Please ensure your electrics are up to date!!!!!!!!!

gromituk · 21 February 2007 at 2:02PM

baldelectrician wrote:

If you buy branded lamps (phillips; osram ;sylvania) this is unlikely to happen.
If you buy lamps from the supermarket (own brand, cheapo) these will cause the MCB to trip.

You should be buying energy saving light bulbs in nearly all cases anyway!

bockster · 21 February 2007 at 3:57PM

Similarly NEVER EVER neglect to use a circuit breaker plug when using outdoor elelctricals like a lawn mower, headge trimmer, mulcher et etc.

i stand to be corrected, but as i understand it there is no requirement for an extra rcd socket/plug if there is one built into the consumer unit.

i suppose if a local rcd socket/plug trips then it saves all the electrics going off, but for personal safety there would be no advantage.

if someone knows better i would be keen to know.

bockster · 21 February 2007 at 4:00PM

gromituk wrote:

You should be buying energy saving light bulbs in nearly all cases anyway!

well done to the aussie's, who i heard, are going to ban the sale of traditional inefficient lamps:T

ambrose89 · 21 February 2007 at 4:04PM

ollyk wrote:

Are there alternatives to NICEIC? If so, what are they?

I would like to ask Martin, considering he is a MSE, if he would like to change his original insert posted at the top of the OP's post, to reflect a broader choice and not miss-guide people into thinking there is only the one option...?

check out the links box on the right hand side of this page
http://www.iee.org/Publish/WireRegs/PartP.cfm.

if an electrician offers to do work without issuing a install/test certificate dont use him.

ollyk · 21 February 2007 at 4:36PM

ambrose89 wrote:

check out the links box on the right hand side of this page
http://www.iee.org/Publish/WireRegs/PartP.cfm.

if an electrician offers to do work without issuing a install/test certificate dont use him.

I think you missunderstood my post, as the original insert seems to have been edited now. I was only suggesting that there are alternative schemes other than the one mentioned and these should, no MUST be given equal priority from the creaters / moderators or whoever of this site.

BREC-ECA
BRE Certification Limited and the Electrical Contractors' Association
0870 609 6093

BSI
British Standards Institution
01442 278577

ELECSA
Elecsa Limited
0870 7490080

NAPIT
The National Association for Professional Inspectors and Testers
0870 4441392 or 01623 811483

I think there is another scheme but can't quite remember right now.....

Oh, hang on!

NICEIC
NICEIC Group Ltd
0870 013 0382

Oh yeah, how could I forget.

Oh, but if you are a spark lets not forget you don't actually have to be part p registered, only 'competent'. As long as the correct authorites are appropriately notified and a certificate issued there is no problem!

thescouselander · 21 February 2007 at 5:03PM

bockster wrote:

well done to the aussie's, who i heard, are going to ban the sale of traditional inefficient lamps:T

Maybe that isn't such a good idea. There are many reasons why you might want to use traditional bulbs. I use traditional bulbs on the stairs and landing because energy saving ones take ages to get to full brightness (unless they are new) - its a matter of safety, I wouldn't want anyone falling down the stairs!

Also, energy saving bulbs dont work with dimmer switches and they are pretty big and heavy and dont fit in some light fittings. Also, energy saving bulbs contain nasty substances like mercury vapor (not good for the environment so you shouildn't put them in the bin). I could go on........

ollyk · 21 February 2007 at 5:20PM

thescouselander wrote:

Maybe that isn't such a good idea. There are many reasons why you might want to use traditional bulbs. I use traditional bulbs on the stairs and landing because energy saving ones take ages to get to full brightness (unless they are new) - its a matter of safety, I wouldn't want anyone falling down the stairs!

Also, energy saving bulbs dont work with dimmer switches and they are pretty big and heavy and dont fit in some light fittings. Also, energy saving bulbs contain nasty substances like mercury vapor (not good for the environment so you shouildn't put them in the bin). I could go on........

Yeah and I wonder how much more energy it takes to make these lamps? might not be significant, but it would be interesting!

bockster · 21 February 2007 at 5:40PM

thescouselander wrote:

Maybe that isn't such a good idea. There are many reasons why you might want to use traditional bulbs. I use traditional bulbs on the stairs and landing because energy saving ones take ages to get to full brightness (unless they are new) - its a matter of safety, I wouldn't want anyone falling down the stairs!

Also, energy saving bulbs dont work with dimmer switches and they are pretty big and heavy and dont fit in some light fittings. Also, energy saving bulbs contain nasty substances like mercury vapor (not good for the environment so you shouildn't put them in the bin). I could go on........

1) I have energy savers in almost every light fitting in the house inc stairs and landing, just a few spot fittings to update.the lamps would have to be really poor or low powered for MOST people not to see a step, although i concede some elderly or visually impaired folk may struggle.

2) are dimmer swithches really neccessary? i've managed quite o.k. so far without any!

3) light fitting manufactures would have to adapt, i mean, they are bringing out new designs all the time. and cfl's are getting smaller/better all the time.

4) there are lots of things we shouldn't put in the bin! we would have to recycle them, recycling, i hope, will get more common and easier for lots of things.....i hope. plus don't forget cfl's last so much longer so there should be a smaller turnover of lamps.

personally i think the benefits outweigh/should be made to outweigh the negatives on this subject.
talking of subject, i feel a little drift away from topic,

probably my fault:o

gromituk · 21 February 2007 at 6:45PM

thescouselander wrote:

I use traditional bulbs on the stairs and landing because energy saving ones take ages to get to full brightness (unless they are new)

It doesn't matter whether they are new or not - they still take a while to warm up. Their final brightness just lessens with age.

There are other technologies becoming available, which don't suffer this problem, such as LEDs.

Also, energy saving bulbs dont work with dimmer switches

True, although there are some which work with a normal switch which can be set to a handful of different brightnesses by turning the switch on and off a few times. There is no theoretical reason why LED lamps should not be dimmable, but I don't believe the current crop are.

and they are pretty big and heavy and dont fit in some light fittings.

They are getting smaller - this is much less of a problem nowadays.

Also, energy saving bulbs contain nasty substances like mercury vapor (not good for the environment so you shouildn't put them in the bin).

A very small amount of mercury vapour, yes. Ordinary bulbs can't be thrown away with the normall glass recycling either. Ikea will take low energy light bulbs for recycling; just as with batteries, a wider recycling network needs to be put into place.

I could go on........

Please do - I'll see if I can answer any more points you may have.

gromituk · 21 February 2007 at 6:48PM

ollyk wrote:

Yeah and I wonder how much more energy it takes to make these lamps? might not be significant, but it would be interesting!

Yes, good point. My answer to that is that, judging by the cost, probably a lot less than the amount saved during their lifetime.

Please ensure your electrics are up to date!!!!!!!!!

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