M
mattcos1972
Hey all. Happy Easter.
Advice needed again (no surprises eh??
- Don't worry one day I'll be a proper electrician!! )
OK so I am sure anyone who's read my threads to date is aware that I have changed the CU in my house as part of my assessment by NICEIC. In short the house was a blooming birds nest but I have sorted out everything from the ring final being broken, to rewiring socket spurs off the ring (or not the ring as it were) that had been wired in 1mm T&E. The unearthed lighting circuit has had all switchgear and fittings changed to Class 2 (even plastic grommets over screws on light switches) Bathroom lighting IP changed to IP65 and appropriate label fixed to CU. All bonding replaced and wired in where necessary. all 10mm to MET and 951 tagged. No sup bonding needed as R2 readings very low to the last radiator.
All unsheathed CPCs (ie all of them) sheathed at every terminal, socket and switch. All cracked sockets / switchgear replaced.
Basically All test results (live and death) are well within the range and the existing wiring (although red and black is in perfect condition - The CU bears a sticker to indicate two colour schemes in use as I have run in 3 new circuits)
There are 2 / maybe 3 issues however;
Issue 1..... I have spoken with the NICEIC about and also many of you will be aware. My Earthing Conductor is terminated at the supply cable (TN-S) using a BS 951 clamp attached to the lead sheath. The clamp was fitted many years ago and is neither loose or causing damage to the conductors. I am getting a Ze of 0.11 ohms. So all is well even though the set up is not. I have however notified EDF who, remarkably, accepted responsibility immediately and are sending someone down within 6 weeks (no rush lads) to properly weld an earth to the sheath....So in essence Issue 1 is resolved.....
Issue 2 then......Although all test results are spot on at every socket in the house I know that there are a good few screw terminal junction boxes beneath the floor in inaccessible parts of the house on the ring final (I have seen them when shining a torch beneath the stone kitchen floor from my vantage point under the hall floor boards). I am also pretty sure that this is the same story with the lighting circuit as junction boxes would definitely have been used when it was installed as access could have been gained through the upstairs boards...nowadays however, upstairs is somebody else's flat (house subdivided 30 years ago) and my neighbour has laminate flooring (otherwise he would have let me have a snoop up there).........
Issue 3 (which may not be an issue at all).....In order to reconnect the final ring and also to run the replacement boiler cable in, cables had to be run across the kitchen. Now the boards have been overlaid in stone and I cannot get beneath them without ripping the kitchen floor (and therefore the kitchen) out. So I had to run the cables under the boards up to the kitchen and then I bored a hole behind the nearest kitchen unit to where I can access, and fed the cables through the hole so the cables run on top of the floor but completely inaccessible behind the kitchen units. At no point are they accessible either to see or touch and obviously they are RCD protected. To get to them the kick plates under the kitchen units must be removed and you'd need to stick your arm 3ft under the units to the the wall behind them as that's where the cables run. The cables are not run in conduit.
So thats about it, and now you are all thinking....well do I have a point to all this rambling ...of course I do!!
I have just completed a periodic on this place, given that every test checks out but that I know or junction boxes in inaccessible places (which I am inclined to code 3 - any views?) can I pass this installation as satisfactory? And what would you put as the recommended interval til the next inspection?
Thanks to anyone who's had the patience to read through this lot and offer any advice.
Matt
Advice needed again (no surprises eh??
- Don't worry one day I'll be a proper electrician!! )OK so I am sure anyone who's read my threads to date is aware that I have changed the CU in my house as part of my assessment by NICEIC. In short the house was a blooming birds nest but I have sorted out everything from the ring final being broken, to rewiring socket spurs off the ring (or not the ring as it were) that had been wired in 1mm T&E. The unearthed lighting circuit has had all switchgear and fittings changed to Class 2 (even plastic grommets over screws on light switches) Bathroom lighting IP changed to IP65 and appropriate label fixed to CU. All bonding replaced and wired in where necessary. all 10mm to MET and 951 tagged. No sup bonding needed as R2 readings very low to the last radiator.
All unsheathed CPCs (ie all of them
) sheathed at every terminal, socket and switch. All cracked sockets / switchgear replaced. Basically All test results (live and death) are well within the range and the existing wiring (although red and black is in perfect condition - The CU bears a sticker to indicate two colour schemes in use as I have run in 3 new circuits)
There are 2 / maybe 3 issues however;
Issue 1..... I have spoken with the NICEIC about and also many of you will be aware. My Earthing Conductor is terminated at the supply cable (TN-S) using a BS 951 clamp attached to the lead sheath. The clamp was fitted many years ago and is neither loose or causing damage to the conductors. I am getting a Ze of 0.11 ohms. So all is well even though the set up is not. I have however notified EDF who, remarkably, accepted responsibility immediately and are sending someone down within 6 weeks (no rush lads) to properly weld an earth to the sheath....So in essence Issue 1 is resolved.....
Issue 2 then......Although all test results are spot on at every socket in the house I know that there are a good few screw terminal junction boxes beneath the floor in inaccessible parts of the house on the ring final (I have seen them when shining a torch beneath the stone kitchen floor from my vantage point under the hall floor boards). I am also pretty sure that this is the same story with the lighting circuit as junction boxes would definitely have been used when it was installed as access could have been gained through the upstairs boards...nowadays however, upstairs is somebody else's flat (house subdivided 30 years ago) and my neighbour has laminate flooring (otherwise he would have let me have a snoop up there).........
Issue 3 (which may not be an issue at all).....In order to reconnect the final ring and also to run the replacement boiler cable in, cables had to be run across the kitchen. Now the boards have been overlaid in stone and I cannot get beneath them without ripping the kitchen floor (and therefore the kitchen) out. So I had to run the cables under the boards up to the kitchen and then I bored a hole behind the nearest kitchen unit to where I can access, and fed the cables through the hole so the cables run on top of the floor but completely inaccessible behind the kitchen units. At no point are they accessible either to see or touch and obviously they are RCD protected. To get to them the kick plates under the kitchen units must be removed and you'd need to stick your arm 3ft under the units to the the wall behind them as that's where the cables run. The cables are not run in conduit.
So thats about it, and now you are all thinking....well do I have a point to all this rambling
...of course I do!!I have just completed a periodic on this place, given that every test checks out but that I know or junction boxes in inaccessible places (which I am inclined to code 3 - any views?) can I pass this installation as satisfactory? And what would you put as the recommended interval til the next inspection?
Thanks to anyone who's had the patience to read through this lot and offer any advice.
Matt
