Ground floor flat rewire

[gazzamikes]

Evening all,

have been asked to quote for basic rewire in a small 2 bed ground floor flat. the ceilings are concrete as they would be. the flat is still wired in mineral cable with the copper outer sheath on a 3036 board. the customer was asking for a number of additional sockets etc, i suggested a rewire.

2 questions, would you guys recommend a rewire? and how do you about getting cables to lighting points, Surface & trunking?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[telectrix]

if you are doing a rewire, i would fit coving to the ceiling /wall interface with cables clipped behind. for ceiling mounted lights, you would have to use mini trunking.

 

[gazzamikes]

thanks for such a fast reply! would you recommend a rewire? to be honest i only been going a year, so only ever come across this twice

 

[Engineer54]

So what's wrong with the existing MICC cable then?? The only financially feasible rewire method is surface, rather you than me telling a customer that bit of news!!!

 

[Kamikaze]

thanks for such a fast reply! would you recommend a rewire? to be honest i only been going a year, so only ever come across this twice

The answer is no. What ever cable you use to re-wire the place, it will never be as good as pyro.

 

[Octopus]

I'd recommend a PIR if you're concerned about the integrity of the cables in the flat.

Just done this on a bungalow where the client asked for a CU change and move. The ring circuits have a combination of 40+ and 60+ year old cabling and the IR results are terrible!

 

[gazzamikes]

thats great thanks, as long all tests fine etc its all good to go? she was after an rcd before the consumer unit, this is all ok to protect the 3036 wholly by one rcd? money is tight for her. i beg forgiveness for my lack of knowledge on PYRO!

 

[Des 56]

Even though the cielings are concrete,you will probably find that there are small channels running in one direction that you can fish the cables through to the lights etc
You would however have to drill up into these channels to access them

If you were to drill up against or near the wall into the ceiling to find and use them,then use trunking around the wall/ceiling which will contain the cables and cover the exploration holes
Loop your lights in the switches so that you only have the one cable at the lights

With the sockets,try and use the skirtings to get to the positions needed and try to fit as many back to back sockets as possible

 

[gazzamikes]

thanks, i think i will contact here and suggest a pir as itll highlight any problems and in theory could reduce the cost for her. i worked in the flat upstairs for her last year, his had been rewired since the pyro, so are the two in the block, it just hers. this means there could be some 'technical' drilling

 

[Knobhead]

Have a look at http://www.electriciansforums.net/e...terations-involving-buried-metal-conduit.html

 

[Engineer54]

I want to know his reason(s) why he has reccommendd a re-wire?? If it's because the customer wants some extra sockets, ...that's a nonsense!! Or perhaps he wants to do an CU replacement, and knows he can't work MICC cable, or not sure what to do with a plastic cased CU, terminating the glands into it!! It's doubtful that this installation has failed or failing IR values.

 

[gazzamikes]

this customer orignally called me round for a consumer uprgrade and some additional sockets,this is where the initial idea come from for the rewire. she was also speaking of possibly within the next year having a new circuit installed for a cooker which is why i was thinking a rewire

 

[telectrix]

with all due respect, i think you may be slightly out of your depth with MICC. i would suggest IR testing on the existing circuits, if sound, get some grounding on glanding MICC. with luck you may be able to gland the existing circuits in to a new CU. i would not fit a RCD upstream of a 3036 board, but fit a dual RCD or an RCBO CU. additional work can the be carried out to " more conventional" methods.

 

[Engineer54]

I thought so, ...In that case leave the lighting as is, it will cause you nothing but grief.
Use a metal-clad CU and measure up for direct replacement of any glands entering the CU, you may or may not have to shorten one or 2 of them if there is no room in the CU to accommodate the extra length of MICC. Or you may have to lengthen, in which case use metal trunking to terminate the glands and for any joints to lengthen the conductors.

Depending on the internal wall construction, you will have to run the new cooker circuit in surface trunking or the like, the sockets may have to be installed the same way unless you have stud walling....

 

[gazzamikes]

thanks telectrix, yes to be honest i do feel like ill be out of my depth, i only done a small amount at the college a couple years ago. was just seeing what peoples opinions were with pyro in old properties. a college tutor told us we onlyhad to have a quick lesson on in as the next we see we'll be ripping it out