What electrical work are you allowed to do in your own home?

There is a lot of mis information and here-say on what your are allowed to do when it comes to working on your home electrical system. In this video I give a quick review on how it works and exactly what you are allowed, and not allowed to do.
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[@lambornewagner6600]

This part P is something I am having major issues with. I am a fully qualified apprentice trained electrician ( recently retired) Over the years I have had multiple qualifications including 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th wiring regulations, been the authorised person for 11kV switching at 2 UK factories, hold multiple other qualifications. But.... when my stepson decided to move into property development he decided that a little electrical knowledge would be to his benefit So he paid (quite a lot) for a 3 week course that makes him not only entitled to carry out installations (I did install a new consumer unit and an armoured cable feed into the garage of his first project because he had little confidence in his ability), but to certify my work. I find it massively distressing that someone like me, fully trained, qualified and with 50 years of experience within the trade cannot add an additional ring main in my own home without getting it certified from someone who has done a 3 week course

[@jayjaynella4539]

This does make sense to a bureaucrap, who has a totally different line of thinking from normal human beings.

[@seraphina985]

@@Teslison I think you can do a level 3 in more like 6-18 months if you do it on it's own as a full time course. Or you can do it in two years as part of an A level program for example at a technical college, though it is a double award so it takes twice the timetable slots of a single award eg an A level. Then again that makes sense an NVQ level 3 qualification is considerd equivalent to 2 A levels passed with a grade C or higher.

[@artureff3046]

time to retire in Texas

[@SafarWIP]

certification makes money for regulators and their friends who do them, + good news you have to recertify every year. For me who have a university degree in electrical engineering it is quite ridicluous to call a electrician if I want any change to my circuit breaker consumer unit or anything incoming... I just hope me installing a battery for my solar wont be an issue...:) not going to pay £2000 premium for a certified company to plug in 4 cables, +,-,earth and data RJ45...

[@derekgoodwin6646]

Part P is a joke just another tax .You can do the job just get it part P by someone else .Yes it's a legal requirement but building inspector never asked for it as long as you do a certificate and they see a nic number complete joke.

[@themafia3119]

From what I've observed and experienced in the trade here I'm happy to say when I do my own work in my own home I do it at an extremely high standard. I always use gorilla glue and always use original sellotape.

[@jameshansing5396]

That’s a joke, right?

[@MAGAMAN]

@@jameshansing5396 It's hard to tell with some of these people. I read a review on an extension cord where someone didn't like having to climb a ladder to reset the breaker, so they removed the breaker. This is like the old style fuse boxes in america where people would put bigger fuses in because they kept blowing a fuse. A lot of these people then wondered why their house burned down.

[@volt8684]

😂

[@markbaker980]

Elastoplast fabric plasters make a good alternative if you run out of gorilla tape

[@12alocin]

I take it you are a "Sparky" and you are taking the oppertunity to downplay any electrical DIY in domestic electrical work.

[@Gerrit-Max]

I've always done my own electrics, be it changing a socket or a switch to adding new circuits. Last one was putting a proper electric connection to the garage and adding sockets and lighting in the garage. Also from there I've put it through to our summerhouse (which is build of the side of the garage) each with it's own consumer unit and it has all been checked by a qualified electrician and 100% approved. And before anyone asks, no, I am not an electrician, in fact I only learned for two things and that was bricklaying and welding & construction.

[@garymiller1216]

same her, i do all major work, self taught, get it approved by qualified sparky via council, much cheaper and great satisfaction

[@ItsAllJustBollox]

When it comes to electricians qualified doesn't always mean competent, I have seen some shocking work by qualified electricians as well as DIY

[@JohnSmythe-od4gk]

‘Shocking work’ - hopefully not literally!

[@bobbg9041]

0:33 he's in reference to eu laws regarding electrical work, and thats 240 volts err I think its 230 volts 50 hz. No 110, 115,or 120 volts. But even in the usa you have to pull permits and get inspection in many places you cant even change a fixture without a permit and inspection

[@gamenfriends2837]

I agree, we had a new build and some stuff was horrible that the electrician did and the developer didn’t even check the home.

[@mikehutchins8653]

Totally agree I’ve been a electrician for 43 years and come across some really Bad workmanship also they have been registered

[@jackwaycombe]

In my area, I've seen nothing else.

[@davidhartley2373]

I have just retired after 50 years in the electrical trade and any electrical work I require doing I will do myself and if I am not sure about anything I will look it up. I feel after all my years in the industry I am better equipped than somebody who has been working for 2 or 3 years

[@thebeesnuts777]

Good for you, and logical, or you could get a budding sparky and let them experiment on your property and why not do abit of Harry Enfield role character play, " you don't wanna do it like that " I'm sure the bud will love you for it 😏

[@mikebarry229]

Nothing stops you doing so, this video is incorrect in suggesting you can't. Any home owner can do the work themselves even to consumer units, but if they arent part P registered they will need to make an application to the local authority. The difference is that a part p electrician doesnt need to apply, they can just do the work and notify the local authority after via their professional body. The local Authority will want to be sure you are competent to do the work and will usually employ an electrician to double check your work for which you will likely be charged £200-300. As a retired electrician they may well seem you to be competent without someone to check your work but will want to see that you have done all the normal testing of circuits.

[@DrPepper22222]

​@mikebarry229 not sure how true this is that building control will get an electrician to check it. In my area certainly , building control will just expect YOU to get it certified by an electrician, which in turn makes it impossible for you to do the work, as electricians just don't do this any more (only EICRs, which are different)

[@originalkangarootoo]

Man, your videos are just so good. I’m not a professional but a very competant DIYer (an engineer father started me young), but every video of yours that I watch I learn something new, and your script and editing make everything so clear.

[@ProperDIY]

Thanks 👍

[@vylbird8014]

It's competent DIYers who get frustrated. I've no formal training, but I'm an electronics hobbyist, so I'm quite capable of understanding cable current ratings and derating them properly, and using the appropriate connectors. And I know not to trust any MCB or RCD off Amazon until I've personally had it on my test-bench to verify correct operation, given the counterfeit situation. I know what I'm doing, but the law disagrees: The default assumption is that no-one should be trusted until they have completed an extensive training and certification process, which is so convoluted that even on this video there are people arguing about exactly what the requirements are. There's no way I can prove my knowledge without time and expense.

[@johnchristmas7522]

@@vylbird8014 Think of it this way, your abilities, though good, will not convince a insurance company, who by remit, look for ANY excuse not to pay up. As frustrating as it is, its better to cover yourself by using a Electrical Company (fully registered) to sign off any work you may do. I fully agree with your caution over products, unfortunately people's remit is cheapness and not safety. Any electrical equipment should always be A1 plus, so pick carefully. If its cheap, there's always a reason!

[@quirkygreece]

I used to do a lot of major refurbishments and usually ran all the electrics myself but always called in a qualified sparky to check the circuits and connect to the board. This arrangement worked well for me for many years.

[@jameshansing5396]

Don’t know any decent sparks who’d be ok with that

[@quirkygreece]

@jameshansing5396 - Any qualified electrical inspector would be pleased to do an inspection and certify the work if it meets the requirements of Part P. It’s what inspectors do (there’s a clue in the name, ”electrical inspector”.) Maybe you should have stopped after your first five words . . . ?

[@jameshansing5396]

Ok, your ignorance is highlighted several times there. An EICR isnt the same as signing off someone else's work. Part P is an insanely tiny part of the process, I mean TINY..... Part P course is 3 days, I got 100% on mine. BS7671 is 3/4 days, I got 96% on mine. BUT the rest of knowing your stuff is YEARS. Oh and let's not forget the week long Test and inspect course, 2391. As a working Spark, with many Spark acquaintances (So personal experience) the VERY best ones dont want anything to do with signing off someone else's work as they are too thorough and anal (a good thing). it really isnt the same as an EICR where you can load the cert with LIMs. Ill put you onto my mate if you like, he teaches 2391 and BS7671 whilst still being a working Spark. Id trust him over anyone and he wouldn't want anything to do with it. The only ones I have ever known do it were Spaks who's knowledge had zero respect for. SO you can try and be condescending but I have highlighted your ignorance and given you real world examples. Look over the comments, plenty are saying how sh*t proper Sparks can be. And guess what.... they will be the ones signing off some clown's work....... Unless I can inspect every inch of cable, check EVERY termination then f*ck that and by that time, you may as well have done it yourself. ;) I am open to the fact that SOME decent Sparks may do it but I still stand by my view, as I am not a total egotist like you who thinks my own small experience is all encompassing. $50 says you arent even a Spark yourself.... (If you are then that's scary that you think Part P is so relevant. It really isnt in the grand scheme of things). @@quirkygreece

[@davewebster4246]

@@jameshansing5396 I wish I could see the rest of this thread that has clearly been removed.

[@RWBHere]

I rewired my house, years ago, and called in a qualified electrician to check it out. He could find nothing wrong, because I had spared no expense in making everything completely compliant, and exceeding the standard of the time by as much as was reasonably possible. About 30 years later, several newer Editions in place, I called in another electrician to do some rewiring, because I was no longer up to date, and he was happy with the older wiring, because it was still completely safe, although it would have to be done differently if rewired again. All impedances are well within specifications, etc. The only significant change he had to make was to replace the plastic consumer unit with a metal one, and to upgrade the RCCD's. The daft thing is that, when I first rewired the place, I had to replace a 'unsafe' metal unit with the 'safer' plastic one.

[@GS-lh2nx]

As a Yankee I thank you for explaining the British system. It's fascinating to see how different it is and I don't mean wagos and wire nuts. Thx

[@ProperDIY]

No problem GS

[@vylbird8014]

Different, and considerably better.

[@thelight3112]

@@vylbird8014 Cables buried in plaster, inaccessible junction boxes, and ring mains are far from "better". The main advantage is 240v instead of the 120v used in the US.

[@rattyboots]

@@thelight3112 230V 😁

[@nickryan3417]

@@thelight3112 Cables shouldn't be buried in plaster, junction boxes should be obvious in location and accessible and ring mains require considerably less wire than the alternative.

[@peterbriggs2771]

Interesting although as an electronic s engineer trained in low voltage and high. I submitted to building control the electrical lay out plans detailing cable size and mcb, rcds ratings etc. This was installed by my self including armoured cable because my consumer unit was greater than 3m away from source. This was periodically over viewed by a qualified electrician and also carried out part p testing of the entire installation. Final installation signed off after I completed minor ommissions and submitted to the local BR department. So I believe that your presentation clear and concise was a general statement which overlooked the options available. Best Regards Peter

[@peterbriggs2771]

@@robfodder5575 I saved a fortune with regard to installation, despite the electrician I over compensated in parts and it was the neatest cabling he had seen. £300.0 for all the testing. I even convinced him the switch in bathroom was outside of zone two, which he reluctantly agreed. Perseverance and common sense prevailed 👍😎

[@gs425]

@Peter Briggs I agree. The regs say you have to be competent. Yes some work is notifiable , but doesn't mean you can't do it your self

[@peterbriggs2771]

@@gs425 As a competent electronics engineer monitored by a qualified electrician this is within the regs as they would have been rejected from the day I submitted them on the original proposals. 👍😎

[@peterbriggs2771]

@@robfodder5575 you need to find an electrician that monitors your work. Remember earthing is important from switch plates to back plates if the are metal. If using armoured cable invest in earth locking nuts which earths the sheath only required at one end. Finally the metal cut outs need to be protected with plastic edging. Good Luck 😎👍

[@jayjaynella4539]

Went to move into new house 22 years ago. BIL was the contractor liason. He touched the dishwasher and got an electric shock. We noticed the lights were also dim. Sparkies who put in the electrics were contacted. After a 2 hour drive to get here, they spent 30 seconds, looked at the main switchboard, found nothing wrong and left. We refused to sign the handover till the problem was fixed. Builder called a local sparkie who found a dislocated neutral wire on the main box, and fixed the wire. Years later I remove a light switch assembly from the wall to paint, and a hot wire broke. Screw must have been tightened with a pile driver, and the movement of the switch from the wall caused the wire to break. When I wire a switch or plug, I test the wire by tugging on the wire a few times with a reasonable force to see if the wire screw is tight. Something our sparkies did not do, they just tightened the shit out of all the wires. SMH.

[@thetraveller869]

Moved into a different house in 2004. My neighbour - since deceased - who was a lovely man, told me 'Brian was very good at DIY!' I decided to change the ceiling light at the bottom of the stairs since it was very old and not what you might describe as 'stylish'. Having switched off the relevant circuit I removed it from the ceiling and found the cable hole in the plasterboard ceiling was about 5 inches in diameter. Wow! I thought, that's a bit big! I disconnected the cable and removed the fitting. Then checked the security of the cable and found it was mixed with a large lump of brown mastic in the void. I pulled gingerly and after 5 minutes had removed all the cable from above the ceiling. It was still connected but the extra cable was long enough to literally reach the floor. Having shortened it to a sensible length and replaced the gaping hole in the ceiling I fitted a new light unit. The old cable went in the bin. Brian lives in Spain now and is undoubtedly causing havoc but in a different environment. His DIY was shocking. Brown mastic to point a brick wall anyone?

[@spankeyfish]

@@thetraveller869 Brown mastic reminds me that the previous owner to my house had stuck some loose capstones (on the low wall around the patio) back on with some sort of silicone adhesive, possibly bath sealant.

[@David-td1tf]

Qualification doesn't mean they take pride after the fact...! Sloppy is Sloppy, the rubber stamped version just costs more..!

[@TheEulerID]

The actual voltage that comes into a UK home will normally be around 240V. The EU standard didn't actually change anything in the distribution system in the UK, the standard was just widened to include those countries with generally higher voltages (like the UK at around 240V) and a lot that used 220V in Europe. Really it is a specification of the manufacturers of electrical equipment. It's easy enough to check, and a lot of plug-in power meters will show what the actual voltage is at any point in time. nb. for anybody who is having their CU swapped out, I would recommend to them to spend the extra and have RCBOs fitted rather than those RCD split boards with MCBs. That way, you get fewer nuisance trips, much better fault isolation and diagnosis and if something does trip sue to excess residual current, then it doesn't knock out half the circuits in the house.

[@roberthuntley1090]

I've seen 245 volts on my system, and my solar panels are at maximum output (i.e. the volt drop in my mains supply cable means that my house runs at a higher voltage than the local substation).

[@persona250]

@@roberthuntley1090 volt drop does not cause overvoltage . The opposite actually

[@davidmarriott7372]

the incoming voltage is 240 rms . peak voltage is around 336v

[@TheEulerID]

@@davidmarriott7372 Yes, but I'm not sure how relevant that is. Peak voltage on a sinusoidal waveform scales linearly with RMS voltage.

[@asdreww]

My experience is that when it comes down to it, nobody really cares about the notification side of things. Even when selling a house, say you don't have an install cert etc for a new circuit, an EICR to check it's safe is almost always fine. Generally speaking, dodgy work looks dodgy even to a layman. The main thing is like anything: is the work done properly, and is it safe.

[@EJP286CRSKW]

It is still 240V in UK. They signed up to the EU standard but they didn't run around rewiring all the commutators on the generators. 240V is within tolerance. Same in Australia and NZ.

[@mernokimuvek]

WTF are you talking about? There are no commutators on generators. Its AC, not DC.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@mernokimuvek Possibly meant the transformer taps.

[@HenryOCarmichaelSmith]

The Lewden box is a switch-fused isolator. it is there because your consumer unit is more than the maximum permitted distance of 3 meters for unprotected meter tails which is why it goes out in an armoured cable. You'll probably find that although the incoming fuse is rated at 100A, the switch fuse is down-rated to something like 60 or 80A.

[@Mainly_Electrical]

Hi Henry , subscribe @mainly electrical 👍⚡️

[@ProperDIY]

Ok I understand that - thanks for telling me.

[@DerekHundik]

I wonder how this SWA its made off at the CU end ?

[@HenryOCarmichaelSmith]

@@DerekHundik I'm guessing it isn't.

[@Mainly_Electrical]

@@DerekHundik @mainly electrical 👍⚡️ get subscribed 👌

[@jeremybarker7577]

It's wrong to say that you can't do work that is subject to Building Regs approval. It's just that if you do it yourself you will have to pay the local building control department the appropriate fees and have it approved and inspected by them (they may contract inspection out to an electrician). For some types of work the cost of the building control fees can outweight the savings of not paying an electrician to do the work.

[@supersparx1]

Kudos to Stuart for allowing an open comments section on a contentious issue. We may not all agree but constructive debate is healthy and people have an opportunity to expand their knowledge. Unlike another DIY guy's channel who blocks all the comments that offer constructive criticism. Can definitly see why this channel is so popular.

[@paulos9304]

Correct me if I'm wrong but part p does say this.

[@glyntutt1586]

Thé général message is correct….. that electrical installations should be installed and modified only by a competent installer. However, to say that it is illegal to do this work as a DIYer is incorrect. In the IEE guidance, competency is not based on a professional status and can be exercised simply as someone who follows the IEE guidance and standard installation recommendations. This means that as long as notification is given to the local building authority, anyone who is competent can carry out the electrical works so that correct procedure and if necessary, building controls can be undertaken. If it was illegal to install or modify and electrical installation, the materials would be restricted to only professional and certified installers/professionals………… but of course, this is not the case.

[@iambenmitchell]

So could I install an EV charger myself? AC EV chargers are just fancy extension cables. The actual charger is built into the car. Yet they cost about £500 to buy and £500 to install. It’s ridiculous. I’d like to think I’m fairly competent, I’ve experience with UPS systems, batteries and others.

[@glyntutt1586]

Yes: if you consider yourself competent and follow IEE guidance. I would imagine that you would have to install some pretty hefty cables to a new circuit breaker in your consumer unit similar to a kitchen cooker - but I would beef up a bit and put in 10mm2 cables. Remember; your EV will be on charge for a long time, and you should also protect with a RCD. Best way would be to instal a local consumer unit with a feed direct to the main interruption switch after the principle intallation feed

[@rogerphelps9939]

Level 2 chargers incorporate their own RCD.@@glyntutt1586

[@johnf3326]

I know 'someone' who afew years ago completely rewired a house from the main fuse and then got it certified by a qualified electrician. All passed to standards and a big improvement on the old wired fuse box..

[@jeremybarker7577]

All in order and still possible. However, it really should be approved and inspcted by he local authority building conrol department who will extract a fee - when I checked a few years ago it was around £500 for a complete rewire.

[@johnf3326]

@@jeremybarker7577 I think the qualified electrician and his mate cost £200 ish for the half day it took. Very thorough.

[@THE-AIDEN-PROJECT]

Yep, there's also the NAPIT inspection/sign off

[@jameshansing5396]

Dodgy spark 😂

[@traceykelly2603]

Wow what a difference from my country. I have rewired my whole house and have no problem adding circuits. Recently I added a cable to my load centre for an emergency generator with the interlock of course. Works great. By the way, very useful video.

[@DavidJohnson-dc8lu]

Some years back a MPs daughter tried to do her own electrical DIY (probably was dumbass enough to put metal against a livewire) and killed herself, then the law of doing DIY yoursef changed.

[@hermesten1000]

@@DavidJohnson-dc8lu Yeah, real "freedom" is the government protecting you from yourself. It's ironic that the country that is responsible for the political philosophy that birthed the US has strayed so far off their own path.

[@Interdiction]

Aye some of us know how to get around the moronic rules here

[@hermesten1000]

@@Interdiction Oh, I get that, which just points the finger at how stupid the laws are. I'd do the same. On the surface at least, the law expresses a paternalism that is antithetical to freedom.Somehow though, I think it has a lot more to do with satisfying a self-interested lobby than it does with protecting people from themselves. It's more of an employment law than a public safety law. Credentials are often just a means of excluding competition.

[@thelight3112]

@@Interdiction You can also just ignore them, to no consequence. It's not like the council is going door to door, inspecting all your sockets and switches.

[@sampletaster5093]

The vid was in the uk but here in the USA I can’t tell you how many installations I have seen done by licensed contractors that does not meet code. As a professional I am constantly updating my knowledge of the code and why it is the way it is. I am also a UL certified shop.

[@StrawbyteWorkshop]

One thing that I think you should have included is reference to the wiring regulations - that's not the same as Part P. This is important since, while homeowners can carry out the work you described, it still has to be in accordance with the wiring regulations. One minor correction is around a fused spur (you mentioned on the video an isolator) which isn't a new circuit and you can install a fused spur as a homeowner. You would need to do so if, for example, you were to install some lighting from the ring-main. The lights would have to be fused down to 3 or 5 amps. You're spot on about the consumer unit though and it's worth adding if you have a second panel in a garage, it applies to new circuits there too.

[@awt]

Unfortunately, the wiring regs are not available for free (at least, not the current ones). I have managed to find the 16th Ed online, but not more recent. I won't link here because I don't want to give the impression they are still valid.

[@tresslerj1985]

A1 ring final

[@loc4725]

This is a good point. A while back I replaced a section of wiring over at my Nan's house, which ran out towards an outside light. The installer (I won't call them an electrician) apparently decided that because the cable run was partially protected by the building that ordinary PVC interior wiring would be acceptable. I replaced the bodge-job light and ran new pond cable (HOF7RN or something) to it. I found the old cabling had started to become brittle and wasn't adequately supported along it's length, which was also nice. Apparently the same guy may have been involved at one of her neighbour's houses as they had the same type of cable but running to a garage, and their landlord had to have it replaced as it kept shorting out when wet.

[@inyobill]

I take code to be a minmum. I almost always go a bit beyond, it doesn't usually cost much and gives just that much more confidence that the system cannot be over taxed.

[@deang5622]

@@awt Why would books be published for free? There's no "unfortunately" about it.

[@neilmckie2768]

Didn't realise that gardens/exterior weren't a 'special area' any more. Thanks for the info.

[@codenamenel]

only for England, Wales it still is

[@barrieshepherd7694]

@@codenamenel That's reasonable - it is wetter in Wales so higher risks. 😂

[@KX36]

@@barrieshepherd7694 🤣 In wales the whole country counts as within 0.6m of a bath. 🤣

[@WelshProgrammer]

@@KX36 can confirm.

[@mustardcrumbles]

That really does depend of the earthing type from the dno, it's not as straight forward as that

[@DJNITROALLY]

Im not a qualified electrician when i got my house build i did all the electrical work my self and it got approved with no errors

[@rodgerq]

The point on testing is really important, one I made on another video the other day. I'm a confident diyer with a dad who is a spark and I've done a few jobs with him including full rewires but while most diyers would be capable of changing sockets or lights etc, most, I would proffer, don't do any testing to confirm the safety and integrity of any new work and probably just go on the "it's working, it's fine" mantra.

[@PrinceBarin77]

Agreed - I picked up a Kewtech socket tester (the more expensive one) for any spurs I’ve added. Better than nothing I hope.

[@deang5622]

A Kewtech socket tester doesn't measure resistance. And any person doing electrical installation work, that has more than 1LB in weight of grey matter doesn't need a Kewtech socket tester. The wires are colour coded so you shouldn't be making the mistake of wiring them into the wrong terminals. It's the resistance measurements that tell you how good the connections and terminations are. The Kewtech doesn't give you that. And that is where the fire risk comes from, terminations which have too high a resistance. But if you happen to have a socket tester, then why not use it to detect obvious mistakes. So I don't think they are useless, but recognise that they are very limited in what they do.

[@JIBS.]

@@PrinceBarin77 That's not how you test mate to see if a socket is safe mate.

[@rogerphelps9939]

All that is needed is a megger and a multimeter.

[@rodgerq]

​@@rogerphelps9939an mft is well beyond what your average diyer has on hand.

[@TamesideHandyman]

For many years I have followed, read, spoken/read countless sources of information pertaining to electrical work, installations, the law, part P and so on. It is beyond me how something so potentially dangerous has SO MUCH ambiguity surrounding it! You could literally get 10 qualified sparks in a room and you could ask them the same question and get 10 different answers. The posts on here are proof of that. I had intended to ask a long standing question of my own but the fact that I can guarantee I will either not get a straight answer, a dozen different answers or the usual - "If you are not qualified don't touch anything" OR my favourite "Read part P"

[@markrainford1219]

Go on then, try me.

[@stevetippins4601]

As an electrician with 50 years of experience that's true. The same as with plumbers, mechanics and a lot of other trades lots of things are open to personal interpretation of the regulations we work under. The wiring regulations in my trade have so many cross references in it that you can easily loose track of the original item you were looking for so no surprise there is confusion and different interpretations.

[@rarmst75]

This is one of the best educational videos I have ever seen. I am a qualified electrician, and the majority of our work is in domestic properties. The advice Given in this video is 100% accurate and delivered in a way that can be understand by all. When I attempt to explain these principles to my customers, I soon see that vacant look in their eyes as they just understand what I’m trying to explain. Thanks to Proper DIY, I’ll never have this problem again - I’ll just show them this video. I’m thinking this guy is a qualified electrician.?

[@johnburns4017]

I pity it is wrong on many points. Read my posts on this vid.

[@grahamd5418]

It worries me when I read prople are qualified tradesman in the comments. Yet they feel the need to come on here to watch -how to- videos. Scary.

[@supersparx1]

@@grahamd5418Why? Its a video titled "What Home Electrics Can You Do Yourself". It's going to be of interest to many electricians purely to see what information is being put out there from a DIY perspective. On a wider level, there's a few professional electrical channels that are really good resources for increasing professional knowledge. Surely someone who is always looking to improve and increase their knowledge is going to make a better electrician than someone who thinks they know it all and don't need to bother

[@johnburns4017]

@William Tell Much of the skill sets is the same as other trades, such as: drilling walls, filling holes, fixing things secure and straight on walls, lifting floors, etc.

[@anonnona8099]

@rarmst75 > The advice Given in this video is 100% accurate No, it's 99% inaccurate.

[@crcomments8509]

The rules were put in place primarily to stop dodgy electricians I.e those operating as a business who’s work was very poor from doing work. At that time most (there are always a few exceptions) people that did DIY electrics, were people that took time to study what they needed to do and took care in doing it. The number of people killed due to electrocution from their own DIY per year minimal and I don’t believe that’s really changed since. The biggest problem with the rules is as many people who own a house but cannot afford for an electrician to re wire a house will not have that house rewired. The general dumbing down of diy, has created a whole generation who are too scared to even remove a socket. They also don’t realise that the terminal screws of sockets, can work themselves loose over time (depending on what’s plugged in) and should really be checked every few years.

[@johnburns4017]

Correct. It all comes under Health and Safety. They are the ultimate body. The are over GasSafe. If you see a badly installed gas installation by a DIYer, GasSafe are not interested, as he is not asking for money and not under their umbrella. When asked about allowing DIY gas work Health & Safety said that is not a problem overall, it is incompetent work by people asking for money, so called professionals. Hence GasSafe came about. They have the same view on electrics. But they cannot stop unscrupulous operators, so gradually making AFDDs mandatory (since June 2022) in some electrical installations and *recommended* in all, the safety level is greatly raised.

[@westleyjohnstone4719]

@ImARocketMan a rewire is only required when the insulation breaks down. There's a reason we go to college for years, and DIY Dave has no idea if that video on KZbin is good or not

[@mlee6050]

Loctite!

[@mlee6050]

I do the electric myself and yes I research by reading the regulations on what I am doing, artisan electric has said some DIY electric people are better than electricians as they do a neater and nicer job, in my view if know regulations you can do electric as long as make sure it off before working on it (I cut through a cable once I thought was off but as the plug was under a table) but either leave sockets maybe hanging off or let an electrician unscrew the sockets so they can check the wiring and mark it off if you done a good enough job

[@westleyjohnstone4719]

@@mlee6050 so you test it, make sure it has a adequate zs. Do a insulation test? Thought not

[@hanspauwels]

I am happy that in Belgium you can carry out absolutely everything as a DIY, the regulations and requirements are openly available for everyone. But anything that gets added or changed from a existing installation needs a inspection carried out by a independent approved company, this also needs to happen when a professional electrician carries out the work. This will also require a single line drawing and situation sketch where all power points, lights, switches,… are indicated.

[@cuebj]

Sounds like a good model.

[@neilbennett9281]

How much is inspection?

[@hanspauwels]

@@neilbennett9281 I had to look it up, there might be slight differences for apartment vs house, full renovation/new build/small alterations. For a renovation of a house I checked 1 company and price is 215€. Not sure if this includes solar panels and battery as I did see seperate pricing for that.

[@idrisddraig2]

France also DIY possible.

[@kaasmeester5903]

Even better in the Netherlands: no inspection required. You can do absolutely everything yourself, downstream of the sealed meter / municipal fuse box. You are responsible for working to code, and covered by insurance... unless they find out after a fire that you did not follow code.

[@plinble]

Very good video, especially the last third. Not hearsay, but showing the actual regulations which apply. There's a lot of misunderstanding generally, e.g. you must have double glazing, no, the windows being installed must have certain characteristics.

[@totallynotgacha1755]

Great teacher 👍 You explain things better than any college tutor I've encountered in the past.

[@WoodlyProjects]

This was very informative and useful to know! I now have a clear mind of what I can and can't do. So thank you

[@ProperDIY]

Glad it was helpful!

[@codenamenel]

@@ProperDIY only as long as you live in England because its different for Wales

[@Mr.SLovesTheSacredHeartofJesus]

American here, a good video. I'm a guy who is not very handy. But i just replaced a light switch. I'm kinda proud of that. Not burned down the house, yet, anyway. LOL, Having an electrician in to do it, would have been about $225.00. I'm sure it's about the same in the UK.

[@stum8374]

I have been doing work in all our properties(32yrs now)if i think a job is to much i will call in the experts.NOBODY WILL STOP ME,I and my family have no worries about me doing anything.

[@jameshansing5396]

Ok Darth Vader 😂😂😂😂

[@BellaBelleBella]

I just moved to a new property and love learning to understand, how things work. I am absolutely in awe with this video! Thank you-thank you-thank you! 🥰🥰🥰

[@asibree]

Really useful, well put together videos. So much better than 99% of the dross you find on KZbin. Keep going!

[@brandonhorwath6351]

Certifications are all fine and dandy, as long as you have the skills to back them up...

[@davesimms5397]

After having RCDs keep cutting out, we had our board checked and the 'Qualified installer' hadn't fully tightened half the connections, at least we part funded his new car hey.

[@barriobarranco]

I got advice from an electrician.... Our house was sold(new) with ZERO capacity to add anything on the consumer unit- there should have been 25% mcb capacity spare? I wanted a 9.5kw instant shower fitted so did it myself, including adding Henly blocks, a new CU, RCD and 45A MCB with 10mm sq twin and earth with the cable not passing through insulation anywhere and only a short run (8m?)...works perfect..... I discovered the "professional electrician" installed Honeywell valve that should shut off hot water from our multifuel stove to the thermal store diverting to a gravity fed radiator in the event of a power failure had no neutral connection.... I've seen many a screw on sockets and switches finger tight also. I'd rather do the work myself and if I sell the house I'll simply disconnect that shower CU from the Henly blocks and therefore there technically is no DIY circuit in operation....the shower is used as backup to the mains one that is heated from the thermal store but is rarely hot enough (total sh*t design!!)....

[@sciencetestsubject]

Meanwhile in the Netherlands, fuseboards are plastic, electric meters are indoor, DIY is completely legal. I did completely a complete overhaul of my consumer unit preparing it for 3 phase, I was even required to pull the main fuse to replace the main isolator switch. My colleague got solar panels last year and he had to replace his consumer unit, you can buy fully assembled ones online.

[@johnburns4017]

Same in the UK, except you cannot pull the main fuse. The vid is wrong.

[@Jawst]

@@johnburns4017 thank you for clearing that up.... I can imagine a 7-year-old child attempting electrics probably wouldn't be a great idea... kids are getting pretty smart at a young age.. just because somebody can do something doesn't mean it's ok

[@johnburns4017]

@@Jawst In the UK the law says you have to be *competent.* If a 7 year old is competent then they can do it.

[@patrickd9551]

But you also forget to mention that The Netherlands has one of the highest standards of electrical wiring in Europe. Not to mention one of the easiest to maintain (in my humble dutch opinion :) ) But you will also find that an electrical fire will result in detailed scrutiny from the insurance company if they find anything wrong.

[@johnburns4017]

@@patrickd9551 All the EU is high. The UK has the advantage that is has the superior fuse in plug. The French, German, Swiss, etc, have DP disconnectors at the main panel. This means twin L & N busbars are used. Much neater. The UK is moving to DP, but not mandatory yet. The UK has AFDDs on circuits with sockets mandatory in some installations, being _recommended_ in all. Also SPDs are near mandatory.

[@Guru316]

I have huge issues with Part P. In terms of the trade, its the very bottom rung of the ladder.....people go an do a 3 week Part P course and then go out and about calling themselves an electrician. It makes a mockery of those of us that did our apprenticeships and pay a fortune every year for our NIC, ECA etc memberships, not to mention the hundreds of pounds every few years for a refresher course.

[@pauleff3312]

I was prevented by Part P from wiring my own kitchen so I had to get a so called Sparky to do it for me. 2 things: I told him to put the cable THROUGH the joists for the lighting circuit _- he put them under_ and secondarily I had to complain about him to get him to send me the paperwork to say he'd done it! And then, of course, I did the job myself the way it shoude have been done in the first place by drilling through the joists as I'd asked... Ah well yeah and I should have had it rechecked and there were reasons about..... No, the bloke just wanted my money because *I HAD TO USE A SPARKY* - this was on an extension.... If you clip wiring underneath the ceiling joists, although you can (with difficulty) pinch the cable between the underside of the joists and the plasterboard for the ceiling, you leave a shock hazard for the guy coming in 20 years' time putting up Christmas tree decorations for his children !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! £200 to do the job properly myself for a poxy piece of paper!!! - Part P?!?!?!? The easy way to deal with this is to say that when your house is sold, IT MUST HAVE an electrical safety certificate. If you want to do electrics *FOR SOMEONE ELSE* you should be qualified to do so - DON'T stop ME from doing something that I understand and am competent to do FOR ME

[@markrainford1219]

If you had specified cables through joists, and he didn't, don't pay him.

[@SAHBfan]

I’ve had a similar experience. I am a retired engineer with decades of experience installing equipment in hospitals, including operating theatres, to a much higher standard than domestic installation - but thanks to part P I have to get a qualified electrician in to my domestic wiring. I wouldn’t mind - I accept that it is important to be up to date with the latest regulations - but I am often disappointed with the quality of the work, I know I would have done a better job myself and I always have to chase them for certificates.

[@randeknight]

It's because the paperwork costs extra money. If he's unregistered, he's _supposed_ to send a notification to the council that they've done work and pay a fee for the privilege. For small jobs, this can be a significant cost. And yes, he should have drilled through to start with, ensuring the the cable was laid 5cm below the surface or else protected from a casual diyer drilling or nailing.

[@markrainford1219]

@@randeknight cables don't have to be 50mm below the surface though. Perfectly fine to lay cables touching the plasterboard. According to regs anyway.

[@baileyharrison1030]

That's what I assumed the law was and common sense suggest something like: Do whatever electrical work you want to your own house, but if it doesn't comply with building regulations, expect to have to spend a fortune fixing it all if/when you come to sell your house.

[@keziasarah]

RCBO's are the way to go, they trip individual circuits under fault only, instead of also tripping off all RCD's on a bank protected by a RCCB.

[@elminster8149]

They are also significantly more expensive than MCBs

[@rodgerq]

@@elminster8149 they're getting cheaper all the time and it also means you can spec the type of rcd that's in it for individual circuit requirements.

[@rodgerq]

They do become significantly more expensive when they have an afdd built in but they'll soon come down as well as more people start using them.

[@ProperDIY]

I'm sure they are - I don't know what % of new builds are using them though.

[@gregamb]

@@ProperDIY my 4y old house still uses MCBs. Builder will use cheapest allowed system for as long as they are allowed to

[@peterjackson2625]

An excellent walk-through of domestic electrical installation and the limits for the DIYer.

[@davidoldboy5425]

Excellent video and sound advice, but the basic problem with regulations (not just electric) are that the majority of people are oblivious to their existence, plus there are so many and they are so complex.

[@ProperDIY]

You are right there.

[@vylbird8014]

If people cannot understand the law, they will not obey the law.

[@jamesforte-mason8849]

I have seen some appalling work carried out by so called NIC EIC electricians. Thats why I wouldn't let another near my place. I am fully qualified and carry out my own work, and stuff the local authority, they don't have the labour to control the cumbersome and over bureaucratic system. I enquired 10 years ago and was told that to change my C/U I have to pay them (I think it was then) £135 even though I hold all the relevant electrical qualifications. I paid grudgingly and was told to contact the L/A once starting, I did twice, no reply, emailed twice. Then once completed I emailed them to that effect, still no reply. I did all the testing, used a copy from the wiring regs test sheet just in case somebody actually turned up but nothing. In the last 7 years to now I have done 2 extensions to my house, own electrics and the building inspector who knows my trade doesn't seem worried. If I sell I'll just get a test and inspection done as part of the sale. I wish I had saved my £135 years ago.

[@hanshans387]

Great vid, although they're not UK regulations - they only cover Eng & Wal, there are different documents for Sco & NI.

[@codenamenel]

Theres a different doc for wales too, we still have to notify work in a kitchen and anything outside

[@boblordylordyhowie]

I was an approved electrician for 50 years, covering a wide variety of disciplines, I am now retired and technically not allowed to carry out any work as I don't have a valid certificate. The range of voltage can fall further as I have had a volt drop down to as low as 147V but this was a substation fault and I only noticed it due to the fluorescent lights not working although all the rest were ok. 100A supplies have been the standard for many years although 60A was the original when you had one double socket in each room, now the kitchen usually has its own ring circuit as there are so many sockets in there. The ring circuit will supply 32A total, although each socket will only give 13A+/- depending on the cartridge fuse within. Cookers used to need a dedicated circuit as it would draw large amperages as it could have up to 9 elements and the load was based on everything being on at once so it could draw 27A. Now most ovens and hobs are efficient enough to be run from two 13A sockets. Nowadays to do work in your house you require a ‘Part P’ certificate, otherwise known as a Building Control certificate, I never had one, as, by the time I retired I was doing upto 400KV installations, well outside its parameters.

[@andyc972]

Thanks for this Stuart, I've completed various bits of electrical maintenance and modifications over the years and think I know my limitations, but the rules change over time so it's reassuring to get a concise common sense update !

[@TheJagjr4450]

wow you guys are soooo regulated. I installed every single bit of wiring - the inspector stated that I went overboard, I had gone way beyond required code. I wired everything as though it were industrial with full ground loops from every termination back to the busbars

[@TheBioniXman]

The UK has turned into what the East German state was 30 years ago.

[@recall2880]

Doesn’t matter what you can or can’t do. Long as nobody knows do whatever you’re capable of.

[@thetraveller869]

Doesn't matter until you might want to sell your house...

[@PeterPervis]

And that's when you deny any knowledge of it whatsoever

[@erdevon3257]

​@@thetraveller869Indemnity insurance solves that

[@jameshansing5396]

How do you know if you’re capable?

[@sorh]

​@jameshansing5396 Well, if your house burns down, it means you're not capable

[@tjwatts100]

But well done for pointing out the removal of Outdoors and Kitchens as special locations.

[@johnburns4017]

From June, 2022 AFDDs arc fault detection devices were *mandatory* in flats with 6 floors and higher, care homes, etc, on any circuit with one or more _sockets_ on it. This detects _arcs_ which can cause fires. An AFDD can replace a micro circuit breaker in the fuse box, in the same slot. It has four functions: *1)* Over-current protection; *2)* Fault detection; *4)* Earth leakage dectection (RCD); *5)* Arc fault detection. AFDDs are *recommended* on all new installations and circuits.

[@derekgoodwin6646]

Over priced.

[@johnburns4017]

@@derekgoodwin6646 Not over priced, just expensive. Price is dropping. But four separate devices that does what the AFDD does in one package then it will be expensive.

[@paulmatthews5470]

Still only a C3 on inspection, unless of course there is enhanced risk which would be unlikely. HOWEVER: One could argue that you haven’t made anything worse (safety-wise) by not installing an AFDD with an addition but you technically may have by adding more points on which a cable could fail and thus leave it in a condition considered less safe. It’s all getting very political. I was surprised AFDDs were not mandated for terraced houses where fire could spread through the joined roofing.

[@barrieshepherd7694]

Do they work - reliably - on low current lighting circuits though? I suspect that their 'need' stems from the days when we were drawing high currents and potentially causing significant arcs.

[@jameshansing5396]

@@barrieshepherd7694you “suspect”? 😂

[@HanleyCORE]

That was amazing. Thank you. I'm in Ireland and only ever see American vids on this kinda stuff.

[@helenarusso]

Hello how are you doing, nice to meet you here.

[@daviddunmore8415]

As a retired electrician I still think there needs to be an independent check for safety IF work is done by a DIYer. Case in point, in my previous house the garage the radial for sockets was a mix of 2.5 & 1.5 T&E behind drylining boards and mostly hidden in rockwool insulation. I took the easy option and put a 6A MCB on the circuit. there was also a lighting circuit taken from aj unction box on a 32A ringmain. That soon got a 6A fused connector as well. there was also a rat's nest of exposed wiring (which turned out to be misplaced Earthing) round a junction box in the loft. And the earth cable in the downstairs lighting circuit never found it's way back to the consumer unit. Just as well I did an EICR on the property.

[@sirmalus5153]

My neighbour had an electric stove for years that usually blew a fuze when more than one 'ring' was used for cooking. He put up with it for years (at least his wife did) but when I helped fit a new electric cooker and checked the wire hiden behind the old cooker, we founf it was 1.5mm T&E, NOT 6mm cooker cable. Once the new 6mm cable was run to the mains, the new cooker gave no problems.

[@meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee2]

An electrician recently working on my brothers flat wired a 2kW electric room heater up using a spur taken from the lighting circuit. My brother quickly realised (once he had installed the fuse that for some reason the electrician had omitted to fit in the isolating switch fuse plate) that something was wrong when turning on the heater to test it was working tripped the breaker and turned off all the lights. The electrician denied all knowledge of any problem and refused to come back. So my brother told the main contractor who had employed the electrician that he could whistle for his money until it was fixed, and that he would be calling building control and everyone else that he could think of in the morning. The problem is not DIYers or electricians but idiots and both sides have them.

[@jeremybarker7577]

I would prefer the system some countries use where, if some sort of inspection is required, self-certification is never allowed.

[@craigrothwell6144]

I do all my own, 10 years of watching Blue Peter is paying off :)

[@david1977m]

My dad had a water leak in his upstairs shower tray 5 or 6 years ago which leaked downstairs running into a twin socket on a 32amp ring circuit. When the insurance inspector came out to look what damage had been caused they refused his insurance as he had put a spur onto a 32amp ring circuit. So be careful doing anything even if it isn’t mentioned in part P as your insurance company won’t pay out even if the cause wasn’t the work you did and my dad is a retired electrical engineer

[@Bob_Burton]

"as he had put a spur onto a 32amp ring circuit" Surely that is allowed

[@fredflintstone1428]

Typical insurance......biggest scam going.

[@DavidMartin-ym2te]

Sorry, but that is not correct. If the damage for which you are claiming was not caused by the work, insurance coys cannot now deny it. This was an EU regulation brought in after 2001. The damage you are referring to was obviously caused by the work he had done.

[@mernokimuvek]

"So the question is: Are you gonna let the fear of insurance control your life? A real man never worries about mistakes until its too late!" - Mehdi Sadaghdar (ElectroBOOM, 2018).

[@rogerphelps9939]

No it was not. The damage was caused by the water leak.@@DavidMartin-ym2te

[@mark2jzsupra749]

lots of how to do electric wiring work online, i have done lots myself and would not let anything stop me. Would love to go off grid and be energy independant. you can go on courses to learn how to do electric work.

[@jensschroder8214]

In Germany the mains voltage was changed from 220V to 230V, in England from 240V to 230V.

[@davidmarriott7372]

the nominal voltage was changed to 230v . the actual voltage stayed the same . only difference is in calculations for cable sizes

[@c.a.g.1977]

I'm such a noob when it comes to electricity... I find this all very educational! If I may ask, if that first plastic cabinet is outside, anyone with a triangle key can open it and shut off the power, and all lights, alarm systems with it??

[@ProperDIY]

Yes - not good really

[@c.a.g.1977]

@@ProperDIY Hope the thieves and burglars aren't subscribers to your channel then

[@Savagetechie]

@@ProperDIY stick a lockout padlock on upside down. after all your rcds will still trip under fault the switch doesn't physically have to move. it's no diffenert to not having as isolator fitted.

[@rodgerq]

Alarms have battery backups that keep the system alarmed in the event of an outage. Mine, when it has no power, activates and you have to input the code to disable it. Much to the dismay of my neighbours one night we were away for the weekend and there was a short interruption to the power 😬

[@richiero0o0]

@@rodgerq indeed - 'tis why so many of them are able to make a racket during a power cut!

[@AnOriginalYouTuber]

As an American who does wiring, this is interesting. Here, you can wire anything past the main break including sub panels. Still need to follow code however.

[@megatronskneecap]

Part P annoys the genuine f**k out of me. I should be allowed to work on my kitchen and bathroom. I understand people shouldn't go poking their fingers around in consumer units per say, but it's just stupid laws probably in a sad attempt to try and boost the electrician economy.

[@johndoe-cv4we]

2 points to notice in the video is the Lewden external isolator should have 25mm glands for the tails from the EON isolator switch and the metal consumer unit should not have plastic blank int as it is combustible and defeats the purpose of the metal containment. Kudos for rest of the video to separate DIY from skilled and notifiable work

[@PrinceBarin77]

Absolutely brilliant video. A follow up on the art of cramming (I mean “dressing”) a pair of 2.5mm twin & earth cables into a standard 25mm back box, as well as whether or not you should twist cables together would be great 👍 😂 thank you!

[@Loosehead]

If you don't know whether you can, finding out from a bloke on KZbin is not a good idea. Find a qualified electrician.

[@Savagetechie]

Twisting them together is bad for the cable and a pain in the arse when it comes to testing. Don't do it!

[@PrinceBarin77]

@@Savagetechie completely agree. Been a total pain in our house when changing out sockets / adding spurs. Maybe WAGO could make a special spiral connector so I don’t have to keep chopping them back 😣🤬😂

[@Savagetechie]

@@PrinceBarin77 you can get 6mm wago 221s that will probably take a twisted pair of 2.5, they will definitely take a doubled over 2.5

[@cuebj]

Never twist - lots of sparking points where they touch but don't bind together. Double over the wires, as in videos on YT videos by professionals for professionals, eg, eFIXX and John McGrath (who is an electrician by trade and a woodworker on YT). I've had to re-set socket and lighting wiring by professionals whose work reveals itself as loose and sloppy very quickly, sometimes within a day or two. Always check work by professional registered electricians unless you have seen them at work and checked their work, preferably in someone else's home!

[@Stu1982]

Proper job mate. I always say if you can’t see it or smell it, don’t touch it. If in doubt doing nothing, call the experts that know.

[@LeighWinspear]

It is a shame you did not mention a minor works certificate is usually required at the end of a very useful video. Reference to bs7671, is not even mentioned, but as long as common sense, best practice and engineering judgement are considered, that will possibly suffice as not everything comes from bs 7671 anyway......

[@y_zass]

I reworked my whole breaker box. It was a mess, double tapped breakers, unused breakers wasting space, double/triple tapped lugs on the neutral bus bar. It was discolored where it had been triple tapped from overheating. I was able to get everything under their own lug and every circuit on their own breaker. Better than I found it

[@xxwookey]

Good for you. It's sad that this sort of thing is strongly discouraged these days.

[@awt]

At 9:02 you talk about not being able to carry out any work in a bathroom. However, P2.7 says "All other electrical installation work is not notifiable - namely additions and alterations to existing installations outside special locations, and replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere." I read this to mean that you can carry out "replacements, repairs and maintenance anywhere", i.e. including in special locations. Am I reading it wrongly?

[@tonkatoy200]

Kitchens, bathrooms, etc, are notifiable. I can only assume it's because of the greater risk around water

[@awt]

​@@tonkatoy200 no, kitchens aren't special locations, as they are not mentioned in P2.5 (unless you have a bath, shower, swimming pool or sauna in your kitchen...). And your comment doesn't address whether "replacements, repairs and maintenance" are allowed in special locations without being notifiable.

[@tonkatoy200]

@@awt Quote from a UK government site 'Very common examples of notifiable work are; rewiring a property, providing electricity to a garage or outhouse, the replacement of the main fuse box in a house or any electrical work in a kitchen, shower room or bathroom.'

[@awt]

@@tonkatoy200 can you provide a source link for that? Is it from www.buildingcontrolpartnershiphants.gov.uk/building_regulation_applications/domestic_electrical_works/intro.aspx#:~:text=Very%20common%20examples%20of%20notifiable,kitchen%2C%20shower%20room%20or%20bathroom. ? The fact that page still refers to CORGI suggests it's way, way out of date. My source is www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrical-safety-approved-document-p

[@ProperDIY]

The regs say within the 'special locations' even 'minor additions and alterations' are notifiable.

[@15hl]

If it's in my house, I'll do what the hell I want. Part P my arse

[@keithjackett9895]

You and me fella. I've been a Factory Spark for 27 years, and my Mum had her Consumer Unit Changed 3 Years ago. From the Old Bakelite to a New Schneider Board- Great- the Guy had Tickets and everything. 1st- He Put the Dist Board Up against the ceiling- 2.3 Meters Height- Where as he Should have put a Junction Box and Located the Board at 1,350mm to 1,500mm as per Regs and Part P. But Most Worrying He Put 32 Amp Breakers on 4 single 2.5mm cables... Legs not a Ring!!!! FFS!!! Lucky I Looked to check his work out and know what I'm doing or my Mums house would have burnt down before the Breakers Tripped- as you know. Experience is Priceless. I feel Your Pain my Friend!

[@davetomlinson55]

Hi my house was rewired in the late seventy's and has a old consumer unit, which would comply with the IEE regs at the time, but not with the new ones. The IEE regs were made by a committee made up of representatives from manufacturing company's, so don't you think that if they changed the regulations, so say you had to use more earth wire, would that not be in the manufacturers interest as that would increase there profits. and not for safety reasons. I worked in the back office of a installation company, this is what I heard.

[@codenamenel]

They changed the regulations in 2008 to remove the need to "bond" every metallic item together as long as certain conditions were met, so either they fell out with the Earth cable manufacturer and changed the regs to P them off, or what you heard was just an uneducated opinion

[@stevetippins4601]

With every change of the wiring regulations there is usually a need to upgrade a consumer unit to a different type for various reasons. Over the years the safety protection has increased greatly. If the installation company you worked for still exists let's hope they change their outlook.

[@jeremybarker7577]

@@codenamenel Part P is all pretty general and doesn't bother itself with that sort of detail.

[@keithdavison6791]

As far as i was aware there are 3 parts to "sign off" electical work, design, installation and test. As a competent person i can do the design (what goes where and with what spec - cable, circuit & switching), installation (physical - boxes, grommets, cable). Then my electrician can test, and my building control officer (private company) will be happy. Please note i would leave all cables exposed prior to test then plaster up afterwards

[@TheDaern]

Great video. 25 years ago, I was engineering high-power switch-mode telecom battery chargers and were already designing them for 230v nominal input which the UK was moving to. Unfortunately, even now in 2023, it seems that most of the network is still 240v. Indeed, my own supply has drifted from 235V to 248V over the last 24 hours and from talking to others this still seems broadly the norm across the network. Would be interested to know if this varies by region and whether any parts of the UK are actually delivering 230v nominal.

[@anthonydyer3939]

I suspect that new DNO circuits for new streets might well have the secondary windings of the residential neightbourhood transformer tapped for 230V. But for every other existing 240V DNO transformer, it costs time and equipment to alter the tappings on the transformer windings. Given that there's no commercial benefit to the DNO in dropping the voltage for it's own sake (indeed it'll take longer for the kettle to brew), and that 240Volts is still well within spec, then the existing transformer will likely remain untouched until it's deemed inadequate to cope with the number of new solar installations, heat pumps and EV chargers. My own voltage shows up a strong correlation between solar output and higher voltages, with 247Volts seen at lunchtime in the summer. 235Volts is seen when there's a high load at home, but no sunshine.

[@Mortimer50145]

Our supply varies between about 235 and 250 volts, as monitored by Kasa Energy Monitoring Smart Plugs. It's currently 251 V. I imagine it's only a problem for simple resistive devices (ie no PSU) where they will draw proportionally more current and therefore a kettle will boil a little bit quicker. So much of modern life uses siwtiched-mode power supplies which mean the voltage can vary over a very wide range while maintaing a steady 5 V (mobile phones and other USB devices) or 20 V (laptop). My laptop charger is rated at 100-240 V which means that presumably a nominal 230 V supply could fall a *long* way out of spec and still give 5 V out. The maximum of 240 V is a bit worrying if our mains is 250 V: hopefully there is a lot of "headroom" in the SWPSU so the mark:space ratio of the high-frequency switching voltage can be reduced far enough to give an output of 5 V even at 250 V.

[@mernokimuvek]

Even in EU with 230 V nominal, its common to have about 245 V at night when the power grid only has a small load.

[@hintoninstruments2369]

No voltages have changed, only what they are called. The tolerances have been changed to fudge it so that everything can be called 230V across Europe. On paper everything is "harmonised", in reality nothing changed. All equipment has to work over 230V +/-10%, but you will find that a lot of Chinese products are made thinking that 230V is the actual supply voltage and will fail at 230V + 10%.

[@jeremybarker7577]

The nominal voltage is 230V but the allowable tolerance means that a 240V supply under the older tolerance that would have applied when it was installed will still be within spec. When I had some work done earlier this year the tester said the voltage was 245V.

[@Chimel31]

My perspective from France (NF C 15-100 regulation), where anybody "qualified" (title 6 #610.1.5) or with the appropriate "knowledge" (title 1 #117) can pretty much do everything themselves, because it will be inspected before electricity is even connected to your house: 1) Our electric panels have 1 to 4 rows of DIN rails, 1 being like for a 1-room studio, and they are usually 13 "modules" wide, because you can't really have "lots" with a limited "split the incoming supply into _lots_ of different individual circuits" with just one row already taken up with a main switch and RCDs (called "differential switches" over here) that are 2 or 3 "modules" wide each; 2) Each row starts with a RCD on the left and the circuit breakers right next to them, so you can easily link all RCCBs with a vertical metallic "comb", and the RCCB with its dependent circuit breakers with an horizontal comb, no wiring involved except for the first RCCB; 3) Your electric panel is full to the brim, we must leave 20% free space minimum per regulation for future expansions; 4) Each RCD can protect only up to 8 circuit breakers and circuits, so 16 on a 2-row panel, compared to your 10 RCD-protected circuits (and 1 unprotected?); 5) This fancy 6 A circuit breaker does not exist here, we have 10, 16, 20 and 32 A for all wiring, and also 2 A for internal electric panel modules or relays, such as the night/day "contacter"; 6) Your example of 12 outlets on the same circuit would be the maximum allowed, and with a 20 A circuit breaker and 2.5 mm² wire to boot; 7) Both outlet and lighting circuits should be split over 2 different RCDs so that we still have power and light if one goes wrong. I elected to have 1 lighting circuit for all ceilings, and 1 for all walls, and as for outlets, 1 circuit for the north and east walls, and 1 for the south and west walls, plus 2 separate circuits for outside lighting and outlets; 8) We need to bring the ground wire to all outlets, including lighting sockets, these new ones are called DCL (Light Connection Device). Not the brightest idea, since we now have lighting outlets to which are plugged E27 sockets in which the light bulb needs to be screwed as we are, because we also need to screw them back regularly in vibration--prone environments where they tend to unscrew themselves with time; 9) The symbols and tiny text printed below your circuit breakers are not as helpful as they should, larger printed text above may be more effective in case of an emergency with poor lighting. This is the most critical information to have in your electric panel, it should figure prominently. I would also stick a plan of your whole house's electric installation to the back of your electric panel cover. The electric plan fits nicely on higher multiple-row, and you can easily print it out on A4 non-flammable paper. The electric panel is also a good place to put information such as "all spots and light bulbs are 12V DC LED bulbs" and where the spare circuit breakers and light bulb are located; 10) You seem to have a lot of 32 A circuits (5!) for such a small electric panel. That would be like having all 5 of electric radiators, electric heating floor, induction hob, car charger and heat pump, meaning you are left with only 5 circuits for everything else, which is impossible to manage within French regulations. I like that your electric panel is metallic, not just fire-retardant plastic. I made mine out of cement in order to insert it into an internal wall, as I didn't want a protruding electric panel. I fitted 3 x 30 cm DIN rails (€6 total on Amazon) and 3 live/neutral/ground bus bars for 15 wires each (€17 total on EM Distribution). These are all the electric components that make up an electric panel. In the U.S., i could have saved $5.5 on the ground bus bar, as they apparently bond neutral and ground in the electric panel! I would avoid large ring circuits, a fault could disable the whole ring and make debugging trickier. Splitter boxes with separate wiring for each power or lighting outlet are more resilient and don't cost much more in wires either: A 100 meter roll at €18 or €27 in 1.5 or 2.5 mm² sections allows to split these 5 outlets 6-7 meters away from the splitter box.

[@peterw4338]

The worst electrical installations I have seen is on new house builds by qualified electricians

[@JohnR31415]

As much as I like, I started rewiring before the PartP regs. Had to get the new ring for a loft extension signed off, but the rest is a very long project.

[@adrianw1731]

THE ONLY PERSON WHO GETS TO DECIDE WHAT IM ALLOWED IN MY LIFE IS ME.

[@jameshansing5396]

And maybe the police

[@Ultimaus]

Also the healthcare system after you're unconscious

[@HYUKLDER1]

Regarding consumer boxes, RCBOs are better for a household. Although the installation cost is a bit more, the benefit is that each circuit has its own 'RCD' which means - unlike having only two RCDs - half the house does not lose power with RCBOs because one appliance or light has a problem. A properly qualified electrician can convert consumer boxes on request for a cost and personally would strongly recommend it.

[@justinburney9699]

In Australia, unless you’re a fully qualified and licensed electrician, you cannot do a thing. It’s the law. I’d suggest the Author post a disclaimer to remind people to check their local laws. And if you can’t find an answer, do your own electrical work, burn your house down and see what your insurance company has to say…..

[@adamsweet3587]

Within reason... I am a registered Inspector of the AS/NZS 3000 wiring rules. As I lived in New Zealand for 14 years. There is a sliding scale of competencies and also limits on what a home owner can and cannot do. the document sets out what is Prescribed Electrical Work and what isn't. You can change sockets and fittings like for like, but not add circuits and definitely not touch the consumer unit.

[@alistairmscott]

Just come across this while looking for DIY hints. What a great explanation. Well earned new subscriber!

[@gs425]

Notifiable doesn't mean you can't do it yourself. All work must meet 7671. Part P work must be approved by bc or a part p self certified electrician. In summary.

[@TheBioniXman]

I am allowed to do whatever I want with the electrics in my own house. But I no longer live in the UK nanny state, I left for a much better life in Europe where people do not dictate to me.

[@totalplonker824]

I was just wondering why are you watching this video then

[@TheBioniXman]

@@totalplonker824 Because I want to watch it, what has it got to do with you anyway? 😗

[@PTEC3D]

Lucky you! In Victoria, Australia, and possibly several other states as well, a layperson needs to called a licensed electrician to change a lightbulb. I'm not even kidding. BTW excellent report about home electrics.

[@Nickgowans]

I wired a fused spur from my main socket ringmain to plug in a dryer, it's nice to know I didn't to a booboo. I'm planning on rewiring after another year or two though

[@IgorM1170]

This video Haa been excellent in clearing up one or two questions I had about part P as is applies to DIY installations. 👍

[@timprussell]

Those RCD are interesting as you have what we in Canada and US call a ground fault circuit interrupter protecting your whole house. We have GFCI breakers as required on individual circuits such as bathroom or hot tub feeds. I like to watch these kinds of videos from different countries as the differences are interesting.

[@johnburns4017]

RCD = GFCI RCBO = RCD plus an MCB (micro circuit Breaker). AFFD = RCBO plus arc fault. Now becoming common in the UK is RCBOs on all circuits. AFDDs are mandatory on socket circuits on some high rise blocks, etc. They are _recommended_ on all installations, which means fit them unless a good excuse not to.

[@stephendavies6949]

Another very informative - and potentially life-saving (or at least shock/fire-saving) - video.

[@oswaldconsultancyltd3150]

Superb video. Well done. Extremely clear, well presented, good video technique. Good voice.

[@nicolasnicolas3889]

I rewired my toilet for when the mother in law pops around, I just didn't bother notifying the authorities! 🤣😆

[@thetoxicquipster]

What kind of toilet do you have?

[@fhuber7507]

Varies by where you live... I live where I have no zoning, no permits. I can legally do whatever I want. I happen to have a friend who is a master electrician, so can get some really good guidance in doing it so it is safe.

[@helenarusso]

Hello how are you doing, nice to meet you here.

[@jamesheath7596]

You can do anything you like in your house. It’s not banned or illegal. It’s just getting things signed off to building control that you can’t do if you arnt part p compliant.

[@georgeprout42]

I graduated with an electrical and electronic HND in the 90s. No I don't know the latest spec, no need. It's written for dummies to follow. Sue me for the work I've done in my own home, I understand the principles. Besides, it's black and red, that can't be newly installed, surely.

[@supersparx1]

Too right. Absolutely nothing has changed. I only fit rewireable fuse boards. MCBs and RCDs are a pain. Keep tripping out all the time. Only use VIR cable as well, but that's a bit harder to find these days. Some awkward customers moan on about these regs but I just tell them they're just being fussy.

[@raychambers3646]

Seen a few diy disasters , but when pointed out , usual answer, well its always worked .

[@SyncMan172]

Really useful video thank you so much for sharing.

[@davybrown64]

Just to note the 2021 Bldg Regs are now in place, it may be that nothing has change over the 2010 version but worth checking

[@chinachrisjohnson]

Thanks for this. Looks like I'd best find someone qualified to replace the broken fuse box I've just taken out.

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

Useful summary for non-sparkies! Thank you.

[@bunnywarren]

I had an outdoor socket installed but it required a part-P person because I wanted it done via a new circuit to (a) allow higher current and (b) allow me to more easily isolate it if there was a problem.

[@crustycurmudgeon2182]

Well, that was informative enough for me to be glad I don't live in the UK! Here in the US, we have much wider latitude as to what we can do. For instance: our circuit breaker panels are much, much different-- there are always empty slots left over for adding more circuits later on. I recently added a new 240VAC circuit to my garage panel to run a heater. I used 3/4" conduit (having been an electrician for several years at a food plant, I knew how to do that). No permits were required. The panel had more than adequate space for the new circuit. Side note: for 240VAC in the states, we use two "legs" of 120VAC each (for clarity: we randomly call this 220VAC, 230VAC or 240VAC, as the actual power coming in is two legs of between 110VAC-120VAC... usually averaging around 115VAC).

[@davebarker9144]

My son and I recently extended the upstairs ring to the loft. The difficulty we had was getting someone to check it. Most of the electricians we contacted said they would not test and certify because they could not guarantee wiring they had no seen installed.

[@KX36]

Although electricians won't do an EIC for someone else's work, they will still do an EICR.

[@fabianmckenna8197]

​@@KX36 Agreed....... I put up drywall, coving, fitted my kitchen, double oven, hob, extended the ring, new sockets, under cabinet lights etc and had central heating installed. Finally called in an electrician who did an EICR before installing a new consumer unit. No faults found and no £5,000 fine either..........

[@DavidBerquist334]

In England does the red and black go from the breaker box through all of the outlets and then back into the breaker box see if two red wires on the breaker and two black wires on the neutral bar for that one loop plus they yellow green on the ground bar I hear they call it a ring and what gauge wire do they use for lights outlets

[@westwonic]

Mains electrical wiring in England changed colours in 2005, red & black became brown and blue. A final ring circuit is literally a loop of 3* core 2.5mm2 cable that comes out of the circuit board called a consumer unit), and literally return back to the circuit board. These ring mains are allowed on 32A power circuits only. Lighting circuits are rated at 6A and are not a ring but a radial, i.e. a single 3* core cable of 1 or 1.5mm2 that loops in and out of all the light outlets (switch cables are then added to each outlet), but does not return to the circuit board . *Cable is known as twin & Earth, only the live & neutral wires are wrapped in their coloured PVC, the neutral is bare but protected with green and yellow sleeving at site. Note all 3 cores have another outer wrapping of PVC - usually grey. I think in the USA they call it Romex?