surface sockets & trunking

[stevenjack]

Hi I am selling my house in Scotland and the surveyor has came back with a problem, basically as an old house at some point when it was rewired surface mains sockets were used on the walls mostly about 50mm fro the floor with surface trunking from the floor. So basically there is about 40mm of trunking visisble and this doesnt meet building regs.

We now need to get a cretificate to show it meets regs.

Can anyone comment on whether short runs of surface trunking are allowed?

Thanks

Steven

 

[malcolmsanford]

I know things as far as buildings regs and electricity up there are different and your not Part P but why on earth is that not allowed ?

Looks a neat job that. Did the surveyor say why this is not acceptable?

 

[Guest123]

You'll have to ask him to clarify what he means. I cant understand the issue of visible mini trunking???

 

[Des 56]

Plastic trunking is a widely used an acceptable method of containment

What he may have in mind, is the bending radius of a flexible cable plugged in to the socket,too tight and damage could occur
Off the top of my head I think it should be a min 50mm clearance

Perhaps he had this in mind when talking absolute nonesence about the trunking

 

[malcolmsanford]

Plastic trunking is a widely used an acceptable method of containment

What he may have in mind, is the bending radius of a flexible cable plugged in to the socket,too tight and damage could occur
Off the top of my head I think it should be a min 50mm clearance

Perhaps he had this in mind when talking absolute nonesence about the trunking

Ahhhhhhhh good spot Des yes it may be that

 

[Guest123]

Surely he would have said it's because the socket is too low though???

Unless the OP is confused??

 

[oldtimer]

I am based in Edinburgh and my daughter bought a flat and the comment that the suveyor put on the home report was fuseboard not compliant with BS7671 far as I was concerned he was only highlighting the obvious sure it was no big deal for me to upgrade it but as before in previous discussions on this forum it is realy down to some peoples interpitation and the refusal (some times) of the bodies to give better clarification. But if he or she is going to make a fuss over plastic trunking and the low level of the sockets what are they going to do with the older properties(in Edinburgh) where the sockets at fixed into the skirtings and are 25mm or 1 inch in old money off the floor. As far as I am concerned there is two ways to approuch this one is sell the house/flat as seen or in other words let the buyer take the property warts and all and sort it themselves or two find out if it is economical for you to sort it in other words if you spend £1500 fixing it and you get another £4000 on the value then ok but if the buyer is going to style the house how they want it then sell as seen.

ps thanks for putting a picture on the mail

Forgot to add do you have concrete floors ? because this is the only time I have seen trunking run like this and if so I take the cable is run on th floor with the underlay cut to accomodate it ?

 

[telectrix]

is under the carpet a prescribed zone?????

 

[malcolmsanford]

I am based in Edinburgh and my daughter bought a flat and the comment that the suveyor put on the home report was fuseboard not compliant with BS7671 far as I was concerned he was only highlighting the obvious sure it was no big deal for me to upgrade it but as before in previous discussions on this forum it is realy down to some peoples interpitation and the refusal (some times) of the bodies to give better clarification. But if he or she is going to make a fuss over plastic trunking and the low level of the sockets what are they going to do with the older properties(in Edinburgh) where the sockets at fixed into the skirtings and are 25mm or 1 inch in old money off the floor. As far as I am concerned there is two ways to approuch this one is sell the house/flat as seen or in other words let the buyer take the property warts and all and sort it themselves or two find out if it is economical for you to sort it in other words if you spend £1500 fixing it and you get another £4000 on the value then ok but if the buyer is going to style the house how they want it then sell as seen.

ps thanks for putting a picture on the mail

Forgot to add do you have concrete floors ? because this is the only time I have seen trunking run like this and if so I take the cable is run on th floor with the underlay cut to accomodate it ?

Great post thanks oldtimer. Just a question as we know the chances of any installation pre 2008 being of the 17th edition standard is remote. So as the regs are not retroactive, would that board not being of the 17th standard, stop a sale as such. It actually says in the BRB that becasue an installation is of an older standard it does not make it unsafe.

 

[oldtimer]

Great post thanks oldtimer. Just a question as we know the chances of any installation pre 2008 being of the 17th edition standard is remote. So as the regs are not retroactive, would that board not being of the 17th standard, stop a sale as such. It actually says in the BRB that becasue an installation is of an older standard it does not make it unsafe.

Basically as far as I am concerned this is a jobs worth comment on the home report Why ? Well the authorities want "safety" boards fitted ie twin RCD 17th edition and the time to do it is when there is a change of ownership but the catch is you are not obliged to change it unless you are upgrading the installation so realy it is a recomendation not an instruction to do so. As always the regulations leadyou in the direction of upgrade but if the property was wired to the standard of the day it was put in and it passes the relivent specifications then there is not a lot they can do about it. One example if I remember was the 15th edition if you were fitting a 7kw shower you had to fit a circuit breaker if using 6mm but 10mm with a rewireable so in other words pay £20 + £5 for 6mm+ circuit breaker or £35 + £2 for 10mm + fuse ie we are not telling you to go down that road you make your mind up how you want to comply. Fast forward 20 odd years
and we are being led down the same road

 

[stevenjack]

I know things as far as buildings regs and electricity up there are different and your not Part P but why on earth is that not allowed ?

Looks a neat job that. Did the surveyor say why this is not acceptable?

Full text from report, all floors are hardwood

'The electrical switch gear is wall mounted in the entrance vestibule and has
been upgraded as there are modern circuit breakers. Where visible wiring is
in pvc. There are however a number of boxed sockets with wiring in pvc
conduit. This contravenes current regulations. Current test certification​

should be exhibited.'

Thanks for the comments

 

[mogga]

I have seen a home report on a reposesed house ( 6months old) house was 17th edd but the surveyor still put "may not be up to currend edition of the regulations" they seem to be putting things like this in to cover their own butts as for mini trunking not complying ??? surveyors only skim over the regs and he may have picked up and commented on a small bit of knowlage he gained without fully checking IMO Id ask him to define what he means as YOU are paying for this

 

[the_mouse]

Hi,my first thought when viewing the pic was that it was mounted too low and being mounted in skirting board would be liable to impact damage from cleaning equipment, if i were inspecting the property i would note this. Could there be a sentence stating this missing from the report between "conduit. This " line 4 in post 11??

 

[malcolmsanford]

Full text from report, all floors are hardwood

'The electrical switch gear is wall mounted in the entrance vestibule and has
been upgraded as there are modern circuit breakers. Where visible wiring is
in pvc. There are however a number of boxed sockets with wiring in pvc
conduit. This contravenes current regulations. Current test certification​

should be exhibited.'

Thanks for the comments

Steve could he actually be commenting on Boxed sockets as that jumps out at me, what would he be refering to?

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I think you need to contact the surveyor and find out exactly which regulations are contravened....if he cant quote the regulations he has in mind he should withdraw that part of the report,