crofter Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Does anybody know the rules on electrical wiring? Specifically, is there an actual qualification needed to wire a house, or can anybody do it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 It would have to conform to the current 17 Edition of the regs. They would also need s test certificate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 you can wire the house but it will need connecting by a qualified person. whether they would be willing to do this may be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 If the installation passes the required standards, I am sure Paul, for money, it will be tested and connected. The REC will also test if it has been disconnected from the meter, they will need the cert. Check the Facts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 If there's a Hydro connection already there, you can do what you like and nobody's the wiser, although if at some future point the house is rented/sold, there's the potential for all sorts of aggro. If there's not already a Hydro connection, they'll not usually hook one up without "proof" things have been done to a set standard - basically a time served sparky to sign off on the job, last I was aware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 If there's a Hydro connection already there, you can do what you like and nobody's the wiser, although if at some future point the house is rented/sold, there's the potential for all sorts of aggro. If there's not already a Hydro connection, they'll not usually hook one up without "proof" things have been done to a set standard - basically a time served sparky to sign off on the job, last I was aware.But it might be as well to consider that the rules are there for a reason. Will not feel very good if you do the job yourself and then someone gets electrocuted or the house burns down. Ghostrider 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 If there's a Hydro connection already there, you can do what you like and nobody's the wiser,That is a foolish thing to do really. The reason there have been these rules introduced is to save life and property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 If there's a Hydro connection already there, you can do what you like and nobody's the wiser,That is a foolish thing to do really. The reason there have been these rules introduced is to save life and property. ^ We know this. I said "can do what you like", that doesn't mean everyone "will do what they like". Intelligent and sensible people, of which I'm sure crofter is one, will only attempt such works as they know they have adequate skills and knowledge to perform competently. No amount of "rules" will save idiots from themselves, as they tend to be deluded as to their own abilities and don't believe the rules apply to them anyway. crofter and peeriebryan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 More folk read this than declare an identity. Suggesting that you could possibly do what you like without penalty is the foolish thing here. I agree there could be idiots, but why encourage them? For instance, more folk nowadays are saved by the seatbelt rule than before the rule was introduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 If you do electrical work in your house you will have to provide the appropriate certificate if you wish to sell the house, or face the expense of having it checked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 More folk read this than declare an identity. Suggesting that you could possibly do what you like without penalty is the foolish thing here. I agree there could be idiots, but why encourage them? For instance, more folk nowadays are saved by the seatbelt rule than before the rule was introduced. Peat, for clarity, seeing as you are hell bent to niggle and be a pedant..... There is NOTHING to stop anyone doing ANYTHING they like when there is a mains supply already connected to the property. Whether what they do is sensible or foolish, should they choose to do whatever they do, the wise will know beforehand, and the stupid will learn from experience. I made no mention that it was "without penalty", that's you choosing to take a meaning from it that's not stated in the original you are referencing. Again, the wise will know ahead of time what risks they're taking, and the stupid will soon learn. Those who will do something silly need no encouragement, to them its not silly, and they'll not be told different. You cannot fix stupid, regardless of how many "rules" you put in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 The rules aren't clear. It depends what work you undertake as to whether or not you need a Warrant to do the work in the first place or just have it signed off by an NICEIC approved electrician. So, if a new build, you need an NICEIC bod or equivalent. If re-wiring an existing property/carrying out repairs, you don't need a warrant if a 2 storey house but do if a flat or 3 storey house or above. If wiring in a new ceiling light, you can do it yourself. Easiest rule of thumb - do it yourself and get an NICEIC approved Electrician to sign it off ... and bear in mind that not all electricians hold the relevant qualifications. Plus, the EU changed the wiring colours (again) a few years back. Renting the property and keeping insurers sweet ... apart from that, if you ain't got it certified and you've done the work yourself, when you sell the property all the surveyor will recommend is that you have the electrics tested and if they hadn't been checked for more than a few years, a surveyor would recommend that anyway. crofter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 however you really do need to know what your doing. please don't guess. our house wiring is a serious mess the porch is powered from the upstairs circuit. if i had not had a circuit tester it could have been fun. the wiring to the byre and store directly wired in to the system somewhere. lots of fused switches that dont seem to have a purpose. i should repair all that but im very twitchy about what else i will find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owre-weel Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 If it's a new house, building control will insist you provide proof that it was wired by a qualified sparky. If it's a complete re-wire you would still be wise to get a qualified sparky to do the work, or one who will be happy for a competent person to do the donkey work leaving them to connect up. Unfortunately these are few and far between. Consider any insurance issues should something go wrong in the future. peeriebryan and unlinkedstudent 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post peeriebryan Posted January 10, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 I worked for an electrical contractor for years on the mainland and have renovated a few houses, and my advice is...... Sketch out what you're planning to do (locations of sockets, appliances, lights and switches, cable runs etc) then get a sparky to check it over, principally to make sure you're not going to overload any circuits and that you're planning to use the right size of cables - usually 1.5 mm2 for light circuits, 2.5mm2 for ring mains, 6mm2 or more for radial (direct) circuits for large appliances (showers, cookers etc). The sparky will know the latest edition of the wiring regulations and will spot any potential issues straight away. * It's worth considering pulling in bigger cables than you need for appliances such as cookers and showers. The difference in price is minimal but it means you can upgrade your appliances to something more powerful in future. The sparky will advise you on the consumer unit(s) too (whether you need to upgrade them or not), and if you don't have the main power supply in yet you'll need to get the Hydro in for the connections to the main fuse. Pull in the cables and cut out the boxes (if it's plasterboard) yourself, which in my experience is 95% or more of the work. Expect lots of crawling in lafts, under floors, boring holes through things and swearing. Get a sparky in for the final connections and testing. They can usually bash the second fix of a house in a day or two and you'll know it's done right. They can sign everything off too to keep the paperwork in order. Also, sparkies tend to be able to get the fittings cheaper than you can yourself (get a quote for that first and check it against Screwfix - they always have deals on consumers units etc). One thing to watch for is that the substation is able to supply the new load if it's a considerable extra, or new, draw on the power. I know a few folk who have come a cropper when they've gone to get the main supply in and the Hydro have insisted they upgrade the substation, which could be several grand. In summary, it's best to get ask a sparky's advice afore you start. In my experience, they tend to accept a pint or two for an initial consultation But as has been mentioned, if it's a new build you'll need to run everything past building control. Expect paperwork! Ian_H, peerieivan, crofter and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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