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Minor works certificate and testing questions

Jimi

Hi, I saw written somewhere that when carrying out minor work, you take responsibility for the entire circuit not just the new work? 

Are the tests performed on the whole circuit and all points? Say you install an addition socket on a circuit, do you then continuity test all 10 other sockets, check for missing grommets, shoddy work, bad connections, missing sleeving, and repair all that? 

The minor work certificate doesn't come with the schedule of inspections so I'm guessing it isn't used on minor works and it's more of a ‘quick glance - everything looks OK’ inspection? 

Also, the bonding and RCD requirements - if you were installing the additional socket, and they weren't there, you would have to install all main bonding and fit an RCD / RCBO? And if the main earth was less than 16mm (on a domestic) you would have to install that? 

Would you also have to investigate the if the circuits been installed less than 50mm depth and in zones and so on to see if an RCD was required in that respect?

Ta!

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    I would argue that you have a duty to ensure that the new work is safe and compliant, and that this means a certain amount of inspection and testing of the existing work.

    As extreme cases consider the following. If an existing circuit has no effective earth, then a socket outlet added thereto can not be safe, no matter how well the new work is done.

    Or if an existing 20 amp circuit is wired in 1.5mm twin with earth, then an addition thereto is most unlikely to be safe*.

    I would however be a LITTLE more relaxed about MINOR deviations in the existing work that do not significantly affect the safety of the new addition.

    For example if existing socket outlets have no grommets on cable entries, I would probably consider it acceptable to extend the circuit if otherwise OK.

    Likewise if the existing work is in some non standard colour code, I would in the old days have extended it in red/black and these days in brown/blue, despite the existing work never having been compliant.

    In some districts there is a lot of twin with earth cable with black and white cores, this I would extend if otherwise OK, double checking polarity and sleeving the old work with the new colours at the junction, but not throughout. Three core SWA with odd colours likewise.

    *For a bonus point, suggest a circumstance in which this could have been safe, and still safe despite being added to.

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  • 0

    I would argue that you have a duty to ensure that the new work is safe and compliant, and that this means a certain amount of inspection and testing of the existing work.

    As extreme cases consider the following. If an existing circuit has no effective earth, then a socket outlet added thereto can not be safe, no matter how well the new work is done.

    Or if an existing 20 amp circuit is wired in 1.5mm twin with earth, then an addition thereto is most unlikely to be safe*.

    I would however be a LITTLE more relaxed about MINOR deviations in the existing work that do not significantly affect the safety of the new addition.

    For example if existing socket outlets have no grommets on cable entries, I would probably consider it acceptable to extend the circuit if otherwise OK.

    Likewise if the existing work is in some non standard colour code, I would in the old days have extended it in red/black and these days in brown/blue, despite the existing work never having been compliant.

    In some districts there is a lot of twin with earth cable with black and white cores, this I would extend if otherwise OK, double checking polarity and sleeving the old work with the new colours at the junction, but not throughout. Three core SWA with odd colours likewise.

    *For a bonus point, suggest a circumstance in which this could have been safe, and still safe despite being added to.

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