What can you do in your home?

spadoosh

A post the other day about having to be gas safe to change a hob has led to me asking this question. What are you allowed to do in your home?

I have no formal trade qualifications although i do like my DIY. Problem being when it comes to sell my house theres a good chance i wont have stuck with all the rules and regulations.

As an example ive recently done a complete refurb on my bathroom. Installed UFH but couldnt work out if what ive done is technically wrong. Ive dropped the electrics for the UFH beneath the floorboards and routed it to a fused switch that used to be in the bathroom that ive moved in to the hallway. Now i know its safe but wouldnt know where to start with any regulations surrounding it?

Ive removed and replaced radiators but dont know the exact process on keeping the CH system in tip top shape.

I enjoy DIY and want to learn more but i dont like the idea of having to pay out for certificates to say im allowed to do certain work. I think i have a good understanding of my limitations and will tend to err on the side of caution but i would also like to be able to actually do work that could potentially save a lot of money and improve knowledge going forward.

Probably going to get a fair bit of abuse for this bit but i worked in DIY retail for a long time so there is knowledge there (like i said its a hobby too) and with things like electrics, im an electronics enthusiast. I build circuits for fun so understand a good portion of the science and engineering needed but then i worry about my lack of formal training/qualifications.

What should and shouldnt i be doing?

Thanks for any clarifications.

P.S understand that tradespeople are the experts and educating others on their job can dilute their ability to get work but i cant help but think and trust myself more than someone i dont know.

rob7475

I think I was involved in that gas hob topic.

I suppose there needs to be a common sense approach. If you are confident that any work you do is safe and to a good standard, crack on and do it.

Certain things need to be left to the pro's though. I'd never mess with gas - I could quite happily fit a new gas valve, cooker point etc. But, I don't have the equipment or knowledge to test that my installation is 100% safe so would always use a gas safe engineer for the install.

Electrics wise - I wouldn't attempt a house rewire but can quite easily add new sockets, wire a lighting circuit etc. But, it's knowing where you can take a spur from, knowing what thickness of cable you need etc. If you're happy with all of that, you're quite within your rights to do most electrical jobs yourself.

With regards to selling your house. If you've done things to building regs standards, you shouldn't have an issue getting retrospective approval or providing an indemnity policy. If you haven't done things to the required standards - you need to ask yourself if you should have done the job to start with.

I've renovated a couple of houses and do a lot of the work myself. I do check what I do and don't need building regs approval for and always do things to the required standard.

martinthebandit

I remember my ex father in law many years ago testing if the new gas cooker he had fitted was leaking by running the flame from a lit candle over the connections.

Seemed an excellent idea to me.

[Deleted User]

spadoosh wrote: »

As an example ive recently done a complete refurb on my bathroom. Installed UFH but couldnt work out if what ive done is technically wrong. Ive dropped the electrics for the UFH beneath the floorboards and routed it to a fused switch that used to be in the bathroom that ive moved in to the hallway. Now i know its safe but wouldnt know where to start with any regulations surrounding it?

It's illegal to do an electrical installation in a bathroom without first notifying building control and obtaining approval.

http://electrical.theiet.org/building-regulations/part-p/faqs.cfm

Gloomendoom

spadoosh wrote: »

What should and shouldnt i be doing?

Reading, and making sure that you understand, the relevant regulations would be something you should do. Otherwise, you are unlikely to recognise when you are getting out of your depth.

spadoosh

rob7475 wrote: »

I think I was involved in that gas hob topic.

I suppose there needs to be a common sense approach. If you are confident that any work you do is safe and to a good standard, crack on and do it.

Certain things need to be left to the pro's though. I'd never mess with gas - I could quite happily fit a new gas valve, cooker point etc. But, I don't have the equipment or knowledge to test that my installation is 100% safe so would always use a gas safe engineer for the install.

Electrics wise - I wouldn't attempt a house rewire but can quite easily add new sockets, wire a lighting circuit etc. But, it's knowing where you can take a spur from, knowing what thickness of cable you need etc. If you're happy with all of that, you're quite within your rights to do most electrical jobs yourself.

With regards to selling your house. If you've done things to building regs standards, you shouldn't have an issue getting retrospective approval or providing an indemnity policy. If you haven't done things to the required standards - you need to ask yourself if you should have done the job to start with.

I've renovated a couple of houses and do a lot of the work myself. I do check what I do and don't need building regs approval for and always do things to the required standard.

Thats normally the approach i take. But if theres a certain bit i need clarification on i always regret asking the question when the answers are normally pretty blunt with if 'you dont know you shouldtn be doing it'.

As an example the bathroom wastes go into a hopper which goes to sewer. When i wanted to find out something about it was told that you arent allowed to use a hopper. The reality is theres little issue with hoppers the problem i had because i was doing the refit i was under the impression that i would need to change how the waste was dealt with. Ie keeping the waste water and rainwater seperate. Thats ok on new builds but my house is 1950's and uses older standards. I just swapped out the cast iron hopper (rusted through) with a plastic one. I cant be sure thats fully compliant with building regs but then theres a certain amount of not willing to spend what could be hundreds when its a simple practical solution.

Ive turned a cow shed into quite a luxury holiday home in france so im not overly concerned about safety issues (as in im confident i can do things safely) i just dont know where to start with compliance.

spadoosh

jack_pott wrote: »

It's illegal to do an electrical installation in a bathroom without first notifying building control and obtaining approval.

http://electrical.theiet.org/building-regulations/part-p/faqs.cfm

So is UFH using an existing fused socket that was in the boiler cupboard (immersion heater) in the bathroom thats been moved in to the hallway, with all wiring going under the floorboards an electrical installation in the bathroom?

None of the main wiring has been altered im essentially using a hoover in the bathroom.

See this is where i struggle. My understanding is that its not an installation. Ive circumvented part p by moving the electrics outside the bathroom. I get it might not be the best way of going about things but then i do think its well within being safe.

rob7475

spadoosh wrote: »

So is UFH using an existing fused socket that was in the boiler cupboard (immersion heater) in the bathroom thats been moved in to the hallway, with all wiring going under the floorboards an electrical installation in the bathroom?

None of the main wiring has been altered im essentially using a hoover in the bathroom.

See this is where i struggle. My understanding is that its not an installation. Ive circumvented part p by moving the electrics outside the bathroom. I get it might not be the best way of going about things but then i do think its well within being safe.

I'm not 100% sure on this one and have to admit I did the same in my bathroom. The spur that my UFH connects to is outside the bathroom and this was installed by my spark at the time of the rewire. This is on a protected circuit. I then connected the UFH to this spur when I fitted the bathroom.

I think because the connection is made outside the bathroom, what you have done is fine.

Like I said before, the main thing is being 100% confident that what you have done is safe and will not harm/injure anyone.

Grenage

How is installing a large heating element in your floor 'circumventing part P'?

spadoosh

Sounds exactly the same set up. The fused switch is on its own circuit so more than suitable. But then i do worry that its somehow not meeting regulations yet im certain it is safe.

spadoosh

Grenage wrote: »

How is installing a large heating element in your floor 'circumventing part P'?

Because its in the floor, the way ive read part p, it suggest that its only applicable for the space between ceiling and floor.

Like i get the impression putting leds in your bath panel is fine because its classed as being boxed off so having wiring in that space is fine (though personally i wouldn't do it unless it was properly sealed).

The old immersion cupboard was the same. The fused switch came out of it but it was essentially still in the bathroom. Again i believe not a problem with part p.


Just to be clear there is no electric connections in the bathroom. The product (UFH mat) has suitable rating for being in the bathroom and the wiring that supplies it is routed under the floorboards (under insulation, tile adhesive, UFH mat and tiles). Its essentially like a bathroom light (All be it a powerful one) with the exception there is no controls in the bathroom. A light will be suitably rated and any electric supply is outside the bathroom.