IET announces new amendment to BS 7671 (IET Wiring Regulations)

I have just been out into Wales for two days and stayed overnight in a hotel to do a couple of electrical jobs, one out in Pembrokeshire and another at Newport on the way back.


The one job was in an ex-Council house, you would assume that the electrical installation would just be dated having been installed to a good standard in the first place under the supervision of a Clerk of Works. 


I needed to alter the lighting circuit and move and move it onto the RCD side of the consumer unit, when it was installed the electricians had run out of twin and earth, so for the circuit conductor and switch drops they used three core with the yellow core cut back, then wired the two way on the stairs in three core.


I needed to ensure that there is not a borrowed neutral on the landing light or elsewhere that would result in the RCD tripping, however just to make life interesting the guys who redecorated the hall, stairs and landing had replaced the two switches and the downstairs switch no longer worked; and both switches are two gang with everything wired in three core, with or without the yellow core being used.


So moving the upstairs lighting circuit MCB across the consumer unit onto the RCD side took a hour, as first I stripped the landing light switching and rewired it, then did some testing and checks to ensure all the lights work without the RCD tripping.


All done and sorted, but as I commented to my wife the trouble is I am trying to polish a - ..- .-. -.. which according to the old saying cannot be done.


It is very easy to say just add a RCD here instead of there, but the reality is some what different. 


There are practical issues to contend with, such as having to complete repairs just to achieve the desired outcome, but given the general state of  electrical installations in this country with do much shoddy installation work having been completed in the past and the state of many houses limiting access to the installation with so many hoarders or at the other end of the scale homeowners who don’t want their pristine homes dismantled, electricians are left at trying to polish a - ..- .-. -..


I know that you have to consider the state of the whole installation when you are making an alteration or addition, but if the existing installation was installed to an earlier edition of the Wiring Regulations you cannot always upgrade all the existing installation to the latest edition, you cannot completely rewire a house and replace the old fuse board to make one small addition or alteration, so you ensure the new work is compliant and there is not an issue with the existing installation that will make the addition unsafe. That is what you are signing for on the minor electrical works certificate.


 Andy B

I have just been out into Wales for two days and stayed overnight in a hotel to do a couple of electrical jobs, one out in Pembrokeshire and another at Newport on the way back.


The one job was in an ex-Council house, you would assume that the electrical installation would just be dated having been installed to a good standard in the first place under the supervision of a Clerk of Works. 


I needed to alter the lighting circuit and move and move it onto the RCD side of the consumer unit, when it was installed the electricians had run out of twin and earth, so for the circuit conductor and switch drops they used three core with the yellow core cut back, then wired the two way on the stairs in three core.


I needed to ensure that there is not a borrowed neutral on the landing light or elsewhere that would result in the RCD tripping, however just to make life interesting the guys who redecorated the hall, stairs and landing had replaced the two switches and the downstairs switch no longer worked; and both switches are two gang with everything wired in three core, with or without the yellow core being used.


So moving the upstairs lighting circuit MCB across the consumer unit onto the RCD side took a hour, as first I stripped the landing light switching and rewired it, then did some testing and checks to ensure all the lights work without the RCD tripping.


All done and sorted, but as I commented to my wife the trouble is I am trying to polish a - ..- .-. -.. which according to the old saying cannot be done.


It is very easy to say just add a RCD here instead of there, but the reality is some what different. 


There are practical issues to contend with, such as having to complete repairs just to achieve the desired outcome, but given the general state of  electrical installations in this country with do much shoddy installation work having been completed in the past and the state of many houses limiting access to the installation with so many hoarders or at the other end of the scale homeowners who don’t want their pristine homes dismantled, electricians are left at trying to polish a - ..- .-. -..


I know that you have to consider the state of the whole installation when you are making an alteration or addition, but if the existing installation was installed to an earlier edition of the Wiring Regulations you cannot always upgrade all the existing installation to the latest edition, you cannot completely rewire a house and replace the old fuse board to make one small addition or alteration, so you ensure the new work is compliant and there is not an issue with the existing installation that will make the addition unsafe. That is what you are signing for on the minor electrical works certificate.


 Andy B