That depends.. Are you looking to have cables ran in the wall or not?
The alternative would be to run cabling on the surface.
A great read for anyone thinking of rewiring is my article on wireless switches. You can read it here
Below you will find a list of the questions I get asked on a regular basis.
It depends
If the door entry system is the older type with multiple components and transformer driven audio only handsets, then the likely answer is yes.
If on the other hand the door entry system is a modern, internet enabled, server driven, software powered, sim card enabled door entry system, then the answer is no.
This is because modern door entry systems have passwords, firewalls, proprietary operators and the like. This means that I couldn't do much even if I wanted to. If you have a problem with a modern door entry system I recommend installing a wireless doorbell.
Failing that, you could always find the maintenance guy and get him to call block management, who will call maintenance, who will get block management again, who will then arrange an external contractor, who will get the block management on the phone, who will then contact the the management company of the system and get them to repair it.
The short answer is no.
Many years ago, electricians would install everything electrical, nowadays, many people looking to enter the industry are going into trades that don't require an electrician's qualification, but still carries some formal training.
These qualifications are often cheaper and can be acquired in far less time.
More so, it means that the new entrant can start working and earning quicker than if they were to go through the electrical route first.
What this has led to, is an army of pseudo electricians creating spinoff trades that can compete on price and labour because they don't carry the enormous baggage that a time served and fully qualified electrician can bring to the deal which, obviously, adds cost and overhead.
The result is a worker who installs wiring into a building without the comprehensive knowledge of containment, wiring systems, fixing methods, circuit testing and inspections that the electrician will have gained before said electrican had decided to add a string to their bow and get the fire alarm qualification.
The fire alarm qualification is the string, the electrician qualification is the bow.
It depends.
If you want a quote for a light fixture change then no. Lights take around an hour to change unless its a chandelier which will incur an extra charge, therefore the chrage will be the hours rate.
If on the other hand you are having an extension done and need to talk through your project and need me to liaise with your builder, then yes.
I charge for this service because I offer my intellectual property as part of the quotation which has needed to be written and detailed based on what we have discussed.
If you then decide to contract me to do the works for you, the cost of the quotation is then taken off the final bill.
If you don't want me to do the works, you are still able to keep the specification that we have produced to then take to someone else for quoting.
No
I serve the city of Norwich, and can be anywhere in the city within 20 minuets. If you are happy with my standard flat rate price promise then you will know what the charges will be before I attend.
I will often advise a time frame based on what you have told me and will endeavour to stick to that.
With callouts, its more likely that it will be on a 'make safe' basis only. Therefore, if you have an emergency and need some assistance, I will often attend, make it safe, and then arrange further works with you if you wish
The short answer is yes.
The correct answer is maybe
My answer is no.
I would suggest you seek professional advice first. If you are asking this because there is a light switch that has stopped working and you want to swap it over for a new one, then you will likely have no problems doing that once you have become a YouTube master.
However, this is a far cry from the customer who asks this with the view to building their own house which they then want to rent out.
I personally like cooking, but I am not about to open my own restaurant with the view to serve 100 covers every night.
Yes.
Many of the problems in the home regarding electricity can be so easily avoided.
Here are the main ones:
1. Electrical fires:
If you have a good electrical system that has been installed well and inspected frequently, you can rule this out as a cause for a typical electrical fire.
If however you are in the habit of using plug in heaters, extension leads, or using electrical devices whilst in bed, then you need to take heed:
Many electrical fires are caused by overheating appliances that are not supposed to be covered up. This often occurs when electrical radiators are used to dry cloths or towels
There is a high risk with electrical devices on beds. The devices can get hot when on charge with the screen lit up. Therefore, if hey are on a bed, the bedding can catch light which in turn damages the lithium battery which then turns into an inferno.
2. DIY Electrics
Unless you really know what you are doing and can make off cables in a mechanically sound way, don't do your own electrics. Wiring systems can be confusing and complicated. Add to that, cabling can be thin and damaged easily. Remember that you cant un-cook a steak just like you cant uncut a cable.
3.
Buying cheap leads, chargers, or light bulbs.
Cheap materials used in the manufacture of electrical equipment is a fast growing concern in the UK.
Cheaper materials may not be able to withstand the voltage of our electrical system; this can lead to electric shocks or burns.
Inferior products use different composition of wiring in thier products. This can mean that the cables become fragile or unable to cope with the demand of different rated appliances: think of the battery difference in an iPhone vs an iPad. They pull different amount yet often people will use the same cable. This can lead to house fires or damage to the equipment.
Its a Yes and No answer.
There are 4 faults codes on an EICR: C1, C2, C3, and FI (further investigation required)
For C1, and C2 faults you should be getting these repairing as a matter of urgency.
For C3 codes it is up to you. Some C3 codes can require alot of alteration or swapping out of old or non compliant equipement. This can mean a rather eye watering bill for something that is only a recommendation.
An FI will mean that you need to get the problem checked further. This is likely a fault that couldn't be identified during the safety check, but needs to be looked into to ensure it isn't something more sinister.
Some faults are more sever than others. Alot depends on the fault that has been found and how you are using the electrical system.
These refer to EICR codes. (Electrical Installation Condition Report)
These codes are assigned to the various observations that are noted during fixed wire testing.
A C1 means you have a dangerous situation involving electricty. This could mean there are live parts which are exposed and can be touched freely. This would often require the power to be switched off, or a cover be put over them until a permanent repair can be made.
A C2 fault is quite common and means you have something that is potentially dangerous that will need repairing urgently. Typical faults include no earthing at a socket outlet, broken accessories, and degrading insulation around wires.
A C3 fault is very common and means you have some things that could be improoved for safety or to make the issues compliant. These include missing labels, cables not secured with clips, and outdated but still safe equipment.
Older equipment, whilst probably far better made by todays standards, often don't have modern safety features.
In many cases, its more that you could be safer than you are now.
Airbags are a good example of this: Classic cars likely wont have airbags as they were not a around when the car was made. That doesn't make the car unsafe, it just means that you are not as safe as you could be in the event of a collision.
Electrical equipment is similar in this regard. The electrical equipment may not be inherently dangerous if it is simply 'old', but it may be missing some safety features that are now required for its continued use.
Don't confuse this with faulty equipment. If a safety feature on a piece of equipment has failed, that will need to be repaired or replaced. Thermal cut-outs and overload devices are a critical component in the basic use of many things and should be operational.
The same is true if the equipment is damaged, broken, or missing shields or covers.
This wire is called a main equipotential bonding conductor, and is required in most cases by the wiring standards.
It does have a purpose: Much of a homes water and gas systems are still run in copper to some extent. This copper system needs to be connected to earth to ensure a good fault path.
For example: If a live cable touches the copper piping system in your home, if that pipework is connected to earth, it should result in the power going off.
If instead it isn't connected to earth, then if may not turn the power off. This will then basically turn all the copper pipework live. This could result in an electric shock if you were to touch part of this system: the pipes, the taps, the radiators etc.
This is known as sampling, and is required during fixed wire testing to ensure an inspection has in fact taken place.
There are two main reasons we do this:
1. To confirm the accessory point is suitably fitted
2. To ensure there are no negative maintenance problems.
If a socket is to be found unsuitably fitted, I am often (for lack of a better word) attacked by the customer for making up problems.
This is because, logically, if a socket outlet is fitted, it will have been installed suitably and an appropriate certitificate would be issued.
The reality is that this is not always true. I don't make things up and I don't oversell problems. The fact is that many installations have been installed poorly and the systems that exist to prevent these issues are flawed.
Maintenance problems include loose connections, corrosion of steel back boxes and deteriation of wiring insulation.
An EICR comprises 5 main steps:
Doing a walk around
- This is where we identify the size of the property and what the electrical installation is covering. We make sure we have identified all the lights, sockets, and the electric boxes; if there are more than one
Mapping
- All those accessories and the circuits at the electric box need to be recorded. We’ll record this onto a report so that we know what we are inspecting and testing
Individual circuit testing
- The wires that start at the electric box and finish at the final point on the circuit will need testing. We will also need to inspect the other accessories along the way and check there are no problems. We’ll do this for every circuit you have
Compiling the report
- During the inspection, we may have identified defects or faults. These need detailing and a course of action specified. This can take some time if there are many problems found
Explain the report
- If you have asked that the report be carried out, you'll likely want an explanation as to why a certain problem has been identified. Much in the same way you would ask that the mechanic justify the need for new brakes after an MOT. This again can take some time. This stage is made easier with the use of pictures that are taken during the inspection stage of the report.
Its an acronym. Much like many other names of companies that utilise a seemingly random collection of letters from the alphabet. UPS, IBM, RAC etc.
When I (Ben) was thinking about a company name, I became somewhat frustrated that many of my completely brilliant original ideas were in fact entirely unoriginal and as such, were taken.
That, and the determination not to resort to a poorly imagined name that has become very common amongst trades; often a persons initials with their industry on the end. BGG Electrical. It might have worked...
I went with the geographic spin; I live on Thunder Lane, and I'm an electrician. I thought of something comical and that mocked the time I had already agonised over a name. I settled on 'Where There's Thunder There's Lightening'.
The logo was trickier. Getting W T T T L to look usable was difficult - The 3 T's were easily confused with 2 T's. I ended up connecting the 3 T's at the base leaving me a shape quite recognisable in the electrical industry, and dropped the W and L from the image.
After I had told the guy designing it about my book Broken Standards, he flipped it and made it look like a shield. The industry has poor policing, but what laws and standards we do have need to be defended, so a shield now makes up the logo.
You have some options. But first, what you MUST do:
- The light(s) need to be rated for the bathroom (it will be an IP rating)
- If its a straight swap its quite simple, but if you are adding lights then it must be notified to building control
Your options:
You can put any light fitting in a bathroom.
Yes, even a chandelier. Of course... with a chandelier we would need to have that outside the zone and ideally where you cant touch it... So.. 4 meter high ceilings?
The most common options are:
- a single light in the bathroom: This must be IP rated (ingress protection). There are different zones in a bathroom where different light fittings can be placed. Generally though, the minimum protection rating should be IP44
- Downlights: This is the most popular option. Why? Because the saying less is more doesn't apply here. More downlights in a bathroom is better because bathrooms are better when there is good strong light, and that often means 4+ downlights. Downlights should be IP rated just like ceiling lights
- Wall lights: Are you one of those? These are probably the least common but they do exist. Mostly an ugly shaver light but some wall lights are made for the bathroom. They will need to have shields over the lamps. They look nice over a mirror but shouldn't be used as the only light source.
If you're unsure and want to know more, fill out the form and ask. I'll be happy to help!
The short answer is yes.
It helps to understand what an RCD does:
An RCD (Residual Current Device) is an electrical device that breaks the power to the circuit when earth leakage is detected on a circuit.
What is earth leakage I hear you ask?
Earth leakage is an instance where electrical current in a circuit leaves the live conductors (Live and Neutral) and starts 'leaking' down to earth.
So why is that a problem?
The problem comes when you don't have an RCD. Electrical current is free to leak down to earth through the least resistive path.
If you touch the faulty item and form a path to earth then its possible that the earth path you have just created will be of a lower resistance than the one that is currently in place. This causes the current to flow through you and thus, give you an electric shock.
This will depend. I would often suggest you don't rely on this being an option.
Pipe was mostly used for lighting so it's unlikely that you will be able to do this with your socket outlets.
Properties that were wired in pipes were mostly flats from the 60's and 70's. Whilst you could rewire a flat that was originally wired in pipe, its common for the pipes to corrode which would make pulling new wires in difficult.
Some wiring will have been installed by using capping: a PVC or steel cover that goes over wires. Again, don't rely on this, as there are likely far more wiring systems without this feature than there are with it.
Lastly, some wiring systems may have been installed with plasterboard dot and dabbed over them. In some cases, you can run new cabling down these small voids, but again, its mixed results and shouldn't be relied upon.
Chasing walls or Channelling walls as its also known is messy.
It doesn't have to be as messy as you might think, as there are machines that we extract the dust from the process. These machines can be expensive and they don't cut the entire channel so you may still need a tool to break the last bits.
Either way, chasing walls is a messy job.
There are other options available now that can limit the channelling considerably: Dot and dabbing walls, erecting stud walls, and using wireless switching devices will all remove the need to break into the walls by a considerable amount.
The dust that is produced by cutting wheels is very fine. So fine that it feels almost like ash to the touch. This can cause serious problems if you are breathing it in, and can also dull and scratch floors and furniture.
If you know you need to have chasing work done in a room, despite the best efforts of technology and modern tools, I would always recommend you protect the floors and remove or at least cover and tape and furniture
Rewiring a kitchen is a big expense, but it doesn't have to be.
Kitchens that have reached the end of thier life of 20 years may have wiring that has many more year left. Provided the electrics are in good condition and you are happy with the positions of switches and sockets, then you may not need to spend anything.
If however you are doing a kitchen renovation because the kitchen was installed in the 70's and its time for a make over, then you may need to consider spending quite a sizable sum.
For a more comprehensive answer on the cost of rewiring a kitchen, you can read my article The cost of Kitchen Electrics
With kitchen fans there are a number of choices to consider.
There is the fan over the hob which can either vent outside (recommended on gas appliances due to the burnt gas exhaust), and a recirculating fan with coal filters
If you don't have a fan over the hob which can sometimes happen if you have your hob on an island, then we can install a fan in the wall which would vent outside.
The short answer is no.
We get a lot of enquiries for electrical work and our customers are all at different points in their project.
Some customers know exactly what they want, and others need a little help to identify what they would like to achieve.
Quoting for electrical work is often quite rigid and can be difficult to get right unless you know what you require. For us as suppliers we need to know there are no hidden nasties that may surprise you after we have started.
At w3tl, I like to talk with you first to help understand whether you are ready for a quotation or if you are in the research stage and just need some ballpark costs and ideas on what to budget for.
Quotation visits can last anywhere from 20 minuets to over an hour, so we want to make sure that we are not wasting your time or ours. Because of this, we will always try to help you as much as you can before we come to see you so that we have everything ready to provide the most accurate and up-to-date quote for you.
Its a yes and a no.
If we are installing downlight fixtures for you then yes. We will generally fit an integrated downlight fixture which comes with a bulb already fitted and we offer a 5 year guarantee on them.
If we are installing a light fixture then it will depend. Different bulbs (or lamps is you're a purist) will perform differently, so it is more personal preference than simply buying any lamp and putting it in.
With there being so many light bulbs on the market, we will generally have a research chat to find out what type of light you would like, how bright you would like it, and how you would like to control them. From here we will make some recommendations and make sure that we only suggest lamps that we completely trust and have a good reputation.
