Do these actually need doing?

kiki*_2

Hi there,

We moved into our first house in September, since then I started to suspect some of the electrics as being a bit dodgy. They were added on by the last owner. So I got an electrician out to have a look.

Have been told there are several things wrong but I don't know how urgent they are or if it's just not up to current requirements. Any advice would be helpful.

1. Water needs bonding

2. Fuse boards are backed onto wood so need changing

3. Smoke alarm is only battery powered

4. No co2 alarm fitted

Procrastinator333

Don't know bout 1 and 2. 3 wouldn't bother me. Just check it regularly. 4 - assuming you mean carbon monoxide alarm - definitely get one of those, just get a battery one, don't need a spark for that. But you don't really want to risk a gas appliance killing you while you sleep for the sake of £15.

kiki*_2

Thank you that was also my view on a carbon monoxide alarm but I has heard that some don't work very well.

bclark

Isn't the thing about smoke alarms being wired into the mains only for new builds after a certain date. I am pretty sure there is absolutely no requirement to bring older houses in line.

Debt_Free_Chick

kiki* wrote: »

Hi there,

We moved into our first house in September, since then I started to suspect some of the electrics as being a bit dodgy. They were added on by the last owner. So I got an electrician out to have a look.

Have been told there are several things wrong but I don't know how urgent they are or if it's just not up to current requirements. Any advice would be helpful.

1. Water needs bonding

2. Fuse boards are backed onto wood so need changing

3. Smoke alarm is only battery powered

4. No co2 alarm fitted

If these items were being put in place today, then they would need to comply with today's regulations. When they were put in place in the past, they only needed to comply with the regulations at that time.

As to whether or not you do this work, it really depends on your own "risk appetite". So do you feel "unsafe" with things as they are?

kiki*_2

We felt unsafe with the bathroom light flickering but that will be replaced. We will get a monoxide alarm. We regularly check the smoke alarm so not a problem.

I don't know how much of a risk the other things are?

Sugared-frog

Our fuse board is mounted onto some sort of board and we had an electrician doing work last year on/near fuse board and he didn't make any comment.

I think part of the problem is that the rules are constantly changing so what was fine one year isn't the next. With our gas fire (fitted by British Gas) it has failed at least 3 times as the regulations about the amount of ventilation changes. It annoyed me that every time they serviced it they notified us that it had now failed the next regulation and yet it was fine when they fitted it themselves 4 years earlier.

I would have thought most residential houses only have battery powered smoke detectors - (I seem to set mine off quite regularly when ever I grill something so I know both of mine are working!).

phill99

Remember that virtually no laws in this country are retrospective. That means that your set up is totally legal as it was installed under the regulations in force at that time. Just because the regulations have changed, doesn't mean you have to upgrade your electrical installation to comply.

What your electrician is doing is comparing your installation with current installation environment and is offering advice as to best practice.

Under current building regulations, a hard wired smoke alarm is required. However, for the houses that were built prior to the date that those regs came into force, then a smoke alarm isn't required, not even a battery powered one. Ditto for a CO2 alarm and earth bonding on the water and gas mains.

Millions of fuse boards in this country are on wooden backing boards. Again under current regs for new installations this would not be allowed, but yours (and mine) are fine.

Just because you don't have these works done doesn't mean you will be fined, go to prison, be hauled up in front of the magistrates, and no kittens will be killed as a result.

As much as anything, he is flagging it up to protect his own back (as he has a duty of care towards you) and also that you will have the work done so that he can be gainfully employed.

googler

My house was built 10 years or so ago, and the fuse board, main fuse and all gubbins are mounted on a big bit o' plywood frame, which is in turn mounted on the brick wall of the garage

What do the regulations say it should be mounted on now, if not wood?

kiki*_2

Are these things unsafe though?? Of they are I'll happily do them. If not then I'll stick as I am!

spannerzone

They don't meet current regulations, that isn't the same thing as being unsafe.....a fusebox mounted on wood means a sparking overheating fusebox could set the wooden board alight and maybe the rest of the house. How often has this happened in the past though? millions of homes have this and don't every have a problem, but it could happen and it could be you.

Water pipes bonded, to reduce rish of electrocution, again it can and does happen but how often? it's a potential risk.

Cabonmonoxide alarm- probably a good idea, people do die if their boiler goes badly wrong.

Battery operated smoke alarms - batteries fail and so give a false sense of security, mains operated and linked alarms means an alarm upstairs makes downstairs beep as well.... if a power cut occurs it has battery backup, again a better solution than cheapy battery alarms, again your choice.

In an ideal world you'd get it all done to reduce/remove this potential risks, in reality people don't and don't suffer as a result...except that a few unlucky ones do, and maybe die!