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Change in UK electrical regs.

J

John C

Jan 1, 1970
0
Someone has been telling me something to do with the regs changing this year
in the UK. They are saying something about you cannot rewire your own house
or anyone elses for that matter if you are not part of a VAT registered
company. Even if you are a qualified electrician. Is there any truth in this
and if so where can i find out more details.

Regards,

John
 
B

Bill Lyons

Jan 1, 1970
0
On Wednesday, in article
<[email protected]>
Someone has been telling me something to do with the regs changing this year
in the UK. They are saying something about you cannot rewire your own house
or anyone elses for that matter if you are not part of a VAT registered
company. Even if you are a qualified electrician. Is there any truth in this
and if so where can i find out more details.

It's nothing to do with VAT.

See http://www.iee.org/Publish/WireRegs/PartP.cfm
 
D

Dave D

Jan 1, 1970
0
Bill Lyons said:
On Wednesday, in article
<[email protected]>


It's nothing to do with VAT.

See http://www.iee.org/Publish/WireRegs/PartP.cfm

I wonder how they plan to enforce this? If the work is carries out to a
decent standard by the homeowner I don't see how anything can be proved. In
any case, how would they prove the work was done after 01-01-05? I'm
convinced that these new rules are about securing work for accredited
electricians, rather than being about safety. If I interpret the rules
correctly, a homeowner or even a fully qualified electrician with a lifetime
of experience can't even put up a security or porch light as it's classed as
a hazardous area. Scandalous interference and over reaction by this big
brother government IMO.

Dave
 
P

Palindr☻me

Jan 1, 1970
0
Dave said:
I wonder how they plan to enforce this? If the work is carries out to a
decent standard by the homeowner I don't see how anything can be proved. In
any case, how would they prove the work was done after 01-01-05? I'm
convinced that these new rules are about securing work for accredited
electricians, rather than being about safety. If I interpret the rules
correctly, a homeowner or even a fully qualified electrician with a lifetime
of experience can't even put up a security or porch light as it's classed as
a hazardous area. Scandalous interference and over reaction by this big
brother government IMO.

Simply yet another way of getting taxes under the guise of Health &
Safety, so what's new?

In this case it is aimed at industrial and commercial qualified and
experienced electricians who do a bit of domestic work in their own
time, cash in hand. These outnumber the "cowboys" 100:1, as they
invariably get the work by word of mouth recommends from happy customers.

It has now't to do with qualifications or experience - the kid doing the
actual wiring need have neither.

What it will do is to lead to more wiring problems and more fires - as
houseowners will "do" the job themselves, rather than call in a friend
or a friend of a friend. You are quite right - no one will know if the
job is done properly. Of course, if it isn't, the fire engine and/or
ambulances might be a bit of a giveaway.

The laugh is, of course, that even the engineers that drew up the wiring
regs are caught by this - they are highly unlikley to be working for a
self-certifying company...

Of course it is going to be difficult to argue that the work was done
prior to the change...in an extension or loft conversion that was done
after that date...
 
D

Dave D

Jan 1, 1970
0
Palindr?me said:
Dave D wrote:


Simply yet another way of getting taxes under the guise of Health &
Safety, so what's new?

In this case it is aimed at industrial and commercial qualified and
experienced electricians who do a bit of domestic work in their own
time, cash in hand. These outnumber the "cowboys" 100:1, as they
invariably get the work by word of mouth recommends from happy customers.

It has now't to do with qualifications or experience - the kid doing the
actual wiring need have neither.

What it will do is to lead to more wiring problems and more fires - as
houseowners will "do" the job themselves, rather than call in a friend
or a friend of a friend. You are quite right - no one will know if the
job is done properly. Of course, if it isn't, the fire engine and/or
ambulances might be a bit of a giveaway.

The laugh is, of course, that even the engineers that drew up the wiring
regs are caught by this - they are highly unlikley to be working for a
self-certifying company...

Of course it is going to be difficult to argue that the work was done
prior to the change...in an extension or loft conversion that was done
after that date...

That will be the obvious exception, but I suppose most people who get the
builders in to add an extension will be likely to pay an electrician to do
the wiring anyway.

I think a sensible compromise would have been to create an official 'highway
code' like document for homeowners intent on doing their own work, and
possibly compelling them to inform a surveryor of their work on selling
their house. That combined with holding people responsible for fires, injury
and death as a result of shoddy work would perhaps have been enough.
Educating people against wiring sockets with bell wire and such horrors
would have been much fairer and even-handed IMO.

The part of the regulations which really beggars belief, if I understand it
right, is that one can rewire an entire ring (to replace damaged wire etc)
provided the original course of the wiring is followed. One can also add one
spur to a ring (or per socket? Surely it's the former?) but one cannot add a
socket to the actual ring! This makes no sense to me from a safety point of
view.

Also one cannot add to or change any circuit in bathrooms or kitchens, even
lighting. I'd love to know how changing a light in a kitchen is any more
dangerous than changing one anywhere else. Unless of course one is going to
stand in a sink of water at the time!

I think in the main these new rules will be treated with the respect they
deserve- none whatsoever. I've never wired in a spur when it has been
practical to add the socket to the ring, and I'm not about to change my ways
now.

Dave
 
A

Airy R.Bean

Jan 1, 1970
0
By the date codes moulded into the junction boxes,
the dates stamped linearly into the cables, AND BY
THE CHANGE IN COLOUR ("COLOR" FOR YANKLAND)
CODING OF THE CABLES
 
A

Airy R.Bean

Jan 1, 1970
0
You don't (interpret them correctly).

You can do it, but it now comes under building
control - you must notify the council before you do
it and they inspect it and certify it when you have
completed the work.
 
D

Dave D

Jan 1, 1970
0
Airy R.Bean said:
By the date codes moulded into the junction boxes,
the dates stamped linearly into the cables, AND BY
THE CHANGE IN COLOUR ("COLOR" FOR YANKLAND)
CODING OF THE CABLES

Good point, but the new rules allow rewiring of existing circuits and
replacement of sockets and, I presume, any junction boxes. Also, is a
surveyor really going to look at installations that closely? It would mean a
lot of overtime!

Dave
 
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