Have i got it so wroung

[Matty o]

6 months ago i had a call through a recommendation
A older woman had the electrical suppler round doing a free check and had frightened her telling her her house was a death trap and should be rewired at a cost of £8k witch he came to by just looking at the fuseboad.

When i go there I found a 2 bed house built in the 70s with a 4way wyelex rewireable fuse box
The wiring looked ok with no signs of being messed about with, i removed a few face plates and all looked ok just old, did insulation resistance tests all ok.

I did recommend fitting a new board with rcds but not to worry to much.

A month later i had a callout as her cooker fuse went bang and as she was unable to change the fusewire.
I fixed the cooker (ring gone) and she asked me to upgrade the board.

Now the house was wired with 1 socket ring and 1 light ring
She did not want the upset of the work needed to split the ring or a total rewire and as she had table and standard lamps i decided to fit a 6 way board with RCBOs and all was happy.


Now i have had a call from her son threatening reporting me to trading standards and taking me to court as a electrician has told him i have not complyed with the regs as i have not split the lighting into 2 circuits and its dangers.

I did my apprenticeship in the early 90s but have just returned to the tools after spent the last few years behind a desk i did a 17th update and inspection and test exam to bring me back to speed
But Have i got it so wrong.

 

[johnboy6083]

i think somebody is quoting the regs, and spouting off their own take on it, without realising that their are many ways of interpreting them, and implementing them. I would compose a letter, highlighting the relevant regulations, and then accompianing them, an explanation of the decisions you took.

 

[trev]

As long as what you have have done complies with BS7671 you're ok mate. Now as far as I'm aware there is nothing in the regs which says that a property has to be wired a certain way, ie an upstairs ring downstairs ring etc etc. It's just accepted practice that it's done that way for seperation and convenience apart from anything else.
I'd say as long as it has been tested and proven to be within the parameters set by BS7671 with regard to the test results required and certified and notified then your man can go away.
Obviously your choice of RCBO could be a factor too but I think your man is looking to screw you over for cash.

 

[Simlec]

All seams ok to me, can’t make her split lighting and ring. I do think the reg a bit OTT when it comes to having 2 lighting cirts, what happens when they have a power cut!!

 

[vernam616]

Im assuming your quote/estimate stated " Change distribution board and test only "?

If so send him a copy of this and tell him to get phucked

I cant see nothing wrong with it, tell him the splitting of ring/lights is a extra cost and there would be some mess involved, you had advised the owner who obviously didnt want the upset

i hate busybodys like this who think they are right, i bet he is some office geek pen pusher

Try not to worry mate, as long as you have changed the board ok and tested with certification you will be ok

 

[mogga]

this is where the regs fall down on themselfs as they are for NEW installations only and way to many guys out there recomend a rewire when they see a rewirable c.u. or something that doesnt come within bs7671(2008) As for the old womans son Id do a letter explaining 1 WHY you replaced the C>U.( at her request 2 Why you didnt split ring, pu in seperate up and downstair lighting ( she didnt want it) 3 Why what you have done complies with BS7671(2008)
I trust you did all the bonding,earth upgrades required AND informed LABC as required

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Yeah all been said Matty o, don't worry.

maybe he's like the lad who kicked a ball continuously at my mums car for months, I went and stood in the garden until it hit it and stood on the ball

"Can I have my ball"

"No."

"I'll get my Dad"

"I'll wait here then"


Never came. Booted the ball about 200 feet away. Never bothered my mum again.

 

[Engineer54]

I would have asked the son, Why he didn't get his electrician friend to sort out his mum's house in the first place!!! He may have saved his mum some money too...

Tell the guy to do his worst, it'll be him paying out settlement and costs at the end of the day, because if what you have stated is correct, he has grounds for nothing!!!

 

[DurhamSparky]

i would have done exactly the same bloody thing!! actually i have done the same thing many times!! i have enven used a 4 way box with overall RCD.....!! still complies and is safer than it was..!

 

[vernam616]

I reckon his mate is a kitchen fitter been on a defined scope and BAM hes top sparky!

 

[Knobhead]

So the board isn’t split? If all the ways are RCBO’s that effectively splits it 6 ways. Or am I just being naive? I’m just wondering if yon sparky boy realised they were RCBO’s?

At the end of the day you did what the customer asked of you. So long as you left it in a safe condition I can see the son having a rough and expensive time if he wants to pursue it.

 

[Silly Sausage]

I can see the son having a rough and expensive time if he wants to pursue it.

Especially if he wants to come on here and argue about it... :death:

 

[trev]

Especially if he wants to come on here and argue about it... :death:

That's a good idea Archy. Matty tell him to get on here and we can all shout at him for you hehe

 

[millwall ken]

All seams ok to me, can’t make her split lighting and ring. I do think the reg a bit OTT when it comes to having 2 lighting cirts, what happens when they have a power cut!!

The idea behind an upstairs ring and lighting circuit, is to do with ease of finding a fault on seperate rings, and in the event of the lighting circuit downstairs tripping out, you'll still have lighting upstairs. This is what I was always taught anyway.

 

[i=p/u]

so they taught back then too