Scope of Part P (extra-low voltage)

That was the original version of Part P, the powers that be did at least have the decency to get rid of those appendixes in the revised version, but mentioning it sets the background for the current discussion.

The notification requirements are not based on sound engineering principles, but on decisions by Civil Servants and politicians who did not actually fully understand the issues, then they had another go at it and we have ended up with different versions of the same legislation and different notification requirements in England and Wales.

So geography and politics rather than voltage.

The current version of Part P www.niceic.com/.../Part-P-Approved-Document-2013-England.pdf

From the original version of Part P with the exclusion for pre-assembled CE-marked ELV lighting sets.

I read that a saying that extra-low voltage lighting is included. That list includes bathrooms ("locations containing a bath tub or shower basin") and so is a list of what is notifiable by virtue of its location.

Interestingly, in the newer Part P it has dropped extra-low voltage lighting. So given it's not on the list it's not notifiable.

Well I should have read England's Part P cover to cover as there are actually some clauses that cover exactly the example I give:

Even the lighting example I gave:

The significant part is it is non-notifiable (unless in a special location) and so any competent DIYer could do the work.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/.../BR_PDF_AD_P_2013.pdf

For the umpteenth time, this is Part P of the Building Regulations; The Law.

It applies to ALL work in the locations stated.

That's all there is; there is no more.

The notification requirements are given in Regulation 12; also The Law.

Approved Document P is merely a guide that someone has written; not the law.

What is states has no effect on Part P nor Regulation 12.

It is no more valid than anything NICEIC or anyone else has written.

That Regulation 12 or Approved Document P do not include certain work does not mean Part P does not apply to that work.

'Interesting' / scary examples of what is non-notifiable

• Adding a 240V light & extractor above a shower as long as it is over 2250mm from finished floor and above the height of the shower head
• Replacing or repairing an electric shower installation
• Adding a whole ring to the end of a radial including 'upgrading' the breaker to 32A (would "technically" be OK if radial was 4mm2). That's the extension sorted.
• Ebay LED lights with incendiary capacitors and China Export logos

I know quite a few people who would consider themselves competent, but will be weary of having a shower at their house :-)

But it may or may not be notifiable.

I know, Part P applies. But Jonny Two-Thumbs considers himself competent and so is going to replace all his lighting circuit with some fantastic LEDs he's found on eBay and he can crack on. He's not doing anything in the consumer unit and got a letter from the DSO telling him that the electricity supply is getting turned off next Tuesday for scheduled maintenance so he's taken the day of work to get the job done. When he's done, and if he lives to tell the tale, he doesn't have to notify anyone.

Only if Regulation 12 states it is.

One way to make folk who claim to be experts in a field to work competently, in the absence of state inspections, is to provide enough information for the other folk who employ them to be able to make some sort of assessment of  the job being done.  To that end the more  information in the public domain  that is accurate and neither scare-mongering & advertising  (electrical safety first) nor just plain wrong (mumsnet, some diy fora..) the better for all.

If you do not think so you may also think we do not need the onsite guide either.

Sadly when I have to take a vehicle  to a garage I get a far better job done than my wife, as I can talk on the level of torque wrenches, copperease and so forth and I know, and more importantly they know that I know, exactly what the job should entail, and worse that I will check it before I leave when I come to collect it. So  If they have to do something a bit odd, or uncover another problem I expect them to tell me.

In a perfect world all customers are equal, but this is not a perfect world, and folk are human.
"it'll be alright, they'll never know.."

I'd argue that sadly some shallow end of the market sparks are no better than the railway arch / bombsite garages - only this weekend in fact I was looking at a CU with the covers open muttering something quite rude along the lines of "what fool did this ?" - well the fool's company  NICIEC sticker was all over it. A more savvy customer should never have let him leave the property ,or better never enter it to begin with. (A double socket on 2.5mm and 60A fuse to meter tails in case you are wondering. And no, I do not think it is  worth trying to report, the system discourages that at every turn, and fixing it took me 15 mins.)

Now I know some workers do not like an interested customer who asks questions and wants to know the ins and outs, and I can see the problem of the extra time lost, but you have to ask if sometimes  there is another reason why  that is.

Could it be that behaving like understanding electrics  is like the ' secrets of the magic circle' allows a rather hollow 'wizard of oz' like under-performance to go undetected in some cases ?

I must admit, I do not see that much domestic wiring these days, it is not my day job, so it is friends and family only, and  maybe I am unlucky and only see the funny ones, but I do get a more honest full story of who did what in what order. I'm afraid what I do see does not fill me with confidence.

I'm with DZ, part P does diddly sqat for safety and fair treatment of the end user, and is  more about the safety of a few piggy banks of the scheme organisers.

(and as I m not a scheme member, in law, I'm probably just one of the scarier DIYers.)

Mike