Hi Hugo
Can you tell me if there is a route to appeal against the BCO's decision in respect of electrical matters?
There are 2 threads which describe the story so far relating to cooker cable and mcb ratings.
These are:
Electrician's guide to Building Regulations - 2nd Edition and BCO and cooker circuit update.
I don't agree with his approach nor do the more informed members of this group.
So who do I contact for a definitive ruling on wiring regulation issues?
Thanks
Phil
Can you clarify the situation. Firstly, is this just a rewire or is it part of other work (i.e., an extension)?
Secondly, you keep calling the person who's inspected your work a BCO. Is he really? Or is he an electrician working on behalf of the council (either employed directly or subbing)?
-If the former, you may be able to ask for a second opinion from his manager. Just say that you disagree with his interpretation, and would appreciate another viewpoint.
-If the latter (i.e., it's the opinion of the LA's appointed electrican), realistically no BCO will have the knowledge to contradict him. Again a meeting on site with the electrican and a senior BCO may be able to smooth things over, but if he digs his heels in, expect the BCO to side with someone he knows in terms of who's right and who's wrong.
If you can't get agreement, you could obtain your own report. To carry any weight it would have to be from someone with more qualifications than the Council's electrican.
As a last resort, you can ask the Secretary of State for a determination. Again you'd need to be sure of your ground, and be able to back it up with a report from a qualified electrican.
"Hugo Nebula" wrote
This is a kitchen refurbishment which involved minor structural work - hence the Building Control involvement.
That I'm not sure of. I believe he is employed by the council to cover the whole area, but whether he is directly employed or subbing I don't know.
Thanks Hugo
From what you say here, it may be easier to install a small enclosure with a
45A RCBO and do it his way. If nothing else it will keep the job moving. I have emailed the Institute of Engineering Technology for their take on all this. The question is simple: should diversity be applied when considering cooking appliance load on the supply circuit - he says no :(Phil
I am looking forward to that reply.
Or been on a days electrical training?
Could well be the case.
When Part P was coming in, every BCO in the country threw up their hands and said, "we don't know anything about electrics, you'll have to train us". The LA I used to work for looked into sending all their surveyors on a short (few days) course to teach us the basics. When this was found not to be possible (no institute or college would do anything other than a full-blown two-three year NVQ), they looked to use electricians employed within the Council to cover any inspections.
Where I now work has been basically winging it for five years. We've been on two or three one day courses & seminars by ECA & NAPIT. Any notifiable electrical work not done by a Part P contractor has had to be covered by an installation certificate by a qualified person (NICEIC, ECA, NAPIT, etc.) or we ain't signing it off.
Doesn't he also have the option of using one of the independent approved building control firms, rather than the local authority?
He could have chosen to go with an Approved Inspector rather than the Local Authority before the work started. They (the AI) would almost certainly not take on DIY work, or would charge an inordinate amount. Once work has commenced, then he has to stick with whoever he used for his Building Control (LA or AI).
I get at least one phone call a week asking if I can do an installation certificate for work that I have not done.
Thanks for that clarification.
Does the 3-signature version [*] of the EIC ever get used in practice?
[*] Separate signatures for design, erection and inspection & testing.
I doubt it unless it is a big firm.
What do you do when someone has a kitchen extension, has not applied for the electrics to be inspected by the BCO and has not used an AI?
If they've said on their original application for the kitchen extension that they will use a Part P electrician and then don't, then it's unauthorised works. If they've said on their original application that they will NOT use a Part P electrician, it gets inspected by BC.
May I also ask please what happens if my application says that I will
*not* use a Part P electrician and I then proceed to do a rewire in stages, room by room, so the usual[1] "first fix" inspection then "second fix" inspection would involve a dozen or more visits? Would whoever BC appoint to do the job walk away in disgust and switch to the inspection[2] they do for a "regularisation" - albeit with a strong likelihood that they'd look very hard indeed for ways to fail me?Finally, does this "regularisation" involve more than a PIR - eg do they insist on digging out a sample of buried cables (if only to discourage DIY-ers)?
Please note I am in London so neither you nor Adam risk ending up with such an awkward customer :)
[1] if it is usual for BC [2] in the case of my local authority that the fee comes out at around £700 for a Regularisation for domestic wiring of a single domestic dwelling priced at less than £5,000. They really don't want us to do it.
A few years ago there was a TV programme called "The Inspector Is Coming"
Now you can watch it here
Hugo will have to give the BCOs view. However if it is clear that you know what you are doing then I would say it would be possible that not every cable run needs to be visually inspected especially with "off the shelf" circuits such as lighting and sockets.
Only if the BCO or electrical inspector suspects a bad install. TBH here is not that much to mess up.
Are you sure that you are safe? My last rewire was in Watford:-)
What a stupid price.
What? Transexual cross dressers? Is it finally compulsory then?
>
Well it was filmed where Dennis lives. I am just wondering if George is in fact Dennis.
Or more like, they really don't want you to tell them!
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