Insurance for a renovation project - where can I get it?

[js.b1]

The problem I suspect is not the wiring age, it is the thatched roof.

No electrical election need be brought up to date, an insurer may request a n electrical safety certificate - which is not the same thing. That will hi ghlight any specific fire risks - for example butyl rubber cable hidden fro m view re PVC crimped onto PVC tails, broken wiring accessories, incorrect MEB, missing earth re supplier or earth rod with non-functioning RCD (!), y ou get the picture?

For a thatched roof I strongly suspect most insurers will tell you where to go, simply because their dumb databases will list high value property + fi re/electrical + sodding great big total loss.

If you were re-thatching, Class-0 fire (Silica/Glass) overlapping board may either be required or an extremely good idea.

A broken rewirable fusebox, ceramic DNO cutout, earth rod out of spec with corroded away cable, faulty RCD so certain faults simply sit there setting fire to your thatch - they are the risks with thatched. Never mind chimney risks which require proper guards or ideally no open fire at all.

There is BS8436 cable which has a foil shield capable of providing Type-B L

-N fault disconnect without RCD when penetrated by some definition of nail. For a thatch this could be good when combined with RCD, altho to be honest it may be quite unnecessary - unless thatched also includes mice visiting from the nearby field in which case you are going to need SWA re teeth :-)

[Andrew Gabriel]

Doesn't sound like you need a certificate at the moment, given you know it won't pass, unless it's useful for bargining down.

[Huge]

Why does ordinary T&E in the loft matter?

[charles]

squirrels like the taste

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Be a good idea to make sure they can't get in, then - same as any other vermin.

[spuorgelgoog]

It's a thatch roof.

Insurance company preferences for wiring in thatch roofs sometimes appear more stringent than those for petrol stations.

Owain

[The Natural Philosopher]

All of which can be sorted by adopting the 'Dorset' methodolgy. I.e. fireproof board under the thatch and preferably over the roof timbers.

[Huge]

Ahh. Thank you.

[Piers]

I've uploaded photos of all of the old cabling I've been working on (and mostly removing) recently.

I find the braided one the most interesting, as I've only found one cable like it. It fed an outside light. Under the braided sheath, each conductor is covered in rubber + it's own woven sheath.

Happy for you to upload to the wiki if you'd like.

[Vir Campestris]

That's right. Then...

... they insist on certain standards being met. They aren't legal ones, but they all seem to have them.

Indeed. I need to discuss this with the thatcher in the next year or so

- but that's not so urgent. Apparently sometimes the listed building people insist on just the top layer of thatch being replaced, as the stuff at the bottom might be historic!!!

Looks like the chimney will need to be 1.8m above the ridge. I can see an argument with listed buildings over that one - won't be in keeping.

I can't find the full Dorset recommendations, but SWA or metal conduits seem to be recommended.

Andy

[John Rumm]

Wiki version:

I suspect that is a Poly Butyl Jute insulated cable - more commonly used on meter tails where it has a rubberised hessian type of appearance...

[meow2222]

It was common for each conductor to have rubber then woven cotton. Whats unusual there is the pattern of cloth weave.

is using our content and claiming copyright.

NT

[meow2222]

Thank you, I see John's uploaded one. What makes you think one of them has steel conductors?

NT

[Piers]

The colour - many of the conductors are silvery coloured rather than copper coloured.

[Martin Bonner]

When I owned a (non-thatched) listed building, we used these people:

(Well, we tended to talk to the "Simply Listed" arm, but I doubt they havea problem with properties that are both.)

Before you buy, I suggest you get very friendly with the conservation officer - talk to them about how they feel about galvanized trunking and a chimney 1.8m above the thatch. Also, about re-thatching completely with fireproofing underneath. In fact, talk about *everything* you think you might want to do. Don't go in with an attitude of "it will be my house and I should be able to do what I like with it." They are (in my experience), reasonable people who are more likely to let you do what you want if they feel they can trust you.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

More likely tin plated copper. They did things right in those days.

[John Rumm]

Yup Adam spotted them a few weeks back. I have contacted them in the past by email and got no response... The main site for the bunch of light fingered toerags is

[meow2222]

has steel conductors?

Old steel would be a rusty brown. Tinned copper conductors were once the no rm, so I assume its that. (Though there is ali out there too.) Iron/steel a s electrical conductors belongs in the age when insulation was regarded as an unnecessary expense, ie late 1800s and perhaps very early 1900s.

NT

[meow2222]

I cant see them giving a fig unless formally threatened with action. I'm not sure its necessary to do that though, copying is pretty widespread on the net and so far no big deal.

On googling PBJ I saw several sites reusing our content.

NT

[<me9]

Tinned copper, common until metrication. 7/029 or 3/029 or 3/036.