Retired electrician - can he do DIY?

Owain_Moneysaver

Safety regs have tightened up or changed considerably since 50 years ago. The law in Scotland requires electrical work (whether notifiable or not) to be carried out in accordance with BS 7671 Wiring Regulations or equivalent, and those Regulations require calibrated test equipment for not just insulation resistance and earth continuity but also earth fault loop impedance and an RCD time/current trip tester. He may still have an old wind-up Megger but it'll be out of calibration and he won't have a proving unit for it, an approved test unit for proving dead before working, or the other test equipment required.

In terms of Regulations, cable sizing has changed with derating for rewireable fuses, main equipotential bonding sizes have changed (increased) particularly for PME supplies, supplementary bonding in bathrooms has changed (in the 17th Edition), requirements for RCDs, bathroom zones, and permitted zones in bathrooms, have all changed in the 17th Edition.

Perhaps not having calibrated test equipment might be a tactful way of pointing out that it would be cheaper to get a sparky in than get his test equipment up to date for this one job.

Owain_Moneysaver

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

If he could calculate the correct cable size when he was working, then he can calculate it now. The physics (Joule's first law) doesn't change just because a new edition of BS7671 comes out :eek:

No, but you need the latest version of the Regs to work it out to.

Or at least one with metric cables in :rotfl:

wallbash

And we wonder why the DIY past time is dying out .

If he could calculate the correct cable size when he was working, then he can calculate it now. The physics (Joule's first law) doesn't change just because a new edition of BS7671 comes out

Sums it up perfectly .
Has Electric currant changed ........no .
If it was safe for him to do it in the past , still safe now.


Ps .......some would have us wear a hard hat/ safety boots and a Hi Vis jacket before changing a fuse!

davetrousers

onomatopoeia99 wrote: »

If he could calculate the correct cable size when he was working, then he can calculate it now. The physics (Joule's first law) doesn't change just because a new edition of BS7671 comes out :eek:

Fantastic post. Well done sir.

Avoriaz

Is he worth a bob or two?

Are you in his will?

If yes to the above, then let him carry on.

:whistle:

wallbash

Avoriaz wrote: »

Is he worth a bob or two?

Are you in his will?

If yes to the above, then let him carry on.

:whistle:

Do you think its now dangerous for him to undertake the project ?

pc1271

Just because the work might not comply with current regulations doesn't make it unsafe. Most houses will not comply as they were done before the latest regs. If he knows what he's doing, let him get on with it.

ben_m_g

Hi Skibunny, I trained as a sparky some years ago and this bothers me in a few ways:

1. Original wiring in the house would not be the harmonised colour code we use now, should this cause a fire or fault then it would be pretty obvious what has been changed. I don't know about insurance but it seems like an easy get out for them.

2. It takes nothing but a pinched cable or lousy bonding job to be a major health hazard. Maybe it will be fine for years but a concern to everyone else who may live in that property in years to come.

3. You FIL may have been the best of the best, but a 'good enough' attitude it pretty typical in a lot of DIY'ers (and sorry but older sorts) especially when we know that noone will find out.
I have seen several old installation that are just shocking (no pun intended) sure they work, but are not as good as they should be and would fail far sooner than if they had been done properly.
(Oh course ask the guy who fitted it, and he will tell you it's fine and he has been doing it for years that way.)


A shower is an easy job and he could probably do it without issue, but eventually you will have to sell the house, and I personally would not want to sell a property you knew not to be up to spec.

wallbash

The OP said the guy was an electrician, so sorry if I personally dismiss most of your worries.

Some of us older DIY'ers have played !! with electriity for years, my first house hasn't combusted in the last 40 years.

but a pinched cable or lousy bonding job

And you can guarantee that would NEVER happen if I got an up to date piece of paper.

You have to make the choice, do you want to employ a recently qualified electriatian who has the paperwork but lacks experience. Or an older guy , who can 'google' for thirty seconds, not got a bit of paper BUT has safely installed dozens over the years.

Does a piece of paper trump experience?

McKneff

Avoriaz wrote: »

Is he worth a bob or two?

Are you in his will?

If yes to the above, then let him carry on.

:whistle:

Ha ha, great minds think alike, the thing that I was thinking was at least it would be quick.....
and relatively painless.