Part P Scope - House extension Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[SimonD]

I bought my present house 8 years ago and had the wiring checked by a competent electrician. As a result, he changed the consumer unit to one with MCBs and the earth bonding was sorted out i.e. added / reinstated. The new consumer unit contained a couple of spare sockets as we envisaged extending at some point.

Now, we are in the process of extending, and Part P has come into force. The intention is that all the new parts of the house will be run from a new lighting circuit and a new ring main, working from the spare slots on the consumer unit. I know that the wiring needs to be certified by a qualified electrician, but can someone tell me whether this applies to the new circuits only or whether it applies to the whole house.

Many thanks,

Simon

[Jeffmo]

Hi , your certified electrician will inspect , install and test your new circuits , however he should also bare in mind the old circuits , bonding and consumer unit whilst in the process as he will have to take maximum demand into account and other calculations. If you are extending in order to move then you are only 2 yrs off a recommended periodic inspection so i would advise getting this done whilst he is in the process of the new installation . Electrics are a big issue with new house buyers reports now so it could pay off in the end .Regardless of that a good electrician will pick up on any problems anyway and make recommendations on his reports .Cheers Jeff

[sparx]

Hi,Simon; Some good news & some bad news!!!
first the good, only new work needs certifying & registering.
The 'bad' news is that it is not a case of an electrician certifying it he must do it too! you are not allowed to install a new circuit yourself unless you notify local authority bldg control BEFORE starting such work, paying a fee for 2 inspections, 1 @ wiring stage & 1 @ 'second fix' stage.
The only other way is to use the services of a Part P registered leckie who may 'self-certify' his own work to his 'awarding body' who then notify bldg cont. on your behalf!
regards SPARX

[SimonD]

Hi Sparx,

Thanks for the advice. We have made a building regs application for the whole extension and the drawings have been approved by building control. The building inspector has visited and seen the foundations, structure, and some of the first fix stuff done by the builder, but he won't have seen all of it, and significant chunks of it have been covered up by the builder (e.g. runs above ceilings and in plaster. There's nothing done on the second fix yet (i.e. sockets, light fittings and switches).

This hadn't worried me until now because (perhaps naively) I was under the impression that the wiring could be tested for continuity using meters etc. and there wasn't a requirement for the building inspector to see individual cable runs.

Do I have a problem? Presumably this can be dealt with by uncovering things, but that is time consuming and messy. I am not happy that the builder, who is supposed to be experienced in such things, appears to have created a difficulty that shouldn't have arisen.

Cheers,

Simon

[sparx]

Hi Simon, if your bldr is using a Part P sparks to do your wiring then no prob. as the leckie can self cert. his work & bldg insp not involved, if bldr DIY then he should have stated so in planning application & payed extra fee for wiring insp. Who is going to test wiring & give you neccessary certs. at end of job? This is a legal requirement & don't let bldr 'fob you off'.
regards SPARX