Electrics... what can you do?

sallywl

We are buying a house (hopefully move on 30th nov 06) and we are knocking a wall thru so we have a kitchen diner, we need to move a radiator which my BF should be able to do, but there is a light switch too....... my bf is pretty confident with electrics and stuff, but obv there is the newest legislation/ rules and we dont know if we can do this ourselves?

my dad is a trained electrical engineer and has done lots of this kind of stuff before but we want to do this kind of things properly?

Also we are moving the cooker .... can we move the socket for that too?
and want to instal extractor hood too... same question for that?

If anyone up to date with new regs can they please let me know?

Tallymanjohn

In theory anything electrical has to be handled in the same way that CORGI handles gas installations so whilst you can probably get away with changing light fittings & other minor jobs, if it involves anything more major, such as moving electrics, partial re-wiring & such-like, then you should get in an electrician with the necessary bit of paper. The main reason I can see is that in years to come, should you want to sell, you may be asked if you have the certificate to show compliance, especially if it is included as part of any structural work.

sallywl

OK thanks for that, at more money!!!!

fatnbald

Unfortunately the wording on the regulations is not very clear and does not define what minor electrical alterations are. Moving an existing light switch or cooker outlet is probably ok - Installing an extra outlet that involves any level of additional wiring might be just a step to far for the regs people

There is nothing to stop you doing any of the work yourself as long as the person who inspects it before it is put into use is competent (their definition not mine).

The unfortunate thing is only around 20% of qualified electricians are competent to do the inspection and testing (C&G 2391) of installations or minor alterations, therefore to get it done correctly can sometimes be relatively costly.

I am an electrician and the rules are very confusing even to us lot, there are plenty of electricians out there not following these rules.

robby-01

you can down load approved document p.(part p) not sure from which site,put it in google and see what comes up.I have a copy it will tell you what work requires notification to your local authority and what you can just do yourself.You may be suprised at how much you can actually do without involving building control.
It is a long document so if poss skip through it online and down load the bit you need.

baldelectrician

Call your local council for imartial advice. They should point you in the right direction.

If you are in England & Wales things are simpler, if you are in Scotland the new Scottish building regulations apply, meaning you will have to apply for a warrant to do the work and use a member of Select / NICIEC to carry out / certify the work.

http://www.sbsa.gov.uk

woodbutcher_2

My understanding is that you can move existing switches and sockets but not put new ones in that didn't exist previously but the whole regs situation is a grey area.I am a joiner and when i fit kitchens,i move them all the time.Anything more complicated,i tell the customer to get a registered sparky on board but then i am not paying for it.I am renovating my house at the moment and will do most of the electrics myself.I consider myself competent but the law doesn't.

mbailey

woodbutcher wrote:

My understanding is that you can move existing switches and sockets but not put new ones in that didn't exist previously but the whole regs situation is a grey area.I am a joiner and when i fit kitchens,i move them all the time.Anything more complicated,i tell the customer to get a registered sparky on board but then i am not paying for it.I am renovating my house at the moment and will do most of the electrics myself.I consider myself competent but the law doesn't.

I thought that if the work was done in the Kitchen or Bathroom then you must you an qualified electrician. You can only do minor changes to other rooms of the house.

woodbutcher_2

Like i said,it's a grey area and i don't think anyone understands it.I have been moving sockets in kitchens for 30 years and i'm not stopping now.

rygon

I find that if you use the old coloured cabling then theres much less chance of anyone asking for part p

this should help you
http://www.abletek.co.uk/partp_electrical_work_not_covered.php

996ducati

Its not really a grey area.

It is designed to stop unqualified people doing alterations in the two most dangerous areas inside the home....the kitchen & the bathrooms.

http://www.partp.co.uk/consumer/consumer_diy.asp