New House - Possibly Not Part P Compliant ?

Lil_Dee_2

So, I have a new build, been in it just over 12 months. One of my neighbours has recently had a conervatory built, and the guy wasn't Part P certified, so she got someone in to do the certification yesterday.....

Turns out that there is no seperate fuse/isolator for the garage (which is detached in both cases) which has both power and alarm connections from the house. She's been advised that this is a problem - having checked my fuse box, I find that I have the same issue - the garage is actually on the socket ring of the ground floor of my house.

She was also told that in the paperwork there were no "readings" for the grarage as there should be in the paperwork supplied to her on completion, and the guy has added an additional fuse (or whatever it's called on these new fangled fuse boxes) to her fuse box, which has now isolated the garage.

Can anyone shed any light on this (I know it's a bit sketchy) as I'm worried that the whole HIPS/compliance rules and regs that are currently under discussion may mean that when I come to sell, my house isn't compliant (that, and I worry that I should have an isolated supply to a detached garage/building and haven't) and if there's anyone I can go to in an official capacity if this proves to be the case to get the builders to rectify.

Thanks for any info. you can supply.

McAzrael

I don;t know the first thing about electrics or the requirements of Part P, but I do know that the latest version (the one which your neighbour's electrician would have been working to) came into force in April last year. I presume that your house was completed before April last year.

baldelectrician

McAzrael wrote: »

I don;t know the first thing about electrics or the requirements of Part P, but I do know that the latest version (the one which your neighbour's electrician would have been working to) came into force in April last year. I presume that your house was completed before April last year.

it was only an update that came in (April 2004) about cable colours (to bring us in line wirh europe)

You should have a local means of isolation for the garage.

It is permitted to take something like a garage from a socket circuit, using a Fused Switched Connection Unit. This is uncommon.

Lil_Dee_2

McAzrael wrote: »

I presume that your house was completed before April last year.

Actually, we didn't move in/complete until 4th May.

baldelectrician wrote: »

You should have a local means of isolation for the garage.

It is permitted to take something like a garage from a socket circuit, using a Fused Switched Connection Unit. This is uncommon.

Thanks for that. Is the fuse being used for the sockets & garage the 'local means of isolation' ? Annnnnnnnd (not wanting to be too pushy, but trying desperatly to figure out what's been installed) how can I tell what I have got installed, so I can confirm it's a 'Fused Switched Connection Unit' ?

Lil_Dee_2

*top* Hoping someone can clarify my points above ?
*puts on pleading face*

panny300

the feed to the garage should be armoured cable as it is detached,in the garage the cable should go into a small consumer unit to feed any sockets.lights etc.
can you see where the cable enters the house,if you can,does it just enter the back of a socket in which case it is on your ring, or does it go into a switch with a fuse holder (fcu )it may not have a switch just the fuse.
if it goes into a socket,then the ring mcb is protecting the cable to the garage (as long as the cable is the right size),i understand (not 100% sure)that this is acceptable if all the tests prove ok,
i would expect baldelectrician could help on that.