Electrical work

We are having our bathroom refitted ie bath taken out and shower cubicle etc put in we haven't got an electric shower at the moment but do want one well our fitter has said he can't do that so we have to get an electrician in ,which we have, the electrician says we will have to have a new fuseboard fitted as the house is over 30 years old and the electrics tested I am fretting now he will say it needs rewiring I am not opposed to this but can't bear the thought of having to redecorate every room in the house the cost is also a question as it is going to cost us as it stands over £5k and it's only a small bathroom...Does anyone know if this is right or are we being taken for a ride...I have said to hubby to get more quotes but he won't as he hates bothering people then having to say no...
Sue

Re: Electrical work

Sorry lass, but the electrician is correct as is the fitter for your shower. I've worked for an electrical contractor for almost 29 years and, if your house is over 30 years old, then it will have been wired to the 14th or 15th Edition of the Wiring Regulations - we are currently on the 17th Edition. Your bathroom light won't be up to spec either as they now have to be IP rated. Your electrician will explain this. The old fuseboard probably has rewireable fuses, rather than circuit breakers, but a qualified electrician will explain this also to you.

May I give you a word of caution though lass. Make sure your electrician is NICEIC registered because if he isn't then he can't give you a valid certificate and you'll have to get an NICEIC registered company to check that his work is up to scratch and, if it isn't, it would have to be ripped out again.

It is AGAINST THE LAW for anybody to tamper with electrics these days, unless the person performing these tasks has at the very least a Part P certificate proving competence.

What's the £5K for though? Not for a straight re-wire surely? Most folk, when having a re-wire, decide that they want extra sockets so walls would have to be chased back to put new wiring in. It's a big old job, but please make sure the electrician is fully qualified before starting any work. All electrical work has to be accompanied by a certificate these days, even if it's only minor works.

These are the the Wiring Regulations which, I suppose, encompasses health and safety and of course fire regulations.

Re: Electrical work

We have a combined bath and shower. The shower is gravity fed and it's quite an adequate spray.

Re: Electrical work

£5k is about right for a 3 bed det. house.

One word of caution, and this applies in general, 'ware old Artex. The stuff used in the past contained asbestos. While it's in place and painted it's thought to be safe but if it's drilled or cut then the dust isn't.

Re: Electrical work

"It is AGAINST THE LAW for anybody to tamper with electrics these days, unless the person performing these tasks has at the very least a Part P certificate proving competence.

This is NOT TOTALLY TRUE and typical of the things that the trade says. Jobs for the boys?

The fact is that there is a wide range of things that a householder can do in their own property - quite LEGALLY. These include

Adding a socket outlet to an existing circuit
Adding a lighting point to an existing circuit
Connecting a cooker to an existing connection unit
Replacing a damaged cable for a single circuit (cable to be the same size and type and installed as original)
Replacing a damaged accessory such as a light switch or socket outlet
Replacing a light fitting
Connecting an item of equipment to an existing adjacent connection point
Fitting a storage heater to an existing adjacent point
Replacing an immersion heater

As for the rest, Part P allows an electrician to self certify while a non qualified person will have to go through building regs and have the installation tested before use.

Now, I would NOT recommend anyone to take on work that they are not competent to do - this is especially true of work in Bathrooms etc..

I'm also sceptical about wiring over 30 years having to be replaced unless the installation is being updated as regulations do not apply retrospectively. In this case it would be true as an electric shower needs a hefty circuit protected by a circuit breaker.

As for the bathroom light, IP rating depends what zone it is in.

I would also add that the situation in Scotland is somewhat different.

Re: Electrical work

About 7 years ago we had the bathroom re-fitted and took out an old electric shower and had a gravity fed one installed when we installed a free standing shower cubicle. It depends on where your tank is sited and the water pressure as to how efficient this will be, but we had an auxiliary pump installed which gives us a very good power shower. So maybe this is worth considering for your new bathroom.
Later we had the kitchen upgraded which involved electrical work and were told the electrics would need to be brought up to current standards as the regulations had changed. We had a new circuit board, some extra higher rated cabling for the double cooker, as well as extra powerpoints, lighting, etc. Our house is over 30 years old and it was not necessary to have a re-wire and everything was checked over at the time the new work was done. The cost was about £850 (including the new circuit board). We were then given a 10 year certificate. There was a bit of mess, chasing out walls and going under floorboards etc., but nothing too dramatic. My OH will do some simple bits and bobs, but says most electrical work involving additions and changes is well worth having done professionally and when you want to sell the house a current certificate is useful.

Re: Electrical work

Oh thanks so much for all the info you have given me it seems right then what he has said it just seemed an awful lot just to have an electric shower fitted his quote for the fuseboard and test is £683 the rest is for the actual bathroom refit I was just worried in case it was a muse to get extra for jobs that didn't need doing the house is 32 years old he explained about the light fitting not being legal these days and he will give us a certificate when completed...So once again thanks you have put my mind at ease...Sue

Re: Electrical work

Sorry George. I didn't make myself clear, which was remiss of me. What people do to their OWN electrics is at their own risk, but to get Billy Bloggs from down the road who knows a bit about electrics is illegal. It's nothing to do with jobs for the boys. That's the law as it currently stands and, if you allow anyone to tamper with your electrics who isn't qualified, you could have serious problems, the worst of them being a fire due to a short circuit. Also Sue, your bathroom has probably never been cross-bonded with the water pipes so that would have to be done, otherwise you could be electrocuted.

However, £5K for a re-wire is over the top in this neck of the woods for an average house; however I suppose it must vary in different parts of the country.

I've worked for this company for 29 years and we are NICEIC registered, registered with the Electrical Contractor's Association and all of our electricians are JIB registered.

Aerolor is correct in what she has said, and the house doesn't necessarily HAVE to be re-wired but, if you were to sell your house, you'd have to have an NICEIC test and inspection done and it WOULD fail as current standards apply. Blimey, even my house would fail these days as it was re-wired 30 years ago as well.

I honestly wouldn't have replied in this thread if I'd no idea what I was talking about but, just for the record, I am not an electrician.

Sue, tomorrow at work I'll ask our technician electrician what he would quote for an electric shower and new fuseboard. The fuseboard you have possibly isn't big enough to carry any extra load, but without seeing it, that's a bit difficult. I'll ask him tomorrow and if anybody would care to look up these qualifications he is: Eng.Tech, MIET, LCGI and he has another 6-digit qualification which I can't remember right now, and others as well!

Re: Electrical work

Hello Mollie... yes, the law does seem a bit vague in some areas, but as you say, the real issue is allowing an unqualified person to work in someone elses house. Mind you, I've seen some work that so called 'professionals' have carried out, and I wonder just where they got their qualifications.

Here in Scotland, electrical work is governed by the 'Competent Person' scheme where a 'competent person' is defined as being a person possessing the necessary technical knowledge and skills as defined in the appropriate occupational standards, and experience relevant to the nature of the work undertaken, who is able to prevent danger and, where appropriate, injury.

If you're not confused, then I haven't explained it properly!

I'm not a spark either. I studied Electrical Engineering at university before becoming a computer engineer.

Re: Electrical work

Mollie
The £5k is for the complete refurbishment of the bathroom ie taking out bath, sink, toilet, and replacing them with fitted units and shower cubicle electric shower (if the house passes the test) retiling a towel radiator, new floor and the electrical work ie fuseboard and wiring the shower and the test and not rewiring as I think you have misunderstood what I meant I was just worried if the electrician didn't pass the test on our electrics we would need a rewire you have been very kind in your answers and I am very grateful to all of you for your advice I have found it to be very useful as I knew nothing about all of this before.. The electrician said he will give us a certificate when completed..Thanks again
Sue