UK First visit , Bungalow question.

[Hawkster]

Hi, first visit and hopefully I get this question in the right forum (advise if I have got it wrong please) and is appropriate for this site. I do have ancient electrical qualifications - C&G 232 pts 1,2 +3. but my experience is more commercial appliance and have very limited domestic installation, .Anyway, my question is I'm looking at purchasing a dated bungalow with tired electrics, also has had the consumer unit moved into the lounge. Problem is, I'm unsure if it has a concrete floor but the whole bungalow has had expensive Karndean flooring laid throughout which I'm very reluctant to disturb anyway. How much of a complication/added expense/mess is it to wire from the easy access un boarded loft down and reinstate the consumer unit through the wall back into the garage, or should I be considering backing out of buying the bungalow? TIA for any advice. Mike

 

[westward10]

Bungalows can be the easiest as nearly everything can be done from the loft space.

 

[Jock from the north]

Hi, first visit and hopefully I get this question in the right forum (advise if I have got it wrong please) and is appropriate for this site. I do have ancient electrical qualifications - C&G 232 pts 1,2 +3. but my experience is more commercial appliance and have very limited domestic installation, .Anyway, my question is I'm looking at purchasing a dated bungalow with tired electrics, also has had the consumer unit moved into the lounge. Problem is, I'm unsure if it has a concrete floor but the whole bungalow has had expensive Karndean flooring laid throughout which I'm very reluctant to disturb anyway. How much of a complication/added expense/mess is it to wire from the easy access un boarded loft down and reinstate the consumer unit through the wall back into the garage, or should I be considering backing out of buying the bungalow? TIA for any advice. Mike

Are you talking about moving the whole lot ie consumer unit ,meter etc or are you lucky in the fact all that stuff is outside in a white box

 

[brianmoooore]

I'm unsure if it has a concrete floor but the whole bungalow has had expensive Karndean flooring laid throughout which I'm very reluctant to disturb anyway.

Make sure that you're not making the mistake I once made while working in a bungalow. Moved all the furniture back, pulled the expensive carpet off of its grippers, carefully cut all along the tongue and groove each side of the board I wanted to remove, and levered the board up, all the while being watched by the homeowner.
Shone a torch down the hole, and was extremely surprised to see a lawnmower down below!!!
Daft homeowner hadn't thought to mention that the place had a cellar, accessed through a door from the back garden.

 

[Hawkster]

Hi, thanks for the reply, no, I am pretty sure it is just the consumer unit that was moved into the lounge, the meter is the other side of the wall in the garage so it hasn't moved far but all the cables will have probably been shortened to relocate which is my main concern really. I believe there was an infirm old lady that used to live there so I was told and consumer unit was moved in there so she didn't have to go into the garage to reset. But still seems a strange and over the top thing to do and makes me wonder if there was probably multiple nuisance tripping, but surely you fix the cause of the tripping than move the consumer unit?? Not sure what else to think why they would do that really.

Are you talking about moving the whole lot ie consumer unit ,meter etc or are you lucky in the fact all that stuff is outside in a white box

 

[Hawkster]

Make sure that you're not making the mistake I once made while working in a bungalow. Moved all the furniture back, pulled the expensive carpet off of its grippers, carefully cut all along the tongue and groove each side of the board I wanted to remove, and levered the board up, all the while being watched by the homeowner.
Shone a torch down the hole, and was extremely surprised to see a lawnmower down below!!!
Daft homeowner hadn't thought to mention that the place had a cellar, accessed through a door from the back garden.

Ouch, painful.

 

[Jock from the north]

Hi, thanks for the reply, no, I am pretty sure it is just the consumer unit that was moved into the lounge, the meter is the other side of the wall in the garage so it hasn't moved far but all the cables will have probably been shortened to relocate which is my main concern really. I believe there was an infirm old lady that used to live there so I was told and consumer unit was moved in there so she didn't have to go into the garage to reset. But still seems a strange and over the top thing to do and makes me wonder if there was probably multiple nuisance tripping, but surely you fix the cause of the tripping than move the consumer unit?? Not sure what else to think why they would do that really.

That's good .there's nothing major stopping you from rewiring everything back to garage.just the supply from metre to your existing consumer unit.if you have an isolator in garage so you can isolate tails you won't have to call dno and pay for one.

 

[Jock from the north]

Make sure that you're not making the mistake I once made while working in a bungalow. Moved all the furniture back, pulled the expensive carpet off of its grippers, carefully cut all along the tongue and groove each side of the board I wanted to remove, and levered the board up, all the while being watched by the homeowner.
Shone a torch down the hole, and was extremely surprised to see a lawnmower down below!!!
Daft homeowner hadn't thought to mention that the place had a cellar, accessed through a door from the back garden.

Done that before in a shop .was surprised after spending half an hour cutting thru layers of plywood and chipboard to see boxes of chocolate and cans of juice.i did ask the customer "is there storage under here or a cellar I can access " no definitely not I asked the owner .cellar was accessed thru a communal block of flats .

 

[Jock from the north]

That's good .there's nothing major stopping you from rewiring everything back to garage.just the supply from metre to your existing consumer unit.if you have an isolator in garage so you can isolate tails you won't have to call dno and pay for one.

And if there's dwangs half way down wall you can use existing cables as draw wires if the size of holes bored on top rail permit.

 

[Hawkster]

And if there's dwangs half way down wall you can use existing cables as draw wires if the size of holes bored on top rail permit.

Thanks again for the replies, just one more question if you don't mind, would really appreciate your opinion again. If the Bung wiring once fully checked is still ok and I don't need to have a full rewire, is there a acceptable way, method- (guessing a junction box is unacceptable),, that fully complies with the regs to extend the original cables that I am guessing will now be too short to reach the consumer unit once it is relocated back into the garage? Or will I still have to have to get all cables replaced coming out of the Consumer unit to the nearest port of call? Apologies for the laymans terms, hoping this makes sense.

 

[westward10]

You can use joint boxes or a single joint box, the lighting you can probably just rewire to the first point if it is three plate.

 

[Hawkster]

You can use joint boxes or a single joint box, the lighting you can probably just rewire to the first point if it is three plate.

Thanks

 

[Jock from the north]

Thanks again for the replies, just one more question if you don't mind, would really appreciate your opinion again. If the Bung wiring once fully checked is still ok and I don't need to have a full rewire, is there a acceptable way, method- (guessing a junction box is unacceptable),, that fully complies with the regs to extend the original cables that I am guessing will now be too short to reach the consumer unit once it is relocated back into the garage? Or will I still have to have to get all cables replaced coming out of the Consumer unit to the nearest port of call? Apologies for the laymans terms, hoping this makes sense.

A junction box that is accessible and avalible for regular inspection is perfectly normal. You do get consumer unit relocation kits from Wiska .it's not something I've ever done tbh .depends on the amount of circuits I suppose.if it was in garage to begin with some of cables might be long enough

 

[Hawkster]

A junction box that is accessible and avalible for regular inspection is perfectly normal. You do get consumer unit relocation kits from Wiska .it's not something I've ever done tbh .depends on the amount of circuits I suppose.if it was in garage to begin with some of cables might be long enough

Thanks, hope so, top info!

 

[brianmoooore]

Some will be long enough, some will be easy to replace completely to their destination, and some will need to be extended by joints. It's not something you can predict, you just have to get stuck in and see.

 

[DefyG]

As per #13 the Wiska re-locaction kit is probably your best bet as accessible through the attic, but if the installation has not been tested yet (EICR) a rewire may be best outcome, but usually quite easy in a bungalow.

 

[Tim Court]

Having done similar it is easier to rewire from your new garage CU to the first port of call imho.

I’ll bet you need a new kitchen ring and it would be good to have two lighting circuits anyway.

So that potentially leaves you with the existing ring, an immersion supply and cooker supply you might have to extend/replace. Factor in lack of enough sockets and a kitchen revamp and you’ll probably find there will be little left of the old wiring. And you will avoid an ugly joint box in the lounge.

The one we did had a massive cupboard housing an old gas boiler and hot water cylinder so moved to a combi in the loft. Gave us a lot more floor space and better loft storage - and got rid of the immersion.
Dead easy just extending all pipework straight into the loft.

We added ensuites so again with new h+c in the loft no flooring had to be removed for feeds.

Obviously depends on if you are planning to splash and go or going for a proper refurb.

As for mess that will depend on how you chase and the effectiveness of your dust suppression!

 

[sunray]

Make sure that you're not making the mistake I once made while working in a bungalow. Moved all the furniture back, pulled the expensive carpet off of its grippers, carefully cut all along the tongue and groove each side of the board I wanted to remove, and levered the board up, all the while being watched by the homeowner.
Shone a torch down the hole, and was extremely surprised to see a lawnmower down below!!!
Daft homeowner hadn't thought to mention that the place had a cellar, accessed through a door from the back garden.

Had something similar in a commercial building and the customer didn't know the neighbour had a basement which extended under his part of the property. Worse; his company was the freeholder of the whole building and didn't know there was an extra level.

 

[sunray]

As you're commercial. I'm a little surprised you haven't mentioned din rail and terminals, If all of the wiring comes from the loft it may make sense to locate it there and extend to the garage, equally it may be feasible to pass cables through into garage at high level.

The other thing is; was the wiring extended through from the garage to the lounge, IE is there a big junction box in the garage?

 

[sheppertonspark]

That's good .there's nothing major stopping you from rewiring everything back to garage.just the supply from metre to your existing consumer unit.if you have an isolator in garage so you can isolate tails you won't have to call dno and pay for one.

Best "Magic" one in then.

 

[sheppertonspark]

If you are rewiring don't just do the usual 2.5mm for power circuits. Try to keep the cables out of the insulation. You will probably still need to wire in 4.mm to satisfy thermal constraint. Hope this is helpful.