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Need urgent advice please help.

Anonymous111

I work for a small firm that delivers and installs hottubs and swim spas. When we turn up to the site to install the tubs, the electrics are already run from the house to an isolation switch, with a tail left all tested by an electrician. Myself and my team then wire in the 32amp cable to the tub whilst it's filling, put the panels back on and turn it on once full for the customer to use.

During this process there is no electrician present whilst we wire the tub or afterwards. 

Myself and my team are unqualified, we dont do any sort of test to the tub once it's wired in the customer just jumps in once we're done.

I've quizzed my boss multiple times and he said it's completely legal as he considers me competent to wire in three wires. My question is firstly, is this actually legal to wire in, and secondly should any tests be done and certified from the tub to the isolation switch.

Thank you 

  • 0 in reply to Anonymous111

    you must legally do

    Don't trust everything you read on the internet, especially not AI generated.

    There is no law that says "you must test" - BS 7671 say you should, but that's not law. Sometimes the law or guidance suggests that following BS 7671 is an obvious way of doing what's reasonable and so complying with the law - but that's not entirely the same thing as saying BS 7671 is a legal requirement (except in a few special cases where the law does say must meet British Standard (i.e. BS 7671) Requirements - e.g private rented or embedded generation). In many a case it's a bit like the Highway Code - driving in accordance is good and easy way to make sure you stay legal, but doing otherwise may or may not actually be an offence, depending on the exact situation.

      - Andy.

  • 0 in reply to Simon Barker
    Simon Barker said:
    I wouldn't expect the hot tub itself to be tested against BS7671 as it's an appliance and will have a completely separate European harmonised standard.

    However, as the HSE guidance points out, there is a need to check the appliance is correctly earthed, regardless of what standard it's made to ... if it's hard-wired, that would mean the connection to the installation earthing would need to be checked, and that requires some training even if you say it's not something that should be covered by a MWC (there are different schools of thought on that, though).

  • 0 in reply to mapj1
    mapj1 said:
    If you were plugging in a pre-wired 32A plug, to a pre-wired 32A socket, certainly no-one would blink, as the thought has been put in by whoever fitted it to the cable.

    Is that a potential solution to the problem - get the electrician to install a suitable socket with the hot-tub delivered pre-wired with a cable and plug, tested at the factory, to simply plug-in, or deliver the hot-tub with something like an appliance inlet, with the customer's electrician running the cable out to the location and terminating into an inline socket to plug into the appliance?

  • 0 in reply to TurboGen
    TurboGen said:
    Is that a potential solution to the problem

    Not really. EIS35 would still recommend you carried out some basic checks on the appliance to be connected, and also the socket-outlet to which it's being connected.

    I understand the situation of "what did I do to make it unsafe" ... but:

    (a) The site supervisor/employer is responsible for the safety of those delivering, filling and connecting the hot tub; and

    (b) There is still the issue of liability for the user relying on the safety of products they have connected (and the supplier of those products is first in line for the legal teams/insurers to go after).

  • 0 in reply to gkenyon

    Should the term Kitchen Fitter in relation to Electrical be added

    Electrotechnical Assessment Specification (EAS) 2024

    ?

  • 0 in reply to Chris Pearson
    Chris Pearson said:
    Does anybody else fancy a C1 for this arrangement?

    Is nobody else concerned that a live cable is left there?

  • 0 in reply to Chris Pearson

    I agree C1 on an EICR for a live exposed end of a cable which is why I posted earlier about a GS38 compliant tester and lockoff kit and the use of VDE tools and training for the hot tub fitter/installer

  • 0 in reply to gkenyon

    True. There really ought to be some testing that the appliance is connected correctly. 

  • 0 in reply to Simon Barker

    Agreed

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