Electrical works in an extension

[asbestos789]

Hi,

This is my first time post here.

I have had an extension built on my own house in NW London. A double storey side extension and rear Kitchen extension. New Kitchen and Bathroom installed.

The work has been going on since 2011 due to money constraints, but is now finished. I had the electrical work done by an Niceic registered electrician and I have been trying to contact him to provide the required certificates, but have just found out he has gone to live in Spain !!!

I have had another electrian in to have a look who has advised the consumer unit does not meet the regulations as it is plastic. He has advised that I have a plastic split load consumer unit and says that it should be made of metal. The previous electrician installed this approx a year and a half ago !!!

As mentioned there is a new Kitchen/Bathroom and new circuits. The electician I had in a few days ago had a general look around and said that work looked to be completed to a good standard.

I am looking for a bit of advise..

Which type of electrical certificate do i require ? I will be passing this over to building control to certify the electrics.

Do I need to upgrade to a new metal consumer unit ?

If I ask for an electrician to change that consumer unit, will that certificate cover all the work that the previous electrician done ?

Thanks in advance...

 

[Darkwood]

Welcome to the forum

 

[YoungBart]

You don't need to upgrade the CU if the only reason the spark gave was because it is plastic. as it was installed before the current update to the regs came out.

 

[Spoon]

Tell the electrician to look at the regs. BYB top of page 5.





The third amendment to BS 7671:2008 Requirements for Electrical Installations was issued on 1st January 2015 and



is intended to come into effect on 1st July 2015. Installations designed after 30th June 2015 are to comply with BS


7671:2008 incorporating Amendment 3:2015.




If your electrical design was done in 2011 then your CU doesn't need to be non-combustible.

 

[Octopus]

You need a spark who understands the regs properly...

 

[asbestos789]

Thanks for your replies

But what certificates do I need to provide to building control ? Eic ? Part P ?

Thanks

 

[telectrix]

wot they said ^^^^^^.and you need an Electrical Installation Certificate ( EIC ).

 

[Risteard]

You don't need to upgrade the CU if the only reason the spark gave was because it is plastic. as it was installed before the current update to the regs came out.

I suppose the reasoning might be that the Electrician who installed it never actually certified the installation, so if the new Electrician was to take it on now he most certainly didn't design it before a year-and-a-half ago as he is only getting involved now!

But it's hard to see how he could have certified it under any circumstances now though...

 

[Octopus]

Thanks for your replies

But what certificates do I need to provide to building control ? Eic ? Part P ?

Thanks

Best you contact them and ask them what they will accept..... as you need a completion certificate and they issue them.

We can only speculate...

 

[bigspark17]

Though a board change would not be required you had the EIC for the original work, however you dont, in your instance i would let the new spark fit a new amd 3 cu and let him issue an EIC for it and hand this to the building control officer. Other method maybe get him to do an eicr but i doubt building control would accept this as part of a new installation and doubt the spark would either now. I dont blame the new spark for wanting to put new amd 3 cu in as i certainly wouldn't issue a EIC for someone elses work in an instance like this. Ask him to quote a cu change and full EIC for this work.

 

[Richard Burns]

Because the building of the extension must have been under the supervision of building control, they should be ready to issue a building regulations completion certificate for the extension, however in order to do this they would need an Electrical Installation Certificate for the electrical work.
Since you do not have this available you would have to explain the situation and probably get building control to arrange for an inspector to assess the electrical work to ensure it is acceptable to them.

There is no other ready means of getting certification for work completed by someone else, as this is not permitted. The methods of third party certification require the certifying electrician to be informed in advance and monitor the installation as it is ongoing.
It is only within a company that work supervised by the company can be certificated by another person within the same company).

Building control are unlikely to require much further action beyond you paying for their inspection as they will have been involved from the start.

 

[7029 dave]

^^^ That is about very much it.

 

[Midwest]

Echoe all the advice previously given, especially contacting the LBC, you need your Completion Certificate. There is a certificate called Regularisation Certificate, which is a retrospective application, relating to previously unauthorised work (which without an EIC, is what you have with your electrical work).

With my LBC the cost of a Regularisation Certificate for electrical work is £600. They may have consider sending their own electrician in to inspect the work, but this would normally be approved prior to the work starting and cost £400.

So it may be cheaper to short circuit the system (no pun intended), to have a new consumer unit installed, but that doesn't resolve the issue of the work already carried out as part of your extension.

Bottom line, contact the council and ask.