New Kitchen and IEE Regs

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I am having a new kitchen fitted and the electrician has given me a quote to run an earth wire from the consumer unit to the incoming water mains pipe.

Also to add a main RCCB as my Square D Qwickline 12 way consumer unit only has a main switch, he has told me it isn't possible to get a RCCB for my existing consumer unit and is adding a separate fuse box linked to the existing one via a Henley block.

My questions are, the house was only built 15 years ago, do I need a earth bond to the incoming water pipe, all bathroom pipes seem to have earth wires attached, and is it possible to add a RCCB to my existing consumer unit?

I intend to run the earth bond cable myself if it is necessary, can someone tell me the correct cable and size for this?
 
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I am having a new kitchen fitted and the electrician has given me a quote to run an earth wire from the consumer unit to the incoming water mains pipe.
£how much?

he has told me it isn't possible to get a RCCB for my existing consumer unit
Why don't you believe him?


My questions are, the house was only built 15 years ago, do I need a earth bond to the incoming water pipe
You'd need one if it was built 1500 years ago or 15 minutes ago....


I intend to run the earth bond cable myself if it is necessary, can someone tell me the correct cable and size for this?
You've got an electrician in anyway - FGS just let him get on with it :rolleyes:
 
The new kitchen will be new electrical work so all the circuits in to the kitchen (cooker, ring, fridge radial) must be done to current standards.

I'd be surprised if you stick with just one circuit in a kitchen.

The main earth bonding is 10mm and must be done to the house in water cok and also to the gas meter (within 600mm).
 
I am having a new kitchen fitted and the electrician has given me a quote to run an earth wire from the consumer unit to the incoming water mains pipe.
£how much?

he has told me it isn't possible to get a RCCB for my existing consumer unit
Why don't you believe him?

My questions are, the house was only built 15 years ago, do I need a earth bond to the incoming water pipe
You'd need one if it was built 1500 years ago or 15 minutes ago....

I intend to run the earth bond cable myself if it is necessary, can someone tell me the correct cable and size for this?
You've got an electrician in anyway - FGS just let him get on with it :rolleyes:

Not sure why this matters.. £850.

I expect he is telling the truth but it wouldn't be unheard of to try and sell me a new one when perhaps it isn't really necessary.

So, in your sarcastic way you are confirming that the regulations have changed since the house was built..

I haven't got an electrician in, this is just to get it signed off after work by others has been completed, the reason I intend to do it is it is a tricky cable run and being an ex-electrician from many years ago I am quite capable of running a bit of cable discreetly rather than in mini trunking.
 
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The new kitchen will be new electrical work so all the circuits in to the kitchen (cooker, ring, fridge radial) must be done to current standards.

I'd be surprised if you stick with just one circuit in a kitchen.

The main earth bonding is 10mm and must be done to the house in water cok and also to the gas meter (within 600mm).

Thanks Chris for your answers, it wont be just one circuit for the kitchen, I believe it will be 3.
 
So, in your sarcastic way you are confirming that the regulations have changed since the house was built..

No, it's just that who ever wired your house wasn't working to the regs, and left your installation in a dangerous condition

I haven't got an electrician in, this is just to get it signed off after work by others has been completed

:confused:
 
So, in your sarcastic way you are confirming that the regulations have changed since the house was built..

No, it's just that who ever wired your house wasn't working to the regs, and left your installation in a dangerous condition

The water pipes have been bonded but just not where the stop cock is apparently, so I am assuming this is a new reg since house was built.
 
No. It has certainly been a requirement to install a 10.0mm² bond to all incomming services within 600mm of the point of entry on the consumers side of the stop cock and before any branch in the pipework since 1992.
 
No. It has certainly been a requirement to install a 10.0mm² bond to all incomming services within 600mm of the point of entry on the consumers side of the stop cock and before any branch in the pipework since 1992.

Okay thanks, will check it out perhaps the earth bond is hidden as there is one to the gas intake.
 
I am having a new kitchen fitted and the electrician has given me a quote to run an earth wire from the consumer unit to the incoming water mains pipe.
£how much?
Not sure why this matters.. £850.
£850 just for the bonding cable?

I was just curious as to why you were so set on not having him do it.


So, in your sarcastic way you are confirming that the regulations have changed since the house was built..
No - I'm saying that it doesn't matter when the house was built - installations done today have to comply with today's regulations - you should know that.


I haven't got an electrician in, this is just to get it signed off after work by others has been completed,
It doesn't work like that, or at least it shouldn't.

No wonder you don't trust the guy not to pull a fast one - if he's prepared to sign off other people's work he's clearly not honest.
 
No. It has certainly been a requirement to install a 10.0mm² bond to all incomming services within 600mm of the point of entry on the consumers side of the stop cock and before any branch in the pipework since 1992.

And the original regulation requiring bonding to incoming services was introduced in 1966, so Main or Protective Equipotential Bonding is nothing new.

The only thing that has altered down the years is the conductor csa and sheath colour. Green was phased out completely by 1977.

As for CSA, I cannot remember exactly when the changes were, but I know I was installing 6mm² in the mid 80's.

According to the 14th, circuits with a 19/.044 (18.64mm², 79A) live conductor size should have a 7/.044 (6.87mm²) earthing or bonding lead and 19/.052 (26.03mm², 94A) and 19/.064 (39.43mm², 125A) needed 7/.064 (14.53mm²).

Although I don't think I've seen many with such large conductors.
 
I am having a new kitchen fitted and the electrician has given me a quote to run an earth wire from the consumer unit to the incoming water mains pipe.
£how much?
Not sure why this matters.. £850.
£850 just for the bonding cable?

I was just curious as to why you were so set on not having him do it.

So, in your sarcastic way you are confirming that the regulations have changed since the house was built..
No - I'm saying that it doesn't matter when the house was built - installations done today have to comply with today's regulations - you should know that.

I haven't got an electrician in, this is just to get it signed off after work by others has been completed,
It doesn't work like that, or at least it shouldn't.

No wonder you don't trust the guy not to pull a fast one - if he's prepared to sign off other people's work he's clearly not honest.

The £850 wasn't just for bonding cable but to add another consumer unit for kitchen circuit as no RCCB on my existing consumer unit, just circuit breakers.

How it works - I understand that the kitchen installer guys connect appliances etc and another electrical company attend to check installation and that it complies to regs before signing it off. Any additional work required to bring it up to standard is charged directly to me by the electrical contractor. I am assuming this is the way most kitchen/bathroom installers work?
 
The £850 wasn't just for bonding cable but to add another consumer unit for kitchen circuit as no RCCB on my existing consumer unit, just circuit breakers.
Can't see it can't quote it as they say, but at first glance that seems OTT for a CU to serve, what - at most 3 or 4 kitchen circuits? Is this a complete bare-shell refit, with all new circuits, or is most of the wiring already in place?


How it works - I understand that the kitchen installer guys connect appliances etc and another electrical company attend to check installation and that it complies to regs before signing it off. Any additional work required to bring it up to standard is charged directly to me by the electrical contractor. I am assuming this is the way most kitchen/bathroom installers work?
OK - apologies for misinterpreting what you said - it sounded like the all-too-familiar plan of people doing work thinking that it could just be "signed off" by an electrician they wheel in after it's all done. The kitchen company should take responsibility for the entire work - subcontracting to other trades as necessary if they don't have the skills themselves, ideally you should have just one agreement and one invoice with them. Not always done that way for a variety of reasons. Did they choose the electrician, or did you?
 
The £850 wasn't just for bonding cable but to add another consumer unit for kitchen circuit as no RCCB on my existing consumer unit, just circuit breakers.
Can't see it can't quote it as they say, but at first glance that seems OTT for a CU to serve, what - at most 3 or 4 kitchen circuits? Is this a complete bare-shell refit, with all new circuits, or is most of the wiring already in place?


How it works - I understand that the kitchen installer guys connect appliances etc and another electrical company attend to check installation and that it complies to regs before signing it off. Any additional work required to bring it up to standard is charged directly to me by the electrical contractor. I am assuming this is the way most kitchen/bathroom installers work?
OK - apologies for misinterpreting what you said - it sounded like the all-too-familiar plan of people doing work thinking that it could just be "signed off" by an electrician they wheel in after it's all done. The kitchen company should take responsibility for the entire work - subcontracting to other trades as necessary if they don't have the skills themselves, ideally you should have just one agreement and one invoice with them. Not always done that way for a variety of reasons. Did they choose the electrician, or did you?

It is not a complete refit, all wiring is there, they mentioned something about adding a Henley block to bring just the 2-3 necessary circuits from existing consumer to a small extra fuse box (haven't had a written quote as yet so only going by what was said on phone and during there visit)

The kitchen supplier has chosen the electrician, presume he does all there work for them, TBH it was the attitude of the electrician that put my back up a bit, it seemed he just expected me to accept it without question maybe just because I have ordered a 25k kitchen. :LOL:
 

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