Adding an extra 13A socket ...

[John Rumm]

Or use a dry lining box, rather than a normal metal one.

[John Rumm]

ISTR posting in the past, when I queried one of local BCOs how many stand alone electrical building notices he got, after some thought the answer was none so far. (although that was 10 years ago now, so they may have had some since!

(and that was not just DIYers - that was building notices from any and all)

[John Rumm]

Last time I did a building notice, there were fees for submission, and then fees for visits etc which were based on the commercial value of the job being done. They were somewhat less than for a full plans submission but still reasonably significant (several hundred at the time, on a job with a commercial value of perhaps 8K)

[ARW]

Saying that earth sleeving and grommets can be omitted.

[RJH]

I'd read the wrong bit! An extra rad or replacement window for example would cost about £200 in LA fees. Plus the same again for retrospective approval. Even so . . .

[tabbypurr]

It's a simple fact that they can. DIYers do so every day. Though fwiw I didn't say 'earth sleeving and grommets can be omitted'. Nor did I say anywhere to do so.

NT

[Andy Burns]

No, because it isn't adding a new circuit ...

[John Rumm]

Although retrospective "regularisation" could presumably be applied to a whole bunch of jobs at once.

Having said that, if its not significant or structural, I can't see any future buyer being interested.

[Roger Hayter]

Just to get back on topic, I've cut through the wire insulation pulling a socket out to get at the terminal screws in the course of adding a socket to a ring. Didn't help that the person who left the grommet off also stripped the cable sheath back to outside the back box, presumably to give himself more room to connect three 2.5mm^2 cables to the socket.

This would have made it less likely, but not impossible if you omitted the grommet and it was a very sharp edge.

[Halmyre]

having had their local council dept inspect their work.

I could embark on a lengthy and foul-mouthed rant about the time, cost and effort getting the council to provide a 'letter of comfort' for a twenty-tw o year old garage that's built to a considerably better standard than the n earby new houses springing up in their thousands. But I won't.

[dennis]

bloody professionals are just as bad.. had to replace a wireless stat last week and when I did the receiver I found the electrician (not the plumber) had used the earth as the switched live, no sleeving either.

Now I wonder what other stuff they have done wrong. There is a timer for the HW about 4m away so I bet they have done the same there.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I explained why I don't like them. Apart from having seen several which have pulled out of the plasterboard.

If you are using flat plate metal sockets, etc, the flange looks untidy to me.

[RJH]

Yes, hopefully - it's done by price bands.

I'd agree. Except if surveyors (and then solicitors) pick up on that sort of thing when the hapless DIYer comes to sell it can be used as a negotiating ploy. Desperate as that might be.

[Andy Burns]

Scored 5/8 here (though some might not have required notification at the time they were done)

[Chris B]

Just had exactly the same experience recently even with a fixed (non wireless) stat as part of a major heating system upgrade. It uses 3 core Brown/Blue/Green&yellow. L&N as expected with the "earth" wire being used as the switched live.

I found somewhere on the net (but cant find it again just now) that there are no colour conventions for heating wiring so this is perfectly acceptable.

[ARW]

Even if fitted before the wall is skimmed (to avoid the visible flange) some flat plate switches and sockets will still not fit dry liners.

[dennis]

I doubt if that is true for mains voltage like motorized valves.

I will get some five core and rewire some of it. I need an extra core anyway as the new stat is a hive with the water control built in.

[ARW]

That would not be allowed on my shift.

[Andy Burns]

How come things like this never get addressed in newer IET regs, which IIRC only states that green yellow singles can't be overmarked?

[ARW]

Trust you to point out that green yellow singles cannot be over sleeved.

There is some crap (IMHO) that the green yellow of a flex may be oversleeved in certain circumstances and used as a line conductor.

I personally would not do it.