Rubbing down a rubber wiper blade.

Have you ever actually tried this?

My local council ain't interested. Unless (maybe) it is part of other work (like structural) which requires the supervision of building control.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)
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Are you absolutely certain? Repairs - ie replacing like for like - are exempted from the legislation?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

It's actually a perfect example. The work in that house was carried out by 'pros'. Not DIY. And the wiring runs didn't conform to the existing regs anyway. So why would extra legislation make a cowboy suddenly conform?

A sensible DIYer would also make sure they weren't drilling through cables when fitting anything to a wall.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

'professionals' made a complete cods up of my sister's kitchen, she is in a housing association place so had no choice, the whole thing is a disaster from the very beginning and would shame a 12 year old, they drilled through the gas pipe and then denied it, put a nail through a central heating pipe, left a void below the one piece flooring which was laid upon a very sloping floor, they failed to seal the floor to the walls or anything else and of course her flat is first floor, so the people below have had several floods. They also left a water pipe leaking in the stair well. And all the sockets went in at different heights, the worktops are joined with metal strips, I could go on, but you get the idea.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Some of the large firms doing this sort of work don't actually use properly trained people to do the work like electrics and gas, etc. They rely on having such people on the books, and claim the work was done under their supervision.

Neighbour had a mega expensive basement conversion done - cost far more than some houses. And had problems with the electrics. They didn't want the same firm back, so I offered to have a look. Turned out to be simple - terminals not tightened. But the standard of wiring was appalling. No grommets to the back boxes and any old rubbish used as sleeving. And on some of the polished chrome sockets, the fixing screws were brass finish. And most had chewed heads.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

As many as that Chris have you got a reference for that please?.

Reply to
tony sayer

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Reply to
Mrcheerful

Like for like is OK, but not in a bathroom.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

No; there's no way I would have ever got involved in domestic installation!

Yep, that's one of the reasons I said you would have to be insane to attempt it.

Someone I know who did try, in Farnborough, Hants, was actually told by the council that they had no one qualified to carry out the inspection, even though they are actually required to do so.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Thanks interesting!

Reply to
tony sayer

My understanding is that, say, adding lighting switches, and adding sockets and spurs is non-notifiable, and therefore not requiring certification under Part P (bathrooms and kitchens excepted) - so DIYers are 'within the law' so long as regs are followed.

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Reply to
RJH

Slight urban myth:

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Reply to
RJH
[...]

If you read the long post I made elsewhere in the thread, you will see that it is only bathrooms that are now deemed to be 'special locations'.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan
[...]

Maybe, but who knows when it would have been enacted?

There is a fundamental mis-truth in that article also:

"Since they have been introduced Part P has been shown to save many lives..."

As the death rate prior to the legislation was less than one a year, the regulation became law in 2004, and the article was written in 2012, that's less than eight deaths. I'm not sure I would consider that 'many'...

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Wot!, no RCD trip anywhere?....

Reply to
tony sayer

Ah OK, thanks. It comes to something, though, when the IET can't get it right, and we have to rely on NGs for accurate info:

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Reply to
RJH

That's not how I've seen it interpreted.

Some new work - like adding a socket etc isn't notifiable. Except in a bathroom. But no repairs to existing are notifiable regardless of where. So changing that pull switch in a bathroom is fine.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)
[...]

I've seen it interpreted both ways, but my sources are a Part P registered electrician, and his NICEIC adviser.

It's one of the most ridiculous parts of the regulations. Improper alterations and additions to ring mains are a very common cause of fires, yet people with no electrical skills or knowledge can make changes to them.

A situation I've seen many times is that an unfused spur is legitimately added. Someone else then extends that spurred socket. The spurred socket now has two cables in it, so someone with a little knowledge assumes it's on the ring, and adds a 'spur'. The original 2.5mm2 cable, that should have been supplying just one socket, is now feeding three!

When we were forced under EU rules to have an agreed standard for electrical installation, the IEE regulations were adopted as BS7671. Many people in the industry believed at that time, only fused spurs should be permitted. This would have overcome the above, and many other indiscretions.

The other problem with permitting one addition to an existing circuit is the problem of knowing how many times it has already been done. The average person buying a new home is hardly likely to ask the question "Oh by the way, have you made any additions to the downstairs lighting circuit?" for example!

That's such a grey area that even the 'experts can't agree. As an example, a home-owner puts a nail through a buried cable. Can he replace that cable? If he follows the existing run, will he bury it at the correct depth? If he decides to run it surface, taking a longer route, the circuit characteristics will be changed, so should it require re-testing?

That's a definite maybe!

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan
[...]

Homes with no RCD protection are still in the majority in the UK.

There is only a requirement for RCD protection on certain circuits, although meeting the regs fully in other respects is difficult to do without full RCD protection.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan
.

As an aside to that ... a mate moved into a brand new house and invited us up for a look. Whilst we were there he asked me if I could checkout the socket in the hall and landing as they both appeared to be dead. I removed both the sockets and each only had a single length of T&E and pulling the socket in the hall moved the socket on the landing by the same amount. ;-)

So, the sockets were just joined to each other but nothing else (at least they were safe I guess ) so would that have passed test? How safe would that suggest the rest of the wiring to be?

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m

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