If I were to get a qualified electrician in to disconnect my current consumer units and fit an additional two way consumer unit, with an isolator and two 63A MCB's, then connect these two MCB's to two 63A Sockects (Such as these
Sparks...
Also... Having a quick look through the "Approved Document P" it tells me I can't do any work in a kitchen, and a kitchen is defined as "A room or part of a room which contains a sink and food preparation facilities"
Does this mean, if I were to rip out the kitchen for a total refit, as long as the room does not contain a sink and food preperation area when I am doing the work, I could do some work on the elctrical installation that doesnt require notice, like adding a few sockets)? Then once the work is done, the kitchen is fitted?
Sparks...
If you are going to DIY then just get on with it, do a decent job, test it (keep the results) and then forget about it.
No point wasting time looking for "angles" that are either going to create loads of extra work, rely on a subtle interpretation of the rules, or end up with some "non conventional" arrangement that you hope turns the whole house into a plug in appliance!
Hear, hear. If you want to comply, then go off and do it officially. If not, just get on with it.
There is a danger this ng will become obsessed with the minutiae of the wording of the wording of Part P and how it should be interpreted, which will be a complete waste of time if officialdom (as it will) interprets it differently. To the particular example quoted by the OP, they will answer his/her carefully worded arguments about food preparation with the response "b*ll*cks, it's a kitchen" - is the OP going to take the local council or whoever to court over this?
Exactly, I've just installed a new socket in the dining room and it involved breaking into the ring main in the kitchen.... so what - I did the job properly and I've no intention of selling the house any time soon.
If you're confident you can do a good job, get on with it!
Dave
I saw cable in Wickes with the old colour scheme. I thought it was all supposed to be replaced.
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nope, there's a transitionary period. quick google groups search in this place will give you the exact timetable & allowable circumstances.
It really does not matter for almost all purposes. Who knows exactly what wiring is in your house anyway? Who, therefore, can after the event complain that the rules have been broken?
You can still use old colours legally until 1st April 2006. So no harm is shops shifting older stock.
:-)
As those 63A sockets might be used to supply outdoor appliances they'd have to be on RCBOs
Owain
There's a notice in my local branch of Wickes that says you can use the new or old colours as per the date quoted above - but not in the same installation.
Obviously this is common sense for NEW installations, where IMO it'd be best to use only the harmonised colours - but what about existing installations? I thought you just had to put a sticker on the CU to indicate there might be mixed colour codes in the installation... can anyone clarify?? TBH it would seem to be the most sensible approach if I were to stock up on a couple of reels of 2.5 and 1.0 in the old colours - this should do for many years of DIY at the rate I'm going ATM! I've no plans for any major building work - all I'm likely to do is perhaps add a few sockets to the ring when I decorate and maybe move a few light fittings around at the same time.
Dave
If you're only going to be adding sockets, no-one will be able to tell anyway - you're allowed to replace wiring and sockets. Who will know what is new and what is "replaced"?
I meant that it seems sensible to me that all the colours will be the same throughout the installation - unless I have any major building work done, I'll not be involving the LA building control folks so I won't (after next April) be forced to use the new colours for minor mods to the wiring. IYSWIM.
Dave
Risk is that a house declared to be without a kitchen can be classified as unihabitable and you then come under full building control to get it classed as habitable again.
I think the logic is that you can use new colours on old systems (as you will be forced to when the old colours run out), but you should not mix colours in the new wiring. So what you add should be either all new or all old colours. Quite how you decide where the boundaries lay between jobs though I am not sure.
If you have a mixture in a system then you need a sticker on the CU as you say.
Do suppliers provide the stickers ??
Stuart
Shift THELEVER to reply.
classified as
Balance a microwave on the bathroom sink, fed from a socket hung over the shower head and youve got a kitchen. And youre just now in the process of rewiring it all safely :)
Note to our resident moron: dont try this at home.
NT
That is a very good question... you would expect so, although a quick trawl of TLCs web site did not turn up anything.
One came with a Distribution board we fitted recently. Have not seen any with domestic cu's.
Dave
I've seen them hanging on a hook at the trade counter of a wholesalers. I notice the last RS order I did came with a glossy advertising some new thing, and one was a new wiring colour kit, with the stickers and little boxes of pre-cut sleeving in the relevent colours. You can make your own label with a printer and some sticky labels (actually even hand written would be fine if neatly done).
Personally, I would try to avoid mixing the colours in one installation. Some larger companies appear to have banned the use of the new colours on their premises where old colours are in use, so I presume you will continue to be able to buy the old colours (certainly you can at the moment).
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