In message ,
(Charlie) wrote:

I'm thinking of letting my house on a lease to a housing association.
I've had an initial inspection and one point they've raised is the
need to move sockets from the skirting to a position above the
skirting.

What are the regulations covering this?

BS7671:2001 Requirements for Electrical Installations (IEE Wiring
Regulations Sixteenth Edition).

Height of sockets AND switches governed by Building Regulations part
M - to be installed between 450mm and 1200mm above floor level, though
there are excemptions for rooms such as kitchens where sockets are
installed above worksurfaces. Part M concerns itself with "access", e.g.
for disabled persons, and also insists on things like "level" access to
the main entrance, and a wheelchair-accessible downstairs loo in
newly-built or renovated houses.


Chances are I will need to replace the wiring at the same time,
1)because theres unlikely to be enough slack 2)because the instalation
is old. Any hints and tips on doing this?

If you have no experience of electrical work, and *especially* if you
are planning on letting out the house you *must* get advice (and
preferably help) from a competent person.


Assuming the cable is ok, would it be acceptable to make connections
below the floor to extend the cables, so they reach above the
skirting, in a junction box for example?


Possibly, but bad practice and much easier to install new circuits from
scratch:

It occurs to me that the simplest way is to install brand new ring
circuits and then connect up to the consumer box when complete, at the
same time removing old connections and then removing the old
cables/sockets.


Absolutely. Install a new CU as well.

On a seperate issue the lighting circuit is old, but with new(ish)
switches, so it looks ok. The wires to the switches are in metal
trunking. What are the dangers in not replacing this?


If the earth is provided through the trunking then the chances are that
over the years it has become non-continuous, especially if d-i-y work
has been done. Modern lighting circuits must have an earth. Oh yes, and
all your switches must be no more than 1200mm above the floor (see
above).

If the intallation is relatively old (as you suggest) you *might* find
that you also need to;

Install RCD protection of some or all circuits (depends on your earthing
arrangements - take advice).

Install mains powered, linked smoke alarms. Possibly even a fire alarm
if this is to be a commercial venture (ask the housing association).

Upgrade the earthing and bonding of the premises - electrically
connecting metal items in kitchens and bathrooms and gas and water
services.

Install ventillation equipment (extractor fans) in kitchen, bathroom and
downstairs loo.

Get the entire installation tested, checked and certified by a competent
person using the appropriate test methods and equipment.

And probably a lot of stuff I haven't thought of.

Overall, the best thing to do would probably be to get the whole place
rewired. You may wish to give this job in its entirety to an electrical
contractor, but you may wish to d-i-y some of it. If the latter is the
case then see if you can find a small local contractor who is willing to
do the design and the "important" stuff but leave the pulling of cables
and lifting of floorboards to you.

But speak first to the housing association to find out what their
minimum standards would be.

HTH

Hwyl!

M.

--
Martin Angove (it's Cornish for "Smith") - ARM/Digital SA110 RPC
See the Aber Valley -- http://www.tridwr.demon.co.uk/abervalley.html
.... Children: Pure love contained in soft packages.