Should I get any papers for minor electrical work?

[catalin.marinas]

Hi,

Sorry if this has been discussed but couldn't find any clear answers.

I got a qualified electrician to install an extractor fan in the kitchen (which required connecting it to the electrical circuit through the ceiling). I asked the electrician the next day whether he would give me an installation or minor works certificate. His answer was that he would need to visit the house again for this and therefore charge me =A338 more.

Should I have expected a free minor works certificate when the installation was completed? Do the UK electrical regulations require him to provide one?

Thanks,

Catalin

[Ed Sirett]

Adding an extractor to an existing circuit is as far as I know not a notifiable activity even in a 'special location'. If he had added a complete new circuit then yes you should have received suitable building reg compliance stuff.

[Peter Parry]

The fact he is qualified (whatever that may mean) does not mean he is entitled to issue a Part P certificate. That can be done by someone with no qualifications whatsoever so long as their company has paid the appropriate fees. If they haven't paid the fees then the electrician, no matter how well qualified or experienced, can't issue the requisite bit of paper. Possibly the £38 is to pay a mate who works for a Part P company to pop along and nod his head?

[Hugo Nebula]

On Fri, 29 Jun 2007 19:07:56 +0000 (UTC), a particular chimpanzee, Ed Sirett randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

Adding any new fitting in a kitchen is notifiable. Replacing an existing one in a kitchen (or bathroom) wouldn't be, neither would adding a fitting to an existing circuit outside of these locations.

[catalin.marinas]

He actually installed a switch fused connection unit to which the extractor was connected. Doing a bit of search, it looks like this is a notifiable activity. He hasn't mentioned anything about paperwork and I assumed he knew what he was doing (that's why I mainly called an electrician rather than trying to do it myself).

If this is a notifiable activity, is a minor works certificate enough?

Thanks,

Catalin

[Ed Sirett]

[I'm registered for Part P with CORGI - other guilds may do things differently] Initially there was a option for notifying all sorts of minor works under self certification. This included adding heating controls and extensions to existing circuits and other more extensive electrical works.

Last year and this year the option (on the web site), for notifying electrical work, of "extensions to existing circuits" has disappeared. I wrongly (?) assumed that some sort of back tracking on the implementation of the scheme has taken place.

[Hugo Nebula]

On Mon, 2 Jul 2007 19:27:50 +0000 (UTC), a particular chimpanzee, Ed Sirett randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

AFAIK, CORGI can't 'self-certify' work not directly related to the installation of a gas appliance.

[Ed Sirett]

That's not what I pay umpteen hundreds of quid for! They are one of the 10 Part P guilds. Are you saying that I can only install a new kitchen ring final circuit if I also install a boiler at the same time?

[Hugo Nebula]

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 19:54:00 +0000 (UTC), a particular chimpanzee, Ed Sirett randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

So say the DCLG

. The only organisations currently able to fully self-certify are BRE, BSI, ELECSA, NAPIT and NICEIC. CORGI is amongst those who can self-certify if they do "electrical installation work as an adjunct to or in connection with their primary work activities - for example, gas installations, plumbing, kitchen or bathroom fitting...".

[Lurch]

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 19:54:00 +0000 (UTC), Ed Sirett mused:

Not directly related so no, assuming the previous limiting statement is correct.

I read it as meaning you can only do works directly related to gas appliances, e.g. fitting a new circuit to supply to a boiler, but maybe not an immersion heater circuit.

[Ed Sirett]

That would invariably be the case. Pedantically I would say that electrical, heating, gas and plumbing works are an adjunct to my core business of rental property management.

[Ed Sirett]

Even if that's the case (and it may well be), it doesn't alter the fact that the web site only allows me to notify (under the scheme) CUs, new circuits, partial rewires, special installations. Maybe the latter is intended for things like new kitchen extractors.