problem with that, would you?

Rip out all those 13A sockets and do away with fused plugs?

Put sockets in his bathroom?

Is it wise to suggest that someone break the law, or contravene the reguations of a foreign country because you think our way of doing something is superior?

 

[Big_Spark]

So if a French person moving to this country decided to rewire his house according to French wiring regulations, you'd have no problem with that, would you?

Rip out all those 13A sockets and do away with fused plugs?

Put sockets in his bathroom?

Is it wise to suggest that someone break the law, or contravene the reguations of a foreign country because you think our way of doing something is superior?

Why do you seek to be confrontational?

Where did I suggest that a Frenchman coming to the UK should do what you suggest?

The simple fact is that UK Electrical Regulations ARE the strictest in the EU, and that if any installation in France is carried out to our Regulations you will be OK as they will surpass the local French regulations, such as they are. However if you wired a house to French regs in the UK it would be illegal.

Where did I suggest that anyone break the law?? How are you contravening any regulations if you surpass them.

 

[AdamW]

No problem with wiring to superior regs surely? NICEIC regs for example.

So, provided the inspector has a knowledge of electrics and that you can explain what the advantages are, and prove there are no disadvantages, then he will surely see that it is safer and pass it. Obviously provided that there aren't regs that ban ring circuits and fuses!

Perhaps we should start a campaign to standardise electrics across the EU using the UK regs as a model? Get the important things sorted out before trying to push through half-arsed ways of ruining the financial systems of every country involved?