Change in UK electrical regs.

I wonder how they plan to enforce this? If the work is carries out to a decent standard by the homeowner I don't see how anything can be proved. In any case, how would they prove the work was done after 01-01-05? I'm convinced that these new rules are about securing work for accredited electricians, rather than being about safety. If I interpret the rules correctly, a homeowner or even a fully qualified electrician with a lifetime of experience can't even put up a security or porch light as it's classed as a hazardous area. Scandalous interference and over reaction by this big brother government IMO.

Dave

Simply yet another way of getting taxes under the guise of Health & Safety, so what's new?

In this case it is aimed at industrial and commercial qualified and experienced electricians who do a bit of domestic work in their own time, cash in hand. These outnumber the "cowboys" 100:1, as they invariably get the work by word of mouth recommends from happy customers.

It has now't to do with qualifications or experience - the kid doing the actual wiring need have neither.

What it will do is to lead to more wiring problems and more fires - as houseowners will "do" the job themselves, rather than call in a friend or a friend of a friend. You are quite right - no one will know if the job is done properly. Of course, if it isn't, the fire engine and/or ambulances might be a bit of a giveaway.

The laugh is, of course, that even the engineers that drew up the wiring regs are caught by this - they are highly unlikley to be working for a self-certifying company...

Of course it is going to be difficult to argue that the work was done prior to the change...in an extension or loft conversion that was done after that date...

| I wonder how they plan to enforce this? If the work is carries out to a | decent standard by the homeowner I don't see how anything can be proved. In | any case, how would they prove the work was done after 01-01-05? I'm | convinced that these new rules are about securing work for accredited | electricians, rather than being about safety. If I interpret the rules | correctly, a homeowner or even a fully qualified electrician with a lifetime | of experience can't even put up a security or porch light as it's classed as | a hazardous area. Scandalous interference and over reaction by this big | brother government IMO.

Seems nothing has changed since some of us left the isles 300 years ago.

That will be the obvious exception, but I suppose most people who get the builders in to add an extension will be likely to pay an electrician to do the wiring anyway.

I think a sensible compromise would have been to create an official 'highway code' like document for homeowners intent on doing their own work, and possibly compelling them to inform a surveryor of their work on selling their house. That combined with holding people responsible for fires, injury and death as a result of shoddy work would perhaps have been enough. Educating people against wiring sockets with bell wire and such horrors would have been much fairer and even-handed IMO.

The part of the regulations which really beggars belief, if I understand it right, is that one can rewire an entire ring (to replace damaged wire etc) provided the original course of the wiring is followed. One can also add one spur to a ring (or per socket? Surely it's the former?) but one cannot add a socket to the actual ring! This makes no sense to me from a safety point of view.

Also one cannot add to or change any circuit in bathrooms or kitchens, even lighting. I'd love to know how changing a light in a kitchen is any more dangerous than changing one anywhere else. Unless of course one is going to stand in a sink of water at the time!

I think in the main these new rules will be treated with the respect they deserve- none whatsoever. I've never wired in a spur when it has been practical to add the socket to the ring, and I'm not about to change my ways now.

Dave

By the date codes moulded into the junction boxes, the dates stamped linearly into the cables, AND BY THE CHANGE IN COLOUR ("COLOR" FOR YANKLAND) CODING OF THE CABLES

You don't (interpret them correctly).

You can do it, but it now comes under building control - you must notify the council before you do it and they inspect it and certify it when you have completed the work.

Good point, but the new rules allow rewiring of existing circuits and replacement of sockets and, I presume, any junction boxes. Also, is a surveyor really going to look at installations that closely? It would mean a lot of overtime!

Dave