Restricted room in CU for garage circuit and extensions.

[ban-all-sheds]

The following information should be provided before works commence on the electrical installation:-

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When Robgers said "You could consider using a competent electrician" you replied "I am having the circuits tested by the LA electrician when I have done the work. I have been doing self build for 40 years now and keep informed of the wiring regs."

That last sentence really does read as if you were saying that you were quite experienced and knowledgeable enough to be doing this work.

All of the questions they've asked you to answer before you start work are within the scope of someone competent to do the work.

And some of them cannot be answered for you by anyone here.

Arrangements should be made with Building Control for the electrical works to be inspected at the first fix stage.

That's fair enough.

Please note that prior to the installation being tested and inspected at completion the following information must be available.

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Prior to the installation being tested and inspected at completion, note.

i.e. before the electrician from or appointed by LABC arrives you have to have all of that information available, some of which can only be obtained by testing.

Are you going to be able to provide it all?

Plenty to keep me busy.

Most of it could be knocked out in an evening by someone competent to do the work.

HOWEVER, I cannot afford to employ an electrician

I would ask the same as 1john, and also ask if you had a car which needed repairs to make it safe would you carry on using it just because you couldn't afford them?

so if I cannot satisfactorily answer these I will continue to use an RCD extension cable to the garage!

Why can't you satisfactorily answer them? You've been doing it for 40 years and have kept yourself informed of the Wiring Regulations.

The work you want to do is not trivial, and as is becoming clear to you it involves knowing far more than you thought it did. There's nothing wrong with being an amateur, but there is a great deal wrong with being amateurish.

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. You've already shown that you have some gaps in your fundamental knowledge - 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.

 

[happyhacker]

Thanks BAS, I have ordered some library books. I feel competant enough to answer the questions but I do need to come up to date on this subject. Thanks fo the advice about the limitations of the forum. I will ask specific questions later but just put those (on the last) post to see if anyone thought they were the "usual" set of requirements.

 

[1john]

If I could charge £250 a day and find people willing to pay it I would be a very happy bloke. You haven't had any quotes have you, you have guessed that you can save some cash by doing it yourself. In fairness to you though you are going about doing the work in a legal way through building control. You should get some quotes, there will be small one man bands that would be happy for you to buy the materials and do the grunt work, you will pay them for their time to inspect, test, 2nd fix ect. The sparky will be able to do all the calcs for you and be sure that it is done correctly (hopefully). I dont know about all the schemes but for me to notify a job to BC costs me £1.50 + vat. How much are building control charging you?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Depends where he is in Dorset, and how they class the work he's doing.

Could be well over £200, or well over £300 if they class a CU & final circuits as an installation.

Could be based on a detailed assessment of the work, which might be why they've asked so many questions, in which case he won't know what the charge will be until he's submitted the information.

 

[happyhacker]

Well, I am not going to bother powering the garage. I've decided to buy a good extension cable and run it down to a plug in the porch (already there). Then there will be 4 sockets for the power I need. For the bathroom I shall have a mixer and do it soon before some quango decides there are safety issues with water. In the kitchen we will make do with what's there. So saving hundreds of pounds I haven't got on electricians charges and time studying the regs!

PS I've just moved to this place and I looked into the airing cupboard at the newish hot water tank (put in some 3 years ago) and this 400lb beast is sitting on a laterally unsupported frame on a peice of 16mm chipboard which even now is showing signs of bending under the strain and all the electrics underneath. If that lot goes I bet the plumber will not come back and do a proper job! Better start putting some proper bracing in before it's too late!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Well, I am not going to bother powering the garage.

OK.

I've decided to buy a good extension cable and run it down to a plug in the porch (already there).

I thought you said you weren't going to power the garage?

Your story seems to have a few inconsistencies.

Current rating remains an issue but I will be having a freezer, lights and power for small DIY tools but no heavy power stuff.

Err.... how is having a freezer going to work if you just run an extension lead?

Do you realise that any fixed wiring or accessories in the garage will bring the work into the scope of Part P whether you use an extension lead or a permanently connected armoured supply cable? Your legal obligations remain the same - do you think that your plan will discharge them properly?

And your sudden change of mind really does not match your earlier assertion that you were having the circuits tested by the LA electrician when you had done the work. Was that an arrangement you had actually made, i.e. was it a planned course of action, or was it a load of b*****ks that you thought you could palm us off with?

For the bathroom I shall have a mixer and do it soon before some quango decides there are safety issues with water.

You seem a little testy. Are things coming unravelled at your end?

So saving hundreds of pounds I haven't got on electricians charges

You told us you were notifying the work and having it inspected and tested by your LABC. Do you not have the hundreds of pounds that was going to cost? If not, why did you say you were going to do it?

and time studying the regs!

Err... why do you need to spend time studying the regs?

I have been doing self build for 40 years now and keep informed of the wiring regs.

Has anything you've told us been true?

PS I've just moved to this place and I looked into the airing cupboard at the newish hot water tank (put in some 3 years ago) and this 400lb beast is sitting on a laterally unsupported frame on a peice of 16mm chipboard which even now is showing signs of bending under the strain and all the electrics underneath. If that lot goes I bet the plumber will not come back and do a proper job! Better start putting some proper bracing in before it's too late!

Go and talk to people on the plumbing forum - I'm sure you'll fit in well there.