17 th Edition

[pete.s]

I am new to this forum and I am seeking some advice. I am a fully qualified electrician, but I left the industry for a completely different job some 14 years ago.
I want to get back into the market of housing installation work. I need to do my 17 th Edition and part P as cheaply as possible. I believe you can sit the exam without taking a course .
Q1. What books do I need
Q2. Where 's the cheapest place to get them.
Q3. Where can I sit the exam( I'm in the North East) and how much is it.
Q.4. When are the exams
Q.5 Where can I get a hold of old exam papers


Cheers

 

[telectrix]

you don't need to do part p. for domestic you have to work to part p, which is a building regulation whereby certain domestic jobs have to be notified to you local authority building control. this is best done by joining napit, elecsa, etc. who do this on your behalf. as regards 17th, you can take exam without doing the course. ask your local colege/s. you need the regs. BS7671, and on site guide. however there is an amendment due july 2011, so probably be advisable to book your 17th to encompass the new book.

 

[pete.s]

Thanks for the advice. However, how will I know which types of work need to be covered by a part P cert. Is this all detailed in one document or in the 17 th Edition books.


Cheers

 

[Animal]

vist the elecsa site for a list of what is notifiable, or download part p from tinternet.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

As it stands legally, you don't actually need the 17th to work.
You might have problems joining a Part P scheme without it though.
The updated version is due out very soon, although apparently the updates don't take effect untill January.
It might be an idea to wait and get the updated version?

 

[lauriehurman]

I have four books on the 17th edition wiring regs;

"17th IEE wiring regs, Explained and Illustrated" by Brian Scaddan. Newnes publishing.
Very short, consise, easy to read. He's a very good writer, no ambiguity - but - You'd never pass the exam with it. There's just not enough detail. It seems to be for working electricians who need to know what the new regs say. I don't think you could pass the exam on it.

"A Practical Guide to the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regs", by Christopher Kitcher. Newnes publishing.
A really disapointing book. Promises a lot in the preface and the blub on the back cover (which was why I bought it) but poor Mr Kitcher couldn't explain how to cross a road. It is aimed at people like you who want to pass the exam but he's just not good enough of a writer for it to do the job. His explainations are more complicated than the big red book. Shame.

"Guide to the Wiring Regs", by Darrell Locke. Wiley (Select).
This is the book you need. This is a big book, comprehensive and well written. Not perfect but very good at explaining the basics and is laid out in the same order as the big red book. If you only buy one book to try to pass the exam this is the one to go for.

"The Electrician's Guide to the 17th Edition IEE Wiring Regs", by John Whitfield. E.P.A. press.
This is my favorite. This is an inspiring book. This is the book that has given me lightbulb momments of understanding. That's not to say you need that kind of understanding to pass the exam and anybody who has been a working electrician would hopfully already have that level of understanding but if, like me, you are new to all this then this is the book that gave me real insight into theory and practice.

You must buy the big red book. "Requirements for Electrical Installations" from the IEE. You cannot pass without knowing your way around this book. As I understand it the exam is about being able to find information in this book, not about knowing information. You will need to spend a lot of time becoming familiar with this book so that you can find things quickly.

Hope that helps
Laurie

 

[Spoon]

I have a PDF of 17th edition past paper. If you PM me your email address I will send it to you.

 

[pete.s]

Sorry for delay .my e mail address is [email protected] for the pdf's. I presume the updated version of the 17 th will be out next month to start reading up again .


Cheers

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Thanks for the advice. However, how will I know which types of work need to be covered by a part P cert. Is this all detailed in one document or in the 17 th Edition books.Cheers

There are no works that require a Part P cert. ALL works will require a BS7671 certificate of some kind depending on whether or not it is minor or major works, and all work must comply with building regulation Part P. You appear to be getting a bit confused, NOT all electrical work is notifiable under the part p banner.

How it works,

If you carry out works to a property, and it has planning approval, you can carry out the work, issue your documentation, and no further action is required, even if you are not a member of one of the Part P self certification schemes. This is because the full plans application fees covers all the costs, and it is under the supervision of a Building Inspector.

If you carry out works to a property that does not need planning approval e.g a kitchen refit, then this falls under the remit of Part P, and you have 2 choices.
Pay the LABC a fee to notify the work, do the work, they will come and test and inspect at your expense, and then issue a building regs compliance notice to the householder once you have submitted your BS7671 paperwork.

Or you can join a Part P self certification scheme. You can do whatever you want, register the work with your chosen scheme provider, issue the BS7671 paperwork to your customer, complete the on line job registration with your scheme provider, they will notify the LABC and send out a compliance notice on your behalf.

I hope this clears the mud a bit for you.

Cheers..........Howard

 

[telectrix]

There are no works that require a Part P cert. ALL works will require a BS7671 certificate of some kind depending on whether or not it is minor or major works, and all work must comply with building regulation Part P. You appear to be getting a bit confused, NOT all electrical work is notifiable under the part p banner.

How it works,

If you carry out works to a property, and it has planning approval, you can carry out the work, issue your documentation, and no further action is required, even if you are not a member of one of the Part P self certification schemes. This is because the full plans application fees covers all the costs, and it is under the supervision of a Building Inspector.

If you carry out works to a property that does not need planning approval e.g a kitchen refit, then this falls under the remit of Part P, and you have 2 choices.
Pay the LABC a fee to notify the work, do the work, they will come and test and inspect at your expense, and then issue a building regs compliance notice to the householder once you have submitted your BS7671 paperwork.

Or you can join a Part P self certification scheme. You can do whatever you want, register the work with your chosen scheme provider, issue the BS7671 paperwork to your customer, complete the on line job registration with your scheme provider, they will notify the LABC and send out a compliance notice on your behalf.

I hope this clears the mud a bit for you.

Cheers..........Howard

howard, if you remember, we had this very point discussed a while ago. i hit the LABC with the fact that the planning fees covered the inspection of the electrical work. their answer was that on the planning application, there was a question " will you be using a scheme registered electrician". if the client said no, then the planning fee would have been more, also they said they'd been unable to inspect the 1st fix, even though the inspector was on site the day the 1st fix was installed. after i paid an elecsa member to retest ( all cabling was visible so he could see it was right ). they did a final inspection after 12" of fibreglass had been smothered over and round the 50watt halogen downlights totally filling the roof void and signed the job off.

 

[asqs342]

Spoon, do you mind if i get a copy also... [email protected]

Cheers in advance mate

 

[Spoon]

Done it asqs342. By the way Its bets to pm me with your email address as everyone can see it otherwise, and you dont want lots of junk emails. I would edit your post to remove your email address. Hope the paper helps anyhow.

 

[pete58]

Hi there.Just seen your post re 17th past paper.Do you still have that and would you be willing to e mail to me? Be very grateful if you could as i have just signed up for a 17th edition course with the exam in August.Any insight would be very useful. Many thanks.

 

[Spoon]

Hi there.Just seen your post re 17th past paper.Do you still have that and would you be willing to e mail to me? Be very grateful if you could as i have just signed up for a 17th edition course with the exam in August.Any insight would be very useful. Many thanks.

Pete58: if you PM me your email address i will send it to you.