Caltech Electrical’s Blog

Many homeowner’s find the task of hiring a contractor daunting.  We have put together this short guide to help you in selecting an appropriate person/company carry out your work.  Hiring a contractor that seemed competent on your first impression, only to have them make a mess of your home through lack of skill is every homeowner’s nightmare. Luckily there are many ways of protecting yourself against this kind of disappointment.  At Caltech Electrical we get most of  our customers through word-of-mouth visit our customer testimonials page to find out why.  However if your not able to get a recommendation from friends or family here are a few steps you can take to ensure you make the right decision:

Are they a member of a competent persons scheme?

 It is not a legal requirement to be part of a scheme however Part P Approved contractors can self certify their own work and deal with Local Building Control notification for you.  We are a member of NAPIT click the following link to read our  Why use a NAPIT member page.

Are they fully insured?

Will they give a full written estimate?

Is the price for any subsequent remedial work included?

What steps will they take to ensure minimum damage to your property?

At Caltech Electrical we are always happy to give free estimates and offer free advice.  Our main website is www.caltechelectrical.co.uk. We cover all areas in and around Manchester.

LED Landscape Garden Lighting is fast becoming one of our most popular services. LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) are very low maintenance and have a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours.  They require very little energy to operate and are therefore extremely inexpensive and economical to run. For more details visit Manchester Landscape Garden Lighting.

Hager has produced a free consumer unit guide to the 17th edition wiring regulations. It outlines the new requirements for domestic installations and suggests what solutions should be considered.

It states that the biggest change is the need to consider RCD protection across all of the circuits. While there are alternatives, this is the most cost effective way of complying and it means that you must consider alternative consumer unit configurations.

The guide points out that all of the circuits should not be connected to a single RCD, since this could lead to the loss of supply for the entire installation if there is a fault on one circuit. Protection for a smoke detector circuit also needs special consideration.

It suggests five different consumer unit options.

The first is to provide individual RCBO protection for each circuit with a main isolator switch.

The second suggestion uses a split load twin RCD plus a dedicated RCBO for the smoke alarm.

A third option is to incorporate a split load triple RCD board, with the smoke alarm possibly sharing an RCD with other circuits such as lighting.

The fourth suggestion uses a split load twin RCD board with the socket outlets and smoke detector circuits fed from separate RCDs.

And finally, option five assumes that the smoke detector circuit is mechanically protected by one of four alternative methods described in section 522 of the 17th edition wiring regulations. In this case the contractor can use a split load RCD configuration with the smoke detector circuit left unprotected by an RCD.

Comments Hager’s product manager Steve Dyson: “The introduction of the 17th edition of the wiring regulations has major implications for all builders, electrical contractors, designers and consultants. This guide outlines how the new regulations will affect final circuits and the consumer unit in a domestic installation. It takes a practical look at the relevant sections and then shows ways of complying.

A firm registered as a ‘competent person’:
•         Can deal with all the new rules for you.
•         Is qualified to carry out electrical work to BS 7671, the national safety standard
•         Will give you a certificate to confirm their work follows the new rules

Using a ‘competent person’ ensures that:
•         You do not have to pay Building Control charges
•         You have the option of taking out an insurance-backed guarantee for the work
•         You have access to a formal complaints procedure if you are not happy with the work

Part P of the building regulations has been introduced to protect the consumer:

•         To reduce the number of deaths, injuries and fires caused by faulty electrical installations
and

•         To make it harder for ‘cowboys’ to leave electrical installations in an unsafe condition
            If you decide against using a registered firm to carry out any work for you, bear in mind

            the following points:
•         There is no guarantee that the electrical installation is safe
•         You will have no official record of the work you’ve had carried out
•         You may have difficulty selling your home if you do not have the right electrical safety certificates
•         Your local authority’s Building Control Department may insist that you put right any faulty work

Failing to comply with the Building Regulations is a criminal offence; however, registration with a Competent Person scheme is not compulsory.  If you decide to use a firm that has not registered as a Competent Person, you must ensure that the firm has submitted notification of the work and arranged for it to be inspected and certified by your local authority’s Building Control Department on completion.