Rewiring house in France

James Thurber's story "The Car We Had to Push" mentions an aunt (I think) who worried about electricity leaking out of fixtures and sockets that didn't have lamps or plugs in them. It includes a funny cartoon of her looking at a light fitting for leaks.

..and sockets over the basin too.

The UK system relies on the appliance plug having a fuse in the plug. Without this the system does perform in design safety. The French do not have fused plugs. They have radial systems as opposed to ring system.

The message from Adam Funk contains these words:

My grandma used to put Sellotape over the holes in unused sockets.

In article , Christian McArdle writes

Thanks. To a Frenchman, I'm sure. What about an English buyer?

Someone's mother, but not his is how I recall it, in "My Life and Hard Times".

That was not an uncommon attitude among those who grew up with gas lighting. My grandmother was one of them.

Colin Bignell

Why reduce your potential market? Admittedly, if it is a crumbling heap, the main market will be British buyers, who are generally perceived as wanting 'character' buildings, while the French prefer something modern and comfortable, but that does not mean no French will look at it.

Colin Bignell

That doesn't matter. You are entitled to use UK wiring practice when installing in France. However, it is not advisable.

Christian.

Can the local electricity provider refuse to supply, if the wiring does not meet national specifications?

Pete

In article , Christian McArdle writes

Which, along with a number of other UK practices seems to be of a higher standard than the French.

In article , Peter Lynch writes

They are not interested.

I recently had a 30A mono-phase supply installed in a French property and took a 12-way slit-load CU from Screwfix as I thought the installers would only connect their supply tails to a CE-approved CU

They said they didn't care what I put on the end of their cable and that they would leave it with a "termination" connected.

And what was the "termination"?

Friend of a friend wired his french holiday house completely to UK regs. French supplier (EDF) was perfectly happy to connect it up, and had seen it done before, much to his surprise. Ironically they had previously refused to connect up the supply to the french wiring which was there when he bought it, although it was in a bad state.

I have heard that you can pick any of the national standards from countries who's standards are aligned with CENELEC Harmonised Documents (of which the UK is one) and use them in any EU country, but I have no reference for that.

EDF will usually distinguish between properties that have electricity to them already and those which have not. If it has not had a supply before they will ask for a certificate of conformity that the property confirms to French wiring pratice which has to be signed by a qualified French electrician. However :-

1. they don't always do it
2. You can get electricians to come and "inspect" your installation
3. Something which had an electricity supply in 1920 can still count as having had a supply

Things are tightening up though and there have been quite a few new regulations coming into force over recent years.

As personal preference I prefer (many don't) the French radial wiring system despite the increase in wire required as it makes sure everthing is protected at a central board making it very easy to find faults and you never have a "where are the spare fuses" moment. It also lends itself to computer controlled automation very easily (I usually run a cat5 cable to each socket/switch "just in case"). However I have yet to find decently made French plugs/sockets which can frequently require the application of a hammer to get the plug in. One of the benefits of a movable earth shield and decent manufacturer e.g. MK.

Andrew Gabriel wrote:

On 26 Sep 2006 06:28:02 -0700 someone who may be "Fitz" wrote this:-

Sticking implements into UK domestic sockets is very hard for a child to do, whether the shutters are operated by the earth contact or just the live and neutral pins. Thus the "Child safety" cover is doing little or nothing for safety.

Inserting a plug with fingers wrapped around involves removing the "Child safety" cover first. Thus it is doing nothing for safety.

A very long time ago a member of my family did experiment with putting knitting needle into an unshuttered socket. He didn't do it again.

The message from "Fitz" contains these words:

Eh? For a start, all UK plugs have had sleeved pins for many years, so you can't reach round the back and actually touch live metal because by the time it's exposed it's no longer connected. Except the earth pin, of course.

Secondly, if there's a plug in there, then perforce there isn't a socket cover in there. Socket covers are about empty sockets, not sockets with plugs in.

Thirdly all sockets are shuttered. I defy you to find one that isn't.

Fourthly, in the vanishingly unlikely event of some little sprog managing it the RCD will ensure they only get a belt strong enough to scare the living daylights out of them rather than kill them. It worked for me when I was about five. Except that was a table-lamp.

They're a gizmo sold by profiteering safety types who prey on the insecurities of parents and the paranoia of safety departments who insist on them for no good reason. I've had a good look over the years and have never found any evidence of accidents happening which would have been prevented by socket covers. If you have evidence to the contrary, I'll a) be amazed, and b) have to buy a hat to eat.

None - 13A sockets have been shuttered since their inception. Round pin sockets were shuttered later (and still don't have to be, except in homes), but I don't think that's what's being referred to here.

The message from snipped-for-privacy@cucumber.demon.co.uk (Andrew Gabriel) contains these words:

You abolutely certain about that? We only had "square" pin sockets in our house as a kid and I remember pointing out to Dad one that didn't have a shutter and the two of us changing it. Perhaps it had had one but had broken. I was only about five.

Haven't we all?

I'm glad that you and I lived to tell the tale but there are many little blighters I'd willingly attach to a power source.

Indeed. Modern parents are easily influenced.

Mary