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This is a summary of some of the queries we are often presented with. The information is given in good faith without warranty and no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Use the navigation buttons above to get back to the main site.
I need to get a certificate for "Part P"There are some exceptions and variations to the requirements of "Part P". In very general terms the essence of the requirements are as follows: Virtually all domestic electrical work undertaken since 1st January 2005 (amended in 2006) requires certification to declare that the work complies with regulations. There are a few exceptions to this. Details of the work need to be recorded with the local council under the statutory requirements of "Part P" of the Building regulations. There are 2 ways to satisfy this requirement.
It is therefore very important to ensure that the installer is fully approved to undertake the work OR that the council has given permission before work commences. Failure to comply with the requirements may result in an illegal installation that could attract a fine of up to £5000 and may have to be stripped out and re-installed. The certificate issued by the installer confirms that the installation is compliant with wiring regulations and the and the "Part P" certificate posted by the the scheme operator (NICEIC) confirms that the work has been notified under Part P and is legal. Some work does not carry this requirement. If electrical work has been carried out in your home without certification and notification and you have any doubts then professional advice should be sought as soon as possible. More detailed information can be found at http://www.niceic.org.uk/consumers/partphome.html The part P document (PDF) itself can be found at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADP_2006.pdf I have changed the fuse but it still doesn't workALWAYS SWITCH OFF THE POWER AT THE MAIN SWITCH BEFORE HANDLING FUSES.
There are essentially three types of fuses Re-wireable, cartridge, and miniature circuit breaker (MCB). MCBs switch themselves off in the event of a fault and can usually be switched back on to 'mend the fuse'. Cartridge fuses look like small barrels are different sizes and often colours for different amp ratings. Rewire fuses are becoming less popular but are probably still the most common. It is very easy (and dangerous) to replace a rewire fuse with the wrong size wire. See 'What size or colour fuse should I use?' above.
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The trip switch with a test button (RCD) will not reset ... ?DO NOT OPEN YOUR FREEZER. The contents will rapidly thaw if warm air is allowed in. Most freezers will keep the contents frozen for up to 8 hours providing the door has not been opened. There are several reasons why this may happen. Check the obvious first.
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What size or colour fuse should I use ?
15 Amp circuits power Immersion heaters, small power circuits (e.g. garage, loft) are coloured blue. A 15 amp fuse wire is about the thickness of a small sewing needle. 20 Amp circuits are sometimes coloured yellow and are used for medium power circuits and fixed storage and some warm air heaters. 20 Amp fuse wire is not very common and 15 amp wire can be used as a substitute. 30 or 32 Amp circuits are for socket outlet circuits, cookers, small electric showers and other instantaneous hot water heaters. a 30 amp fuse wire is about the same thickness as a paperclip. A PAPERCLIP OR OTHER STEEL WIRE MUST NOT BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE. 30 amp fuse wire is generally the maximum size used in domestic circuits) 35 Amp circuits are limited to cartridge fuses only and are sometimes coloured green. They are generally only used for medium power showers. 40 Amp circuits (Grey) are for larger showers 45 Amp (Orange) circuits are used for larger cookers and showers Back to Top
I have lost all my lighting and power ?If all the switches and circuit breakers in your meter cupboard are switched on and absolutely nothing electrical in your house works, it is likely that there is a problem with your supply. Contact your electricity supplier. There will be a phone number in the telephone book and on your electricity bill. Back to Top
I am moving home (and my surveyor has advised I should have the wiring checked)The wiring regulations require that all domestic installations should be inspected and a report on the condition of the wiring be obtained at least every ten years. We recommend that this should be done at least every five years for installations over 20 years old. More often than not, such inspections are only carried out when a property changes hands if at all. The reason for these inspections is to detect actual and potential faults and to maintain compliance with changes in regulation and safety requirements. The nationally recognised document for such inspections is the 'NICEIC Periodic Inspection Report' gives, in addition to other information, recommendations, a general assessment and full set of test results for every circuit within the installation. A visual inspection report is available but its value is limited as no testing is carried out. If installation work has been carried out since January 2005, a "Part P" and an installation certificate should be available. See Inspection reports, Testing, Certificates . Back to Top
I have just drilled a hole in a wall and I think I've hit a cableThis is likely to need specialised attention. Turn off the power at the main switch and seek advice. Back to Top
What is the NICEIC ?
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What certification should I be given when electrical work has been completed.
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Do I need rewiring?If you can answer yes to one or more of the following there is a possibility that you may need to be re wired. We would certainly recommend conducting a Periodic Inspection if any of the following were true. Even if you can answer no to all the following this does not imply your wiring is safe.
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I have changed a light fitting and now the fuse keeps blowing
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My security light stays on all the timeThere are at least 3 possible causes.
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Why do my light bulbs keep blowing?There are many possible causes. It can sometimes take a considerable time to find the reason. It helps as with any other recurring fault to keep a written record of all incidents detailing as much information as possible (times, dates, weather, description of actions immediately before the incident, what was in use at the time, etc.) A few of the more common causes are:
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I have recently had some electrical work done and I need it testing.Only the installing contractor or electrician can issue an Installation Certificate declaring that all work that has been undertaken has been installed in accordance with the wiring regulations and Part P of the building regulations. A periodic inspection report is not an installation certificate. It is important to ascertain before any work commences, that the installing contractor's certificate will be accepted by all interested parties and authorities (Grant office, Local Council, Building society, Insurance company, Licensing Authority, letting agent, HSE, prospective purchaser, etc). The NICEIC installation certificate is nationally recognised by all such authorities. Only a NICEIC approved contractor can issue an NICEIC certificate. Back to Top
What is an RCD why is it not like a MCB trip switch?In essence, a MCB 'trip switch' can protect against overload and fault currents. The level of protection is indicated by the rating of the MCB and is, for example, usually 32 Amps for a modern socket circuit. If the circuit is overloaded (e.g. too many appliances) the MCB will switch itself off to prevent danger. It will also eventually switch itself off if a significant fault occurs causing any live part if the circuit or appliance to come in contact with any metal casing, pipe-work or other structural metal. It requires relatively high fault currents to pass for it to switch off the electricity in the regulation time (faster than 0.4 seconds). To get such a large fault current to flow a very effective earth path is required, i.e. we need to be able to to 'soak up' all this electricity. In certain conditions it is not always possible to get a good enough earth path to do this (out doors, for example) and so we need something else to switch off the electricity in the event of a fault. RCDs are a typically thousand times more sensitive and can detect very small 'leaking' fault currents, and can switch off the electricity very quickly. They offer no overload protection so a MCB is still required (some devices have these functions combined). All RCDs have a test button and are usually physically larger than an MCB. They can also be used to provide additional protection required in some special locations. Are my electrics safe?Nothing in this world is "safe" and everything we do has some degree of risk. An electrical installation is deemed "safe" if the the level of risk in using the installation is below an acceptable level. The acceptable level is deemed to be met if the installation fully complies with the current version and amendment of BS 7671 - the wiring regulations. These regulations take into consideration all aspects of the use of an installation and it is therefore very unlikely that accidental fire or injury will result with an electrical installation that fully complies with these regulations. It is nevertheless possible that danger can exist due to a deliberate, exceptional or unforeseen action or circumstance that would circumvent the precautions required by the regulations. The certification issued with every electrical installation is the installer's declaration of compliance with the regulations. Without a certificate the user has no assurance that any precaution against of risk of danger has been made. A periodic inspection report for an existing electrical installation will offer some degree of assurance and will highlight significant risks discovered in the process of the inspection. It is the recommended course of action if no valid certification exists. The inspection report is however limited only to the accessible parts of the installation, which is usually a relatively small percentage of the whole installation.
Do I need to upgrade my electrical installation?Like many other systems and services, electrical installations require maintenance to ensure continued safety and reliability. An old installation may be able to make lights light and the TV work in much the same way as a new one, but over time, the way we use electrical installations have and are continually changing and installations need to be maintained and improved in order to continue to safely meet these new demands. Some examples of these changes would be: Individual electric heaters have been replaced with central heating, microwave ovens, personal computers, games consoles, flat screen plasma TVs and set-top boxes, plug in adaptors for charging batteries in telephones, halogen and induction cooking hobs. These and many other appliances have changed the way we use our electrical installation. Lighting has also changed with new technologies with Tungsten Halogen, compact fluorescent, high pressure discharge, and LED. Appliances and lights are imported and exported all over Europe and the world from and to countries with different electrical characteristics to those in the UK. Our electrical installations need to be able to power all these appliances, advances and changing circumstances, each bringing different risks and requirements. The wiring regulations have changed many times over the years to reflect these new technologies and address statistical information from electrical related incidents and accidents. Some wiring regulations have been relaxed, many new regulations have been introduced. At the time of writing the 17th edition of the wiring regulations is just becoming established as the latest standard, each edition before it having several amendments. It is a regulation requirement that every domestic installation is inspected and tested at least every 10 years. This report can be used to determine what, if any, remedial work should be undertaken to address any deterioration in the installation and to make any changes to the installation to meet changing demands and nature of use by the particular household. A common improvement is the upgrade of the consumer unit to a split load RCD (residual current device) protected type. These have been in use from around the mid to late 1980s and new units from July 2008 are likely to have have at least two RCDs or RCBOs (residual current circuit breaker with overcurrent protection). RCDs & RCBOs can be identified as a circuit breaker with a test button - not to be confused with some older MCBs with a trip button.
What do the acronyms stand for?PIR Periodic Inspection Report
How do the new 17th edition wiring regulations affect me?The 17th edition wiring regulations (BS7671 2008) were published can came into effect in January 2008 and The previous 16th edition regulations (BS7671 2004) cease to be valid from July 2008. New installations may be installed to either edition between these dates. Any installation completed and compliant with the March 2004 amendment of 16th edition regulations up to and including 30 June 2008 will likely be non-compliant from 1st July 2008 to some degree. This does not necessarily imply that the installation is unsafe and requires improving, although consideration to upgrading should be given. The following is a list of some of the more significant areas of change that are likely to affect the majority of basic domestic installations wired to the minimum requirements of BS 7671 2004.
Not all of the above may be applicable in all installations and Some of the new requirements can often be met by replacing or adapting the arrangements at the consumer unit,
Steve Lomax.
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A RCD
(Residual Current Device) is a device which detects an imbalance between
the current 'leaving' and 'returning' from and to the circuit. If more current
leaves than returns then some is leaking away (to 'earth') due to a fault. These
faults are frequently associated with water and damp, so its a good idea to eliminate
any appliance or circuit that has anything to do with water or feeds equipment
outdoors. Unplug and switch off appliances and circuits such as kettles, washing
machines and driers, steam irons, water heaters, outside lights, garages, carpet
cleaners, pressure washers, waste disposals, central heating systems, etc. Other
appliances which have been known to cause RCDs to trip are toasters, cookers,
electric fires, and other appliances with heating elements.
National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation
Contracting is the premier organisation, protecting the
interests of the consumer with regard to safety issues in electrical contracting
work. NICEIC approved contractors and samples of their work are regularly
inspected by an NICEIC inspecting engineer and are required to demonstrate
competence, hold the required qualifications and insurance, and have the tools,
plant and machinery to undertake the work carried out by the contractor. The NICEIC
ensure that contractors comply with regulations and protect the customers of approved
contractors under their guarantee scheme. The NICEIC performs many functions in
addition to providing its approved contractors with technical assistance in
respect of compliance with regulations and, Unlike many associations, providing
an un-biased arbitration service in respect of safety issues in disputes between
contractors and the customer. For more information visit the NICEIC website at 
For all new work an 'Installation Certificate' or a 'Minor Works Certificate'
must be issued by, and only by, the contractor undertaking the work. A Periodic
Inspection Report should not be issued as a substitute. A 'Minor Works'
certificate can only be issued for work where no new final sub-circuit from the
fuse board has been installed. Where a new circuit has been added and
for all other work an 'Installation Certificate' must be issued. One of
two types of installation certificate may be issued , one covering all types of
installation (5 pages minimum), and another for domestic installations only (3 pages). 
This is often due to the connections of the wires from the ceiling when the
lights are wired using what is called the 'loop in' method. This method has been
in common use since around the 1970's If there are 2 or 3 sets of wires coming
into the light fitting this is likely. It is often the case that the pair of
wires to the switch has been wired incorrectly. This pair should be marked and
it It is necessary to have a test meter to re-identify this pair if the marking
is missing and it is not as straightforward as it may seem. Seek expert
assistance. 