Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Lioned]

Any modification to a circuit or new circuit in a Kitchen is  designated as certifiable Electrical work and subject to Building Regs (for which you would have to pay).

You cannot do the work yourself and then get a Part P Electrician to certify it.No self respecting Electrician who has to pay £££'s per year to be regulated would sign off someone elses work as it would be illegal in any event.

Failure to comply with the Building Regulations is a criminal offence and local authorities have the power to require the removal or alteration of work that does not comply. Large fines and prosecution have now been undertaken by the government against non registered electricians and DIY enthusiasts who have ignored the new laws. Fines during prosecution for non registered electricians have been as high as £20,000 with possible imprisonment.

Chances are if you do it yourself no one will ever be any the wiser unless you happen to electrocute someone and then you'll end up in prison.

Or when you come to sell the house and the purchasers solicitor asks what work has been done under 'pre contract enquiries' and you'll have to avoid the question or lie !
 

[Vamps]

I am not sure about all the rules as such, just that as I understand it you can not do any electrical work yourself

Before fitting, well as part of having fitted a new kitchen in 2002 I had new circuits fitted by a qualified electrician, not that I have any paperwork   not the best of jobs in places...

I, more recently, put a new circuit with 4 double sockets in Miss Vamps bedroom, our house in 1930's and we do not plan to sell any time soon, some of the current wiring is old but newer, ie we have some modern sockets, but fed at 5 amps.. and I recently replaced some lead lighting cable, bit of a mish mash really, but how can they say what I have done since the new regs and not before? I even have a roll of 10mm cable, in old colour which I was going to use for the shower, if or when we need to change and update.....Any work I have done is better than anything original in the house, upstairs bedrooms are all radial wired, but little load, hence why I put a new circuit in Miss Vamps bedroom for all the electrical stuff she wants now and in the future.....

[Andy B]

.... I even have a roll of 10mm cable, in old colour which ....

So do I 

Rules will have probably changed again before I need worry about anything I've recently done in our house ......... not that I've done much recently. 

[Lioned]

Part P was introduced in 2005 prior to that the industry was pretty much self regulating and you could get away with doing most stuff yourself.
The worst houses i have seen are those owned by DIY enthusiasts.
Problem with most domestic Electrics is that it is fairly simple to get something to work,many appliances will work even if you wire them up back to front,you can get the neutral and live round the wrong way but you still have a circuit that will work but the appliance/light will still be live even when switched off.
Most people automatically assume that if it works its ok.
Chances are you can do your own work and get stuff to work and no one will ever be any the wiser,but if you come to sell the house that is when people ask questions and may ask for certificates.

[Ken T]

You can do what ever you want to electrics , but it must ( should ?) be checked by a certified person. I did a house renovation a few years back, I specified on the Building notice adding a cooker socket and fridge cable, plus "refresh" the installation. It appeared that the Building Inspector head would do the check, however I gave them an easy alternative in saying I would get it checked by a part P person and send in a copy of the certificate. They were happy with that. Building Control are primarily concerned with our safety, not form filling unless necessary.

Ken

[Ken T]

Part P was introduced in 2005 prior to that the industry was pretty much self regulating and you could get away with doing most stuff yourself.
The worst houses i have seen are those owned by DIY enthusiasts with no clue as to what they were doing.
Problem with most domestic Electrics is that it is fairly simple to get something to work,many appliances will work even if you wire them up back to front,you can get the neutral and live round the wrong way but you still have a circuit that will work but the appliance/light will still be live even when switched off.
Most people automatically assume that if it works its ok.
Chances are you can do your own work and get stuff to work and no one will ever be any the wiser,but if you come to sell the house that is when people ask questions and may ask for certificates.

Qualifaction, a lot of DIY people are professional and their work is extremely competant

Ken

[Lioned]

The Part P Certification scheme providers will not allow their members to 'sign off' other peoples work,unless that work has been supervised by that member.

[Vamps]

You can do what ever you want to electrics , but it must ( should ?) be checked by a certified person. I did a house renovation a few years back, I specified on the Building notice adding a cooker socket and fridge cable, plus "refresh" the installation. It appeared that the Building Inspector head would do the check, however I gave them an easy alternative in saying I would get it checked by a part P person and send in a copy of the certificate. They were happy with that. Building Control are primarily concerned with our safety, not form filling unless necessary.

Ken

That takes me back.... i bought my first house in 1980 ish I needed some extra sockets in the front room, I fitted a new circuit, but got an electrician friend to 'mega' check the wiring and all was well....

[Andy B]

The Part P Certification scheme providers will not allow their members to 'sign off' other peoples work,unless that work has been supervised by that member.

While I agree that there must be some horrendous leccy installs in DIYers houses, Part P criminalises professionals (as stated above) who are qualified to play with 3 ph 440v(it was at sea) 415V all day long at work, but aren't then deemed capable of extending a ring main etc at home. Another farcical law imposed as a knee jerk reaction.

[Vamps]

The Part P Certification scheme providers will not allow their members to 'sign off' other peoples work,unless that work has been supervised by that member.

While I agree that there must be some horrendous leccy installs in DIYers houses, Part P criminalises professionals (as stated above) who are qualified to play with 3 ph 440v(it was at sea) 415V all day long at work, but aren't then deemed capable of extending a ring main etc at home. Another farcical law imposed as a knee jerk reaction.

H&S or whatever gone OTT, I just get on and do what I do, I am quite able and by the time anyone checks I will be passed caring or dead, an attitude I also use at work, so bring it on........

[Rods2]

Another closed shop that stops competent people from doing their own electrical work. After completing an electronics apprenticeship which included doing wiring for aircraft, which had to passed by inspection, so you made sure you got it right and also having an HNC in Electrical and Electronic engineering, I'm not allowed to work on my own electrics.

I looked into getting a part P certificate, but it has been designed to make it not practical to obtain unless you are working as an electrician as you have to be doing work regularly and have annual competency checks at your expense of course. Fortunately all the changes I made to my house were done in the 1990's and I don't need to do anything further.

At the time the regulations were brought in somebody did a law on unintended consequences and worked out due to the extra mileage that electricians would be doing, more of them would be killed in accidents on the UK's roads than lives would be saved from electrocution and fires through faulty electrical wiring. 

[fiend61]

Another farcical law imposed as a knee jerk reaction.

so very true !!!!!!!!!!!! also another way of getting money for yet another piece of paper  the courses we (electricians) have to go on now to be declared "competent" is cr@p last christmas i had to renew several certificates one of the worst being a steps and ladders course, basically an 8 hour course telling us how to use steps and ladders!!!!! cost of course £80
the other thing about electrical certificates most of them are not a one off payment as the certificates only last for a certain period of time or become superceded by a newer regulation so back to the piggy bank again!!!!
ok i can see some of the reasoning behind some of the certificates to keep us (electricians) and the customers safe etc but the end result will always be the same the more we (electricians) have to pay out for courses etc will be passed on to the customer in higher prices !!!!

[Marks DTM Calib]

Do it all in small bits and you can do pretty much anyhting you like thansk to the rather starnge caviats of 'small jobs' and 'maintenance'!

[Kevin Wood]

I looked into getting a part P certificate, but it has been designed to make it not practical to obtain unless you are working as an electrician as you have to be doing work regularly and have annual competency checks at your expense of course.

Exactly. It's primarily another "jobs for the boys" protection scheme with safety a long way down the list of priorities. Just another LPGA/UKLPG, although with a few less cowboys, thankfully.

[aaronjb]

Do it all in small bits and you can do pretty much anyhting you like thansk to the rather starnge caviats of 'small jobs' and 'maintenance'!

I believe that doesn't extend to certain areas of the house, however - namely anywhere there is water or damp (the kitchen, bathroom and 'detached outbuildings')..

So yes, you can repair sockets & wiring elsewhere as long as the repair is less than the replacement of an entire ring/radial, but not touch anything in the kitchen, bathroom or a detached garage..