Hi Guys,
Have been lurking on this site for a while now and have enjoyed reading many of the topics, mainly in the Electrics UK. I have always had a keen interest in electric and wanted to be an electrician, things as always don’t work out how you plan and I’m now an IT/Network/Comms technician, closest I come to electric at work is where I plug an appliance into the wall - lol!
As I grew up over the years I basically self taught myself about electrics, although obviously not to a professional level and have for many years maintained the installation at my home and have done odd jobs for friends and family. Obviously with part p now in place I don’t do anything major now except change the odd light or socket.
I have done two total house re-wires, one about 5 years ago and the other about 4 years ago, both were tested and certified by an electrician afterwards with no issues raised.
My own home is no exception and I have also rewired it though not completely, small story here so please bear with me. Original mains wiring in braided T&E fed from brown wylex fuse box with one newer lighting circuit to kitchen extension. House lighting circuit in steel conduit wired with red/black waxy covered cable fed from push/pull 15amp isolator, round toggle switches and twisted flex pendants throughout. Whole house protected by ELCB.
By pure luck a light switch failed (this must be at least 10 years ago now) and an electrician was summoned as I was way too young to be messing with mains electrics back then. Basically he condemned the lighting circuit and provided a quote along with other work we requested (extra power points etc...) which was Okayed and work commenced. Basically the lighting circuit was replaced and wired with 1mm T&E and Ashley accessories, most of which sill remain, some power points converted from singles to doubles and one extra installed in kitchen as the only socket we had out there was on the cooker control unit. Mains wiring retained and sockets in bedroom (oval mk ones) moved from skirting board to just above on wall. New MK consumer unit fitted with RCD to protect entire installation and mcb's to protect circuits. This CU is still in service and can be seen in the pics below.
About 4 years ago I decided to re-wire the mains circuits as we wanted extra sockets upstairs and I didn’t think it made sense to wire onto the old braided T&E when I had the floorboards up anyway. So the ring main was replaced and extended, so was the immersion heater circuit, new 20 amp radial to back lounge and kitchen installed (3 extra double points in kitchen and one in the lounge), 1mm supply to lights replaced with 1.5mm then split in JB to upstairs circuit(1mm) downstairs(1mm) and extension(1mm) circuits - should have split to at least two circuits perhaps but space on CU didn’t allow this and loading was and still is low so isn’t an issue. Cooker circuit untouched as didn’t need changing, however kitchen refit meant that cooker control unit was replaced, same time as install of extra sockets. All additional new sockets/switches were MK downstairs and contactum upstairs old MK oval sockets upstairs were replaced for contactum doubles and at least one other double fitted in each room.
So that’s how it all stayed until about a year ago when due to the Christmas lights I put up each year putting what I called a heavy load on the ring main (prob about 20 amps in total) I decided to install some new circuits to power the Christmas lights and the shed power etc.. during the year, keeping them separate from the house circuits so any faults can be isolated without affecting power to the house. As my original CU is full (only 5 ways) I could either replace it or install a second CU, replacing it would have been awkward due to where it’s installed so I decided to install a second one which would be fed from the original. So new CU installed and new circuits run and terminated, lighting circuit removed from old CU and moved to new one, 50amp mcb installed in old CU and 10mm T&E used to supply power to new CU (total length about 2 metres). Should ideally have put 50amp mcb nearest the main switch but didn’t want to have to rewire and re-terminate my already very tidy CU and loading will hardly ever exceed 25 amps (30 max) anyway. If the new CU were to ever supply an electric shower (don’t have one but have left a spare way next to main switch for it) then I would have an isolator fitted to the tails by my supplier and Henley both units to it with 25mm tails, and of course fit an RCD to the second CU. Although if we have a combi boiler fitted (may do sometime soon) id rather go down the power shower route. Another point I suspect may be raised is that the entire installation is protected by an RCD rather than being split, we have never had any nuisance tripping and apart from the lights I prefer all circuits on an RCD anyway, it just gives me peace of mind.
Anyway so circuits on new CU are 32amp 6mm T&E to outside power cabinet in passage feeds MK DP metal clad isolator which feeds 4 double MK metal clad sockets. 20amp radial to 2 double sockets in front bedroom, 6 amp circuit for house lights.
Part P I believe had come into effect when I fitted the new CU so I know I have been a little naughty.
I have included some pics below of the installation and I would welcome any comments (good or bad) or advice that you may have. My installation has never been professionally tested and has not had a PIR. Though I have nothing concrete to back this up I believe it’s a perfectly safe install and if a PIR were to be done I’d hope that there would only be minimal (if any) remedial work required. Service fuse fitted is a 60amp, this was confirmed when meter was changed a while back, supply is overhead and so we have an earth rod outside the front door and the tails to the CU are 25mm.
Please take a look at this pics and reply back with any comments or questions you have.
Full size photos can be found here http://www.dtenterprises.co.uk/cu
Cheers
Dan
Have been lurking on this site for a while now and have enjoyed reading many of the topics, mainly in the Electrics UK. I have always had a keen interest in electric and wanted to be an electrician, things as always don’t work out how you plan and I’m now an IT/Network/Comms technician, closest I come to electric at work is where I plug an appliance into the wall - lol!
As I grew up over the years I basically self taught myself about electrics, although obviously not to a professional level and have for many years maintained the installation at my home and have done odd jobs for friends and family. Obviously with part p now in place I don’t do anything major now except change the odd light or socket.
I have done two total house re-wires, one about 5 years ago and the other about 4 years ago, both were tested and certified by an electrician afterwards with no issues raised.
My own home is no exception and I have also rewired it though not completely, small story here so please bear with me. Original mains wiring in braided T&E fed from brown wylex fuse box with one newer lighting circuit to kitchen extension. House lighting circuit in steel conduit wired with red/black waxy covered cable fed from push/pull 15amp isolator, round toggle switches and twisted flex pendants throughout. Whole house protected by ELCB.
By pure luck a light switch failed (this must be at least 10 years ago now) and an electrician was summoned as I was way too young to be messing with mains electrics back then. Basically he condemned the lighting circuit and provided a quote along with other work we requested (extra power points etc...) which was Okayed and work commenced. Basically the lighting circuit was replaced and wired with 1mm T&E and Ashley accessories, most of which sill remain, some power points converted from singles to doubles and one extra installed in kitchen as the only socket we had out there was on the cooker control unit. Mains wiring retained and sockets in bedroom (oval mk ones) moved from skirting board to just above on wall. New MK consumer unit fitted with RCD to protect entire installation and mcb's to protect circuits. This CU is still in service and can be seen in the pics below.
About 4 years ago I decided to re-wire the mains circuits as we wanted extra sockets upstairs and I didn’t think it made sense to wire onto the old braided T&E when I had the floorboards up anyway. So the ring main was replaced and extended, so was the immersion heater circuit, new 20 amp radial to back lounge and kitchen installed (3 extra double points in kitchen and one in the lounge), 1mm supply to lights replaced with 1.5mm then split in JB to upstairs circuit(1mm) downstairs(1mm) and extension(1mm) circuits - should have split to at least two circuits perhaps but space on CU didn’t allow this and loading was and still is low so isn’t an issue. Cooker circuit untouched as didn’t need changing, however kitchen refit meant that cooker control unit was replaced, same time as install of extra sockets. All additional new sockets/switches were MK downstairs and contactum upstairs old MK oval sockets upstairs were replaced for contactum doubles and at least one other double fitted in each room.
So that’s how it all stayed until about a year ago when due to the Christmas lights I put up each year putting what I called a heavy load on the ring main (prob about 20 amps in total) I decided to install some new circuits to power the Christmas lights and the shed power etc.. during the year, keeping them separate from the house circuits so any faults can be isolated without affecting power to the house. As my original CU is full (only 5 ways) I could either replace it or install a second CU, replacing it would have been awkward due to where it’s installed so I decided to install a second one which would be fed from the original. So new CU installed and new circuits run and terminated, lighting circuit removed from old CU and moved to new one, 50amp mcb installed in old CU and 10mm T&E used to supply power to new CU (total length about 2 metres). Should ideally have put 50amp mcb nearest the main switch but didn’t want to have to rewire and re-terminate my already very tidy CU and loading will hardly ever exceed 25 amps (30 max) anyway. If the new CU were to ever supply an electric shower (don’t have one but have left a spare way next to main switch for it) then I would have an isolator fitted to the tails by my supplier and Henley both units to it with 25mm tails, and of course fit an RCD to the second CU. Although if we have a combi boiler fitted (may do sometime soon) id rather go down the power shower route. Another point I suspect may be raised is that the entire installation is protected by an RCD rather than being split, we have never had any nuisance tripping and apart from the lights I prefer all circuits on an RCD anyway, it just gives me peace of mind.
Anyway so circuits on new CU are 32amp 6mm T&E to outside power cabinet in passage feeds MK DP metal clad isolator which feeds 4 double MK metal clad sockets. 20amp radial to 2 double sockets in front bedroom, 6 amp circuit for house lights.
Part P I believe had come into effect when I fitted the new CU so I know I have been a little naughty.
I have included some pics below of the installation and I would welcome any comments (good or bad) or advice that you may have. My installation has never been professionally tested and has not had a PIR. Though I have nothing concrete to back this up I believe it’s a perfectly safe install and if a PIR were to be done I’d hope that there would only be minimal (if any) remedial work required. Service fuse fitted is a 60amp, this was confirmed when meter was changed a while back, supply is overhead and so we have an earth rod outside the front door and the tails to the CU are 25mm.
Please take a look at this pics and reply back with any comments or questions you have.
Full size photos can be found here http://www.dtenterprises.co.uk/cu
Cheers
Dan
