D.I.Y. REWIRE-- A Step By Step Guide.

[telectrix]

1. Remove all heavy furniture from upstairs. Place in Storage.

2. Roll up all upstairs carpets. Ditto.

3. Lift floorboards to enable cable routing (not the ones that the plumber has wrecked, fitting central heating)

4. Move all downstairs furniture to centre of rooms and cover with dust sheets.

5. Cover all ground floor carpets with polythene sheeting.

6. Chase out from ground floor ceiling vertically to every point you require a fitting/accessory.

7. Now that you've realised that you are totally out of your depth, get on the phone to a qualified Sparks.

 

[AliRaZoR]

I somehow thought this wasn't going to be a 'helpful' thread...

The attitude that no-one other than an electrician is capable of rewiring a house, installing a new circuit, adding an outlet to an existing ring final circuit, changing a light fitting etc is not helpful. DIYers coming here and asking questions are doing one thing right for starters - they accept they *don't* know exactly what to do and for that reason are asking advice.

My view is that you can dismiss these people with 'call an electrician' and, in many cases, they'll try and undertake the work themselves anyway.. or you can offer guidance and advice.

Teach a man to fish and all that...

Strongly agree

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Lol, yeah it is, but for £30, who can argue?!

Gone through a load of them (bosch green) but if you take it steady with it it will repay your outlay...........

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I somehow thought this wasn't going to be a 'helpful' thread...

Whilst I accept there are a lot of botched and potentially dangerous DIY jobs around there are also people perfectly capable of rewiring safely and legally in compliance with the relevant regulations.

As some of those reading this will know I have recently started a DIY rewire of my own, this is being done in compliance with relevant regulations and I really appreciate the advice and assistance offered by forum members, here and elsewhere both in the public forum and outwith it.

The attitude that no-one other than an electrician is capable of rewiring a house, installing a new circuit, adding an outlet to an existing ring final circuit, changing a light fitting etc is not helpful. DIYers coming here and asking questions are doing one thing right for starters - they accept they *don't* know exactly what to do and for that reason are asking advice.

My view is that you can dismiss these people with 'call an electrician' and, in many cases, they'll try and undertake the work themselves anyway.. or you can offer guidance and advice.

Teach a man to fish and all that...

The problem is that rewiring a house is not quite the same as replacing a light or adding a socket, and there's a huge danger with people attempting to learn what they need to know by asking questions on an internet forum, because they will only ask about the things they realise they don't know. Subjects where they know nothing and don't even know they know nothing because they have no idea that the subject even exists they won't ask about - the old unknown unknowns problem.

IMO people shouldn't even wire up a light switch on the basis of following instructions to insert-this-wire-in-that-hole without genuinely understanding why and how it all works.

So yes DIYers can of course do a complete rewire, but to do so they have to know how to do all of the things involved - how to size circuits, how to calculate voltage drop, how to calculate cable current carrying capacities, how to calculate fault loop resistances, how to choose CPDs, how to route, join, and support cables... the list goes on and on.

They also have to know how to do, and to be able to actually do, full testing before and after energising.

No reason why anybody can't learn all of that, but it's hard to see how someone could do so just by just asking questions about things they think they need to know.

There are useful questions - but to be asked of the person wanting to do something as major as rewire a house or replace a CU, and they really should be able to answer them all positively.

I'd appreciate anybody's comments:

• For a circuit to supply a given load, how would you go about deciding what cable and protective device to use?
  
  
• Do you know which circuits can be ring finals and which cannot, and what the advantages and disadvantages of each are?
  
  
• Do you know what the two main lighting circuit topologies are, and what the advantages and disadvantages of each are?
  
  
• How do you calculate maximum demand and how can diversity be used?
  
  
• What are the 3 different types of domestic single-phase supplies provided in this country, how would you recognise them, and what differences do each make to the requirements for the rest of the installation, particularly any outdoor supplies?
  
  
• Can you correctly identify all components and connections of a circuit by method of testing or otherwise? In doing so can you identify or recognise anything wrong or dangerous with the circuit?
  
  
• Do you understand how the way in which you install cables affects how much current they can carry?
  
  
• What are the rules concerning cables concealed in walls, partitions and under floors?
  
  
• What are the rules for cables run outdoors, buried in the ground or overhead?
  
  
• Where cables need to be joined, how should this be done / not be done and in what circumstances are different methods acceptable?
  
  
• Can you identify extraneous conductive parts, and do you know the requirements for main and supplementary bonding of them?
  
  
• Which circuits should be RCD protected?
  
  
• How do you propose to isolate your supply so that you can connect up your new CU?
  
  
• Do you know what tests you would carry out on the installation - what sequence you'd do them in and at what point you would energise the installation, and for each test do you know what is being measured, why it is important, how you would carry out the test, and with what equipment, and what sort of results you would expect to get if everything was OK?

By all means teach a man to fish, but be aware you may also need to teach him how to navigate and how to sail.

 

[Paul.M]

Ban all sheds, well put.

 

[bugsy]

1. Remove all heavy furniture from upstairs. Place in Storage.

2. Roll up all upstairs carpets. Ditto.

3. Lift floorboards to enable cable routing (not the ones that the plumber has wrecked, fitting central heating)

4. Move all downstairs furniture to centre of rooms and cover with dust sheets.

5. Cover all ground floor carpets with polythene sheeting.

6. Chase out from ground floor ceiling vertically to every point you require a fitting/accessory.

7. Now that you've realised that you are totally out of your depth, get on the phone to a qualified Sparks.

8. keep comming out with -- was'nt me

 

[Des 56]

Ban all sheds, well put.

Yes agreed,well put

"Sell and bash" being an anagram of Ban all sheds could be B+Qs motto to the Diy rewirer

 

[bugsy]

How the hell can rsmck be a senior member on an electrical forum and be a diy,er -------gobsmacked

 

[millwall ken]

How the hell can rsmck be a senior member on an electrical forum and be a diy,er -------gobsmacked

Volume of posts, surely you should know this by now mate.

 

[bugsy]

Volume of posts, surely you should know this by now mate.

yea I know but im trying to make a point

 

[rsmck]

How the hell can rsmck be a senior member on an electrical forum and be a diy,er

Post count ... but I generally would only assume people with the "Electricians Arms Member" status are guaranteed to be electricians

Oh and (unrelated to your own comments), I completely agree with ban-all-sheds above - In my case, I appreciate not every "DIY-er" is the same, I didn't just dive in and start connecting cables together. In my case;

Cables are appropriate sized (taking into account how their ran, e.g. clipped directly in open space or through insulation etc) and with appropriate protective devices.

There are no ring finals in my installation, this is a personal preference. I did consider it for the kitchen sockets.

My lighting circuits are a bit unusual - upstairs is conventional loop in (with the addition of 5A outlets) downstairs each light fitting (or 5A socket) goes back, individually, to a central dimmer

My supply is TN-S, at present the garage etc hasn't been rewired so the existing (inadequate imho) supply to the garage has been connected through a 30mA 20A RCBO. At some point in the near future this will be looked at and the cable connecting the garage replaced (it using the existing cable until then) - at this point I'll brush up on the exact requirements for outdoor sockets and how my supply type affects them

All cables concealed in walls are in safe zones and protected by an RCD, the only thing NOT protected by an RCD is the supply (surface mounted) to the Fridge/Freezer

Where cables are joined this has been done with maintenance free junction boxes (and WAGO connections). These are, despite being maintenance free, all easily accessible from the attic space and basement.

As the RCDs comply with the automatic disconnection requirements then supplementary bonding is not required. The main equipotential earth bond was replaced with 16mm when I replaced the consumer unit.

Appropriate testing is being done and the results recorded, albeit mainly for my own reference and reassurance since there's no point in me producing an installation certificate , using a Fluke 1652B meter.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

there's no point in me producing an installation certificate ,

Why not?

using a Fluke 1652B meter.

Calibrated?

 

[rsmck]

Why not?

Well, I could but it'd only be for my own reference... as no-one else needs a copy (LABC etc)...

Calibrated?

8 months ago

 

[bugsy]

opinion based your your last post with regards to testing, calibration and general approach I (in my opinion ) would not class you as a general DIY er however other slightly informed ( a little knoledge is dangerous ) DIYers may not take the same approach and therfore in my humble opinion still think that any electrical work should be carried out by professionals , I would however like to point out that should you have a problem with the installation or an unexplainable fire your home insurance will be void

 

[rsmck]

opinion based your your last post with regards to testing, calibration and general approach I (in my opinion ) would not class you as a general DIYer

Thank you

I would however like to point out that should you have a problem with the installation or an unexplainable fire your home insurance will be void

Much as I expect this is very unlikely, I did confirm before starting this project that my insurance company had no issue with it based on something similar someone else had said. Their opinion is that as long as the work is carried out to the current building regulations whether or not it is done by a 'qualified' person is irrelevant.

Obviously the situation may be different in England where different Building Regulations (e.g. Part P etc) apply or with different insurance companies. Indeed my understanding is that Part P pretty much prevents a full rewire being carried out without notifying the local authority and being qualified and a scheme member (or having the installation inspected) - although I don't pretend to be too knowledgeable on Part P as it is not applicable where I live.

 

[Lee Kerr]

Don't you have to do a periodic inspection on a whole house if your doing a rewire or partial rewire ?
were i work we test before and after any rewire full, bathroom or kitchen
can anyone confirm this ?