We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Shaving socket help from sparks needed
Comments
-
You're ignoring what those who know about these things are saying, namely that this is notifiable work under the Building Regs. Hence it needs to be done by a sparky who can certify it under Part P, or it needs to be signed off by the council separately.
That is what the law says, whether or not you've got sufficient common sense or consider yourself to have sufficient competence.
As and when you sell your house, what will you do? Lie on the form which asks if you've done any notifiable work? Or get someone in from the council at that point? If the latter, then why not get it done now to current regs so you don't have to worry about it again.0 -
You're ignoring what those who know about these things are saying, namely that this is notifiable work under the Building Regs. Hence it needs to be done by a sparky who can certify it under Part P, or it needs to be signed off by the council separately.
That is what the law says, whether or not you've got sufficient common sense or consider yourself to have sufficient competence.
As and when you sell your house, what will you do? Lie on the form which asks if you've done any notifiable work? Or get someone in from the council at that point? If the latter, then why not get it done now to current regs so you don't have to worry about it again.0 -
andydiysaver wrote: »I have a good working knowledge of electric, and I understand earth loops, gauges of wire, testing equipment
For example, your £100 multimeter from maplin will quite happily tell you there is 230v at the socket, but it won't tell you if you have a high R1 (phase conductor resistance) or a high R2 (cpc conductor resistance) because you didn't tighten that terminal enough.andydiysaver wrote: »and I don't make mistakes because it's life and death
The difference is that if I inadvertently leave a terminal loose then my meter WILL show the fault before the conductor has a chance to overheat and catch fire.andydiysaver wrote: »but if it was a mate and if It was within my capability I'd do it for them and sleep at night no problem because I've got a good awareness of what I can do well and what I'd draft in help for instead.
This is law, no if's, but's, or maybe's.
I'll also add that if the OP's property is rented (council or private) then he has to seek authorisation before any electrical work is carried out, and the landlord WILL want the paperwork at the end if they decide to allow it.Understeer is when you hit a wall with the front of your car
Oversteer is when you hit a wall with the back of your car
Horsepower is how fast your car hits the wall
Torque is how far your car sends the wall across the field once you've hit it0 -
Quiet_Spark wrote: »I'm not saying you don't have a good working knowledge of basic electrical principles, but unless you are a sparks for a living then I know you won't have the test equipment that is required to complete the job properly.
For example, your £100 multimeter from maplin will quite happily tell you there is 230v at the socket, but it won't tell you if you have a high R1 (phase conductor resistance) or a high R2 (cpc conductor resistance) because you didn't tighten that terminal enough.I don't believe that for a minute, we all make mistakes at work and that includes me.
The difference is that if I inadvertently leave a terminal loose then my meter WILL show the fault before the conductor has a chance to overheat and catch fire.There is absolutely nothing to stop you from wiring your entire house if you so wish, the only difference is that you would have to notify building control BEFORE you commence any work that is classed as "notifiable" and allow them access at various stages to confirm you are doing it right.
This is law, no if's, but's, or maybe's.
I'll also add that if the OP's property is rented (council or private) then he has to seek authorisation before any electrical work is carried out, and the landlord WILL want the paperwork at the end if they decide to allow it.0 -
andydiysaver wrote: »True - but you can get the specialist equipment relatively cheaply these days.andydiysaver wrote: »Also earth loops increase in threat the longer the route is,andydiysaver wrote: »I have done a bathroom job, and I paid particular attention to safety - including gauge of wire and where it was routed, very low spur fuse etc, and a pull chord switch.
As for a low rated fuse, that makes no odds to end user protection against electric shock. The job of the fuse is to protect the circuit it supplies.andydiysaver wrote: »This is why I think test equipment is a great thing and I have a lot of it myself - it covers those days if you're a sparky.
I doubt it does, so there is no way you can reliably test an installation at the end.andydiysaver wrote: »like a lot of people on this forum I'm all about saving money because I've got a lot of commitments like the good old mortgage.
That in itself indicates the OP doesn't have a clue, and is one of the reasons for Part P coming in to force (as well as being the reason for my initial response).Understeer is when you hit a wall with the front of your car
Oversteer is when you hit a wall with the back of your car
Horsepower is how fast your car hits the wall
Torque is how far your car sends the wall across the field once you've hit it0 -
andydiysaver wrote: »I have done a bathroom job, and I paid particular attention to safety - including gauge of wire and where it was routed, very low spur fuse etc, and a pull chord switch.
Did you take note of the zones in the bathroom ? Did you calculate volts drop with your chosen cables ? Did you notify the council ? (If you didn't then you could get fined...But as the local council do not police these things you are pretty much safe from that...UNTIL something goes wrong - That is where the back side covering gang come into action....DIY electrical or gas work can lead to loss of life and can land the DIY man in prison as well as huge fines.
Just for the record the bathroom is electrically the most dangerous place in your house. Followed closely by the kitchen.
I am also a fully qualified electrician....but do not usually do domestic (this type of work but I do know how to and im qualified to do so)0 -
aint got the money to pay an expert who will doubtless try and scare the hell out of me to increase the premium, but it does not wash, as I'm well aware of the relationship between water and electricity, I'm no fool, and I'm pretty competent. I'd not do what I couldn't do, if there was a shadow of a doubt I'd not do it, but to say someone cannot educate themselves to a competent standard is almost nanny state in its implications - not wishing to bite back too much just because the tone of your post was in the vein of me knowing jack and that I should pay a man for the simplest of jobs , but this sort of thing spreads the fear and gets you paid more. some people fix their own cars too, I did the brakes on mine the other week, I suppose I need a fully qualified mechanic? No, if the carb went I'd need a fully qualified mechanic! a lot of income streams are guaranteed by fear and exaggeration and the self sufficient man doesn't need his hand holding for everything except the most basic of functions.0
-
andydiysaver wrote: »13 amps isn't safe, 1 amp isn't safe, both can kill you but I know for one thing which line I'd prefer to touch if someone pointed a gun to my head.
Then that shows how little you understand about electricity. Neither is safer than the other to touch as it will not affect the impedance which is a product of the voltage and the resistance of the human body. So you will receive the same shock from both and neither will disconnect. They are for protection of the cables (not of persons, which is the role of an RCD with a rated residual operating current not exceeding 30mA).0 -
andydiysaver wrote: »on that last point, when I sell my house everything I've done that falls under that i'll get certified because this is common courtesy, however, if I know I can do a perfectly good job while I'm here, then I'll do it.
You've missed the point that a sparky will not certify Part P compliance of someone else's work as they cannot see how it has been completed and thus whether it is compliant.
Therefore, you cannot comply with the B Regs without getting the council in to inspect and issue a certificate. And again you have the issue, mentioned by someone else, that they would want to see how you'd installed it.0 -
Then that shows how little you understand about electricity. Neither is safer than the other to touch as it will not affect the impedance which is a product of the voltage and the resistance of the human body. So you will receive the same shock from both and neither will disconnect. They are for protection of the cables (not of persons, which is the role of an RCD with a rated residual operating current not exceeding 30mA).
with all conditions equal, lets say I had the rubber soles on, I'd still take the 1amp line above the 13 amp line - why? because amps kill and there are more amps in the 13 amp line before it cuts out. 1 amp can kill just as much but that's like saying I sign up to be hit by a lorry or a fiesta standing in a 70 limit road, makes no difference, but gun to my head I'd pick the fiesta, just in case I got lucky
getting silly chaps. agree to disagree?0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.5K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454.2K Spending & Discounts
- 245.1K Work, Benefits & Business
- 600.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.4K Life & Family
- 258.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.2K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards