Ask an Electrician anything...

[gmaz]

silentbrown said:

Does it need to, though?

Buyer's surveyor/solicitor might demand an EICR and chip you on the estimated cost of any faults, but not meeting regs (past or present) shouldn't block a sale.

It shouldn't block it, but could be a negotiating point. Can a CU where the front cover falls off, be considered within regs?

[Teddy Lop]

gmaz said:

silentbrown said:

Does it need to, though?

Buyer's surveyor/solicitor might demand an EICR and chip you on the estimated cost of any faults, but not meeting regs (past or present) shouldn't block a sale.

It shouldn't block it, but could be a negotiating point. Can a CU where the front cover falls off, be considered within regs?

CU has RCD to all circuits, I wouldn't expect anything dire. One of those £50 steel CU covers and it might even have have no advisories.

[dhutch]

RacingPete said:

Thanks all... so I think it is safe to just continue the radial circuit - question is, how best to wire it up.

Poor diagram for explanation of right and left sockets I am adding... existing wires are a good 7m+ between each existing component hence thoughts.

I'm not a spark, but it shouldn't really matter. Just avoid having more than three cables into each outlet if you can.

So first new socket of the original one, second new socket off the switch fcu?

You could then add whatever light switches and or lights you wanted after the fcu.

[119]

Tailender Investor said:

Hard to say. Sparkie would want to do an EICR before committing to a board change. Don’t want to wait until testing the circuits to find a load of issues.

For a CU swap to 18th edition and RCBO’s, surge protection etc then probably somewhere around £1k including VAT and EICR cost

I paid £500 for mine with those rcb thingies. 8 circuits i think it was.

[mickk]

119 said:

Tailender Investor said:

Hard to say. Sparkie would want to do an EICR before committing to a board change. Don’t want to wait until testing the circuits to find a load of issues.

For a CU swap to 18th edition and RCBO’s, surge protection etc then probably somewhere around £1k including VAT and EICR cost

I paid £500 for mine with those rcb thingies. 8 circuits i think it was.

Heard stories of all different prices, £250 being the cheapest up to as already mentioned £1k, try and find someone local that's had it done and get their feedback if possible.

[Ilovejapcrap]

take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:

944 Man said:

Why do you always park your vans directly outside the house that you're working on, on new build sites, making it impossible for HGVs to get through?

Because, like electrons, they follow the path of least resistance.

Brilliant

[TVR Sagaris]

My washing machine has an earth cable going into a conventional socket (above worktop in the kitchen).

It plugs into the same socket.

This was all installed before I moved in and I'd never really thought about it until today, but what's the deal here? Is it legit?

[ruggedscotty]

TVR Sagaris said:

My washing machine has an earth cable going into a conventional socket (above worktop in the kitchen).

It plugs into the same socket.

This was all installed before I moved in and I'd never really thought about it until today, but what's the deal here? Is it legit?

further investigation required. is it from the washing machine or other equipment adjecent to it. ? thought the earth of the washing machine would be able to cope with it, you sure its not some bonding under the counter with the pipeowrk ? if so needs to be hard wired and not through any thing that can be unplugged

[TVR Sagaris]

ruggedscotty said:

further investigation required. is it from the washing machine or other equipment adjecent to it. ? thought the earth of the washing machine would be able to cope with it, you sure its not some bonding under the counter with the pipeowrk ? if so needs to be hard wired and not through any thing that can be unplugged

Thanks for replying and sorry (I looked again) you are right: it doesn't go to the washing machine but goes to an earth point on the cold water pipe under the sink.

I will get a photo tomorrow, it goes up into the back of the socket, through a hole cut out of the plastic at the bottom. Any ideas why someone would've put an earth point in like this?

[dhutch]

TVR Sagaris said:

Any ideas why someone would've put an earth point in like this?

Ease of installation....

Don't think I've seen that before mind, and would be somewhat surprised if it.oasses code. Unless the earth cable just passes through the socket and out of the wall the other side. Is the incoming cold water supply to the house nearby?

[Yabu]

dhutch said:

TVR Sagaris said:

Any ideas why someone would've put an earth point in like this?

Ease of installation....

Don't think I've seen that before mind, and would be somewhat surprised if it.oasses code. Unless the earth cable just passes through the socket and out of the wall the other side. Is the incoming cold water supply to the house nearby?

Suspect this isn’t the water bonding at the incoming water pipe.
4/6mm green/yellow single back to a socket from pipe work was done in the 16th ed, less/no rcd and EEBADS,
Earthed equipotential bonding, automatic disconnection of supply.

[ruggedscotty]

Yabu said:

dhutch said:

TVR Sagaris said:

Any ideas why someone would've put an earth point in like this?

Ease of installation....

Don't think I've seen that before mind, and would be somewhat surprised if it.oasses code. Unless the earth cable just passes through the socket and out of the wall the other side. Is the incoming cold water supply to the house nearby?

Suspect this isn’t the water bonding at the incoming water pipe.
4/6mm green/yellow single back to a socket from pipe work was done in the 16th ed, less/no rcd and EEBADS,
Earthed equipotential bonding, automatic disconnection of supply.

yup a lot of legacy issues around the 16th with earthing.... anything metal but not a circuit conductor basically tied down to earth....overkill

[PhilboSE]

ruggedscotty said:

yup a lot of legacy issues around the 16th with earthing.... anything metal but not a circuit conductor basically tied down to earth....overkill

Yup…flat I’m renovating at the moment was an ex-rental…metal bath installed circa 1980 so to comply it had to have earth bonding which runs in surface mount plastic trunking up 2 flights of stairs and all around sone door frames. Ugly as f*ck and I’m ripping it all out next week as the bath is going.

[TVR Sagaris]

Thanks all. Yes I don't think the electrics or plumbing have been touched for some time and the number of earthing points on copper pipes does seem excessive.

It's a flat and this one goes to the mains cold water supply under the sink. The cable can't go out of the wall behind the socket because this socket is surface mounted. Kitchen sockets are on a radial circuit and not RCD protected on consumer unit. There are two RCD protected circuits but they are the ring circuit and a spare. (That also seems silly to me, but you may tell me it's normal for something quite old.)

[glow worm]

RacingPete said:

CU is in the house, really only going to be used for charging power tools, vacuums, table saw, pillar drill etc. really it is just for convenience to have them else where. Though am thinking down the line to put in a two post lift.

I put my 4 post lift on a separate feed with a delay RCB because of the initial surge from the motor

[RacingPete]

glow worm said:

RacingPete said:

CU is in the house, really only going to be used for charging power tools, vacuums, table saw, pillar drill etc. really it is just for convenience to have them else where. Though am thinking down the line to put in a two post lift.

I put my 4 post lift on a separate feed with a delay RCB because of the initial surge from the motor

Thanks, I think I will use existing circuit for now for extra lights and sockets, and come lift time get it rewired.

[dave123456]

I have bought an antique chandelier that has retro fitted screw in bulb holders and 2 wires of the same colour to connect.

I’m pretty sure it will work whichever way round I wire it but I’m also pretty sure there is a correct way to connect it, so live or neutral connects to the screw contacts?

Thanks

[Regbuser]

Neutral to screw thread, live to end 'tit'.

If metal bodied, will require an earth.

[dave123456]

Regbuser said:

Neutral to screw thread, live to end 'tit'.

If metal bodied, will require an earth.

Thank you

Can I just earth to a convenient location on the fitting?

[Regbuser]

A connection using a tool (i.e. screw), to the solid frame of the chandelier, not the chain, back up to the ceiling rose earth term, and make sure the ceiling rose earth is connected back to the rest of the circuit / dis brd.