Your views, opinion and advice please chaps

[oharaf]

Okay interesting one here.

Bungalow property, roof contains horse hair insulation and ceilings are made of asbestos tiles!!!

Already you're think ******!!

Tuesday, pipe burst in roof above bathroom, taking out bathroom light, pull cord and shower pull cord.

The lighting is loop at the switch

I need to

1. make the light and pull cord safe, no access above for obvious
reasons

2. Install and 'temporary light to bathroom


My thinking so far is;

Mount shower cu as a sub main next to the cu (as it has no RCD and is ancient!) run cable in yt2 round to out side bathroom to a switch then through to suitable fitting mounted on bathroom wall.

Lighting solved!!

Disconnect shower at board, with draw MCB cut off cable to prevent reconnection, cut off at pull cord.

The customers son is organising a shower to be plumb off the combi boiler.

I need some how to make the 'old' lighting circuit safe (in the bathroom) if in deed the circuit is loop at the switch can anyone suggest how I can terminate the ends safely.

If not then i will have to extend the temporary lighting to other rooms.

Next thing is this is temporary, knowing the customers son it is likely to become 'permanent' this idea i am not happy with. Can I issue a cert for say 1 month and then say it will require regular checking until refurbishment is carried out.

Honestly I cannot think of a worse situation!!

Your advice and critisim will be much appreciated


Oh yes and to make things worse they are sort of 'relatives'

 

[tonyelectric]

I'm a bit confused as to why there is no access above due to an asbestos ceiling, there should be no problem pulling the old cables through without disturbing the board too much - bear in mind that a good chunk of the word including Russia, USA, India still use asbestos millboard in building and it's use goes back to ancient civilisation, if treated with respect and adequate precautions to avoid dust it really doesn't present a huge risk, I wouldn't advocate massive sawing and drilling operations but retreiving the cable ends and fixing a new light (preferably on existing holes) should not be a massive worry (did 2 yesterday)

If you are really worried by it (which is a personal choice) then walk away, I don't think a temporary you don't approve of is a good call, and although an EIC has a box for years/months to next insp. a month is a bit short.

If the Asbestos has badly deteriorated or you suspect it is one of the nastier amphibole (blue/brown) family then they need to have it removed by a specialist contractor before anything is done.

 

[riveralt]

ceilings are made of asbestos tiles!!!

Is it the lethal type? - I would have it checked before anything else - what do the householders insurance company say - what does your insurance company say?

Mount shower cu as a sub main next to the cu (as it has no RCD and is ancient!) run cable in yt2 round to out side bathroom to a switch then through to suitable fitting mounted on bathroom wall.

I assume you mean as shower cu with RCD and two MCB's one for the shower and one for the lighting?

Disconnect shower at board, with draw MCB cut off cable to prevent reconnection, cut off at pull cord.

The customers son is organising a shower to be plumb off the combi boiler.

Ah so forget about the shower cable -

I need some how to make the 'old' lighting circuit safe (in the bathroom) if in deed the circuit is loop at the switch can anyone suggest how I can terminate the ends safely.

IP44 jb or wall switch blank.

Next thing is this is temporary, knowing the customers son it is likely to become 'permanent' this idea i am not happy with. Can I issue a cert for say 1 month and then say it will require regular checking until refurbishment is carried out.

Yes you can - as long as you feel you have complied with Part P etc - but I would also follow it up with a letter highlighting the temporary nature of the installation.

 

[oharaf]

cheers tony, the boards are through out the property, they are the ceilings!!! They are the 'nasty type' and fixing into is a complete no no.

It is not that i don't approve of my thoughts it just does not need to be there any longer than needed

 

[tonyelectric]

As riveralt says cut the power to the light off at the switch, as its a pull switch sometimes you will find a BESA box cover will blank off the patress, if not cap the supply wires within it with crimps/chock block and cut the cord off, push the light wires back through the ceiling and dob in some polyfilla.

then put your new light in running surface in YT2 and wit sufficiently IP rated fittings,switch outside bathroom (or a nice masterseal one inside for that shed chic look!!!) job done.

As I see it, yes no self respecting householder is going to want to keep such an install long term (or the besto ceilings either!!) but it will all comply and be safe so you have no worry over how long it remains, it's just ugly but functional.