Initial thoughts and advice please!

[Boromedic]

Hi all,

I've already posted a hello with some info but needed some advice so reposting some info here!

I've bought a house, built in the 70's which has apparently no issues but I'm not happy with the electrics so need some help please. It was a 3 bed semi but has been added to with a garage converted to living space out the back (with underfloor heating), plus another garage area with sockets and lights (which run off an 5A fcu from the mains). The consumer unit has been upgraded a while back and has a main switch RCD running 4 circuit breakers. The circuit is earthed PME with another connection to the Gas main. The 4 circuits are shower on a 40A, 1 ring main on a 32A, all lights on a 6A, and a circuit that probably was an immersion but now runs a macerator toilet (and maybe more I haven't explored it fully yet) and toilet extractor on a 15A.

Obviously it needs testing, which I may do myself time and equipment allowing to determine the state of whats currently there.
First question is though, should I replace the wiring anyway due to age? Or if tested okay leave as is?

Second is, as the house is "improved" should I look to split the ring main into 2?

Third is I will install a complete new kitchen ring as thats the safest way I think, Kitchen only has 4 sockets in it anyway and someone has removed the cooker circuit at some point as the range is gas.

Fourth is, despite the garage conversion having its own consumer unit (lights, socketsx4, and underfloor heating) there appears to be no cabling running to the garage from the main cu, therefore I'm assuming its run off the ring, this I think is a big no no, what do you reckon?

Fifth, the lighting circuit (which are the bane of my existence unless its run with the ceiling rose wired as the loop! Any deviation from this has me scratching my head for a while!), has the loop wiring in the switches. Is this still okay or how much of a pig is it to rewire as above?

Sixth, the whole circuit has spurs all over which I still haven't isolated as to where they are fed from, and also being 70's the house doesn't have a whole load of sockets, so will be looking to add and remove things as I go along. All the floors are bare and I haven't done any plaster work yet so I could literally smash it all out and start afresh, but I'm wary of undoing stuff that may be fine as is.

Seventh, the main CU is wired direct to the meter and then to the main fuse, with no other form of isolation. Is this legal or should there be a main switch after the fuse then the board main switch?

Lastly as I have a qualification but not currently registered with a body, how much of this work can I do now on my own? Ideally I'd like to go split board with 2 rings, kitchen ring, up and down lights separated, shower, garage conversion, maybe reinstall a cooker circuit etc.

Thanks for all the input guys, this is a long term project as I work away so no rush on replies. Sorry for the long post!

Thanks,

Al

 

[Strima]

One way to check the garage wiring is to switch off the MCB for the ring, if the garage dies it's tapped off there somewhere.

You may find as it's a 70's build there is one ring upstairs with cable drops to the ground floor sockets. A good indicator for this is the sockets are in similar positions upstairs and downstairs.

The RCD main switch isn't ideal but does act as a single point of isolation for the installation. Split load board is the way to go. I would personally look at having a separate main switch after the meter to allow for future upgrades without having to get the DNO out to pull the fuse.

You may well find the wiring will test out fine, age isn't a massive problem as long as the installation isn't abused.

Sounds like a builder has done the additions with little thought for the design.

 

[Boromedic]

Cheers Strima,

Yeah lots of the additions seem to have been applied with little thought and bodged to a degree. I took some of the sockets off downstairs and some are ring wired (additions I think and some spurs from the ring so I suspect what you say about the 70's wiring is correct. It's always tough to unthink whats been added but I'll get there.

If the garage is off the ring main and it's running underfloor heating is this a bad thing? Worried about cooked wires due to overload.

Bit by bit I'll get it worked out hopefully. I think I'll definitely look to add a main switch so repeated fuse pulling doesn't require repeated call outs. Does the DNO have to do this or can any electrician do this?

 

[Octopus]

Hum ..... Sounds like you should possibly consider a full rewire ..... Only a decent 100% test would show for sure and then the consideration of improvements you plan to make.

You say you have qualifications .... How much experience do you have ?

 

[The Ghost]

Tbh I don't mind a bit of advice on an ad hoc basis here and there. But to consider what you have written and advise properly on every aspect of the amount you have written makes me switch right off. I think, well if I was to advise on that it would be in a professional capacity and I should be charging. In any event the info you are positing is too sketchy lacking in the kind of detail a site visit could pick up on.
There are no pictures or diagrams, so anyone advising on that basis may be steering you toward a very unwise course of action as there are things they cannot see.
And on top of that, well you are qualified why are you asking then? You should surely know the answer to the questions you ask. You should be posting test results to indicate what the state of the wiring is.
Always gives me the feeling something is not quite right when someone is "qualified" than asks all the question a qualified person should know the answers to.

 

[Pete999]

Tbh I don't mind a bit of advice on an ad hoc basis here and there. But to consider what you have written and advise properly on every aspect of the amount you have written makes me switch right off. I think, well if I was to advise on that it would be in a professional capacity and I should be charging. In any event the info you are positing is too sketchy lacking in the kind of detail a site visit could pick up on.
There are no pictures or diagrams, so anyone advising on that basis may be steering you toward a very unwise course of action as there are things they cannot see.
And on top of that, well you are qualified why are you asking then? You should surely know the answer to the questions you ask. You should be posting test results to indicate what the state of the wiring is.
Always gives me the feeling something is not quite right when someone is "qualified" than asks all the question a qualified person should know the answers to.

Totally agree

 

[westward10]

Hum ..... Sounds like you should possibly consider a full rewire ..... Only a decent 100% test would show for sure and then the consideration of improvements you plan to make.

You say you have qualifications .... How much experience do you have ?

No he said he has "a qualification", wonder what it is.

 

[Pete999]

No he said he has "a qualification", wonder what it is.

Part Pee

 

[Boromedic]

Hum ..... Sounds like you should possibly consider a full rewire ..... Only a decent 100% test would show for sure and then the consideration of improvements you plan to make.

You say you have qualifications .... How much experience do you have ?

Thanks yes I will get the house tested anyway but the reason I'm asking is to plan ahead, a lot of this work will be done next year. I just wanted some thoughts from experienced folk. In terms of my own experience I have some but I haven't used those skills for 4 years and obviously will brush up beforehand. Hence asking here. Cheers

 

[Boromedic]

Tbh I don't mind a bit of advice on an ad hoc basis here and there. But to consider what you have written and advise properly on every aspect of the amount you have written makes me switch right off. I think, well if I was to advise on that it would be in a professional capacity and I should be charging. In any event the info you are positing is too sketchy lacking in the kind of detail a site visit could pick up on.
There are no pictures or diagrams, so anyone advising on that basis may be steering you toward a very unwise course of action as there are things they cannot see.
And on top of that, well you are qualified why are you asking then? You should surely know the answer to the questions you ask. You should be posting test results to indicate what the state of the wiring is.
Always gives me the feeling something is not quite right when someone is "qualified" than asks all the question a qualified person should know the answers to.

Sorry I never posted my qualification in the original post as I'd put it in my hello post. I'm Part P qualified and was gearing up to do my inspection and testing C and G 2391 before I left the country to work overseas. The reason for all the questions was to gauge if anything had changed and compare my now rusty thoughts with current regs etc. apologies for all the questions. A lot of them are due to the quick time I've had between getting home checking the house quickly and now heading back overseas again thats all. I appreciate any input but if you don't wish to advise then thats fine. Apologies for splurging so much out, I have quite a bit to plan for and like to plan ahead thats all. Thanks for chiming in and sorry for the lack of clarity.

Al