Hi All, I'm currently viewing a number potential properies to buy. One in particular looks good but I've got doubts about the wiring. Hopefuly a suryvey would pick up any major issues but I thought I'd air my feelings with you guys. The property was rewired under instruction from the current owners about 3-4 years ago. In attempting to put power into the garage, they've strung a wire at about 8 foot height between the property and the detached garage which carries mains power rather than laying one under the ground. To me this seems a bit of a bodge. However, what is your view?. Is this appropriate/ok and what are propects running something like a tumble dryer from it (which I assume will pull a few amps)?.
Also, how do the new regulations on 'do it yourself' wiring effect the purchasing of properties?. Should I be lookiong for some form of certificate or paperwork associated with the work previously done on the property?.
It was probably quicker and easier than digging a garden or path up. Nothing to stop you putting it underground. The regulations you quote were not in force years ago and do not apply to "old work" otherwise every single house in the UK would be affected and loads would be in prison. If you want to change anything how are people going to know unless you take a full page advert in the local papers? Leave it to the survey. If you want to pay someone to go in and check electrical wiring then do so. If the house is still standing then that is a good sign.
If you've spotted issues, I wouldn't trust a general surveyor to pick up on much more. You could spend 100-200 to commission a PIR (Periodic Inspection Report) done by an inspector (usually a practising electrician) holding a current C&G 2391. For that you will get a much more detailed analysis, electrical circuit checks (continuity, earthing and insulation, RCD if applicable (and it should be) and more detailed (but still sampled based) lifting of covers.
Key question is: is it correctly supported by a catenary wire - the cable should not be just dangling between buildings by itself. There are height regs, but to be honest, 8' is good enough in a domestic property most of the time. Does the cable hang over a path taken by vehicles - in which case it's more dodgey as there's a chance of fouling it (big car with roofrack, bikes on roof, skip delivery and so on).
Is the cable suitable for hanging in direct sunlight (UV).
Depends - how much is the circuit rated at? Is it fed from a 13A fused spur off the house ring, or on it's own circuit - in which case whats the breaker/fuse rating? RCDs should be involved - either on the whole circuit or protecting the sockets in the garage.
Check your tumble dryer rating plate and make sure the garage isn't hanging of a bit of flex fused at 5A - otherwise you will probably be alright if it's been done properly, but you need to check it out further. Time for another visit...
3-4 years ago predates Part P building regs - so there does not need to be any building regs paperwork, but you could ask if the current owners posses and EIC (Electrical Installation Cert) given to them by the electrician who did the installation. That should have been done in principal - but they probably lost it, never got it etc - no harm to ask.
Nowadays (for work done since Jan 2005), all *notifiable* work done DIY should be notified to the Building Control people and a cert issued - but don't hold your breath...
It would be allowable if done properly. Even if it is a bodge, it's not that expensive to get a length of underground armoured cable run in.
I would tend to go for an electrical inspection as a matter of course. If there are bodges, then probably there would be more than one and you could form a view of the property from that.
Unless it's horrendous, I don't see that it's a reason to walk away. Just negotiate remedial work out of the price.
It is perfectly permissible to do electrical wiring on a DIY basis. Limited things such as replacing fittings and adding sockets etc. do not have to involve bureaucracy. A full house rewire does and there should be a completion certificate. If there isn't, then deduction of an inspection fee would be negotiable.
A lot depends on what type and size of cable it is, how it is supported, and what it's connected to at the house end.
If it's 6mm or greater SWA cable, properly supported and connected into its own dedicated way in the house consumer unit, it's probably ok. Is there a separate consumer unit in the garage? Is it RCD protected?
If it was a DIY job done prior to Part P, there's no requirement for any paperwork as far as I'm aware.
On Sat, 4 Nov 2006 21:14:05 -0000 someone who may be "David" wrote this:-
Nothing wrong with running electric wiring overhead.
Whether this particular installation is acceptable or not depends on the answers to a lot of questions. What sort of cable is used, how is it supported, what is the span and what is underneath the cable being just a few of these questions.
Out in the countryside overhead wiring is rather common. If I was to move to a suitable house I might construct an old-fashioned overhead line to an outbuilding, just for the fun of doing things the old way.
Depends on the current carrying capacity of the circuit. Assuming that it has a capacity of at least 15A then there should be no problem.
An alarm bell rings at that point because the recommended minimum height for an overhead cable like this is 3.5 metres (approx. 11' 6") - or 5.8 metres where there will be vehicular traffic. [Ref. OSG Table 4B]
That depends entirely on the cable size and feed arrangements, etc.
You should be looking for an "Electrical Installation Certificate" to which should be attached a "Schedule of Test Results" and a "Schedule of Inspections." For a rewire done as recently as 3-4 years ago these really should exist, but if they don't it would be worth trying to track down the firm that did the work and request copies.
If such a modest request is met with any resistance then your cowboy alarm will be ringing and in that case a full Periodic Inspection is advisable. This will be money well spent, and the report will give you documentation that to a large extent replaces what appears to be missing.
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provides some explanation, although the NICEIC is not the only fruit. Just make sure that the person actually doing the testing has the C&G 2391 qualification.
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