Competent Electrician?

[paulthemann]

Hi everyone,

Im came here because i could do with some advice on what qualifies as a competent electrician. you see, I have always "dabbled" at electrics, fixing equipment / components / soldering etc... to changing plug sockets / dimmer switches etc in my house. I understand the basics of a circuit and can follow instructions.

My biggest job was upgrading the bathroom single light to 6 spotlights ( using the same wiring but placing the spotlights on a parallel line). Now I am confident in my work, I use junction boxes, chock blocks, electrical tape etc - I make sure my connections are tight and secure with no strays that could catch anything - but I am not a certified electrician. I would never do any of this in anyone elses house - but i have just moved out of the house where i installed the spotlights ( over a year ago mind ).

I dont want to have to start calling specialists in for work i know i can do - like yesterday I called someone in to wire in my new oven, after watching him i know i could have done that!

firstly: would you recommend I get someone qualified to check back over the spotlights in my old house?

secondly: would you recommend i go through the motions of getting qualified - so i can continue with my own DIY?

thanks for your time!

 

[ProDave]

Old house sold. It's the new owners responsibility now, don't even think of sending someone back there.

 

[NozSpark]

If the old house is still yours and you're renting it out then I'd certainly advise that you get someone in to get the whole installation tested.

If you no longer own the property then (as Dave says)... It's no longer your responsibility.

As for getting qualified to do diy then as a minimum you'll need..

Regs book @ £65(ish)

Regs course @ maybe £250 at a local college

Installation tester from £450 and up

Part P scheme membership (to keep it legal if you're in England or Wales) £400(ish)

and that's just the basics.... gives you an idea why a professional charges what they do to do a job

 

[M107]

Part P scheme membership (to keep it legal if you're in England or Wales) £400(ish)

If that NICEIC it'll be £410 + vat per year

 

[Murdoch]

Plus calibration, PL insurance etc, etc,

I'm guessing you are thinkin about "working" in other peoples houses.

 

[Doc Hudson]

Possibly the bathroom lights should have been notified to LABC and Part P compliance Certificate issued, depending upon where about in the country you are and if the work was done since April 2005. Your description of your abilities sounds like very much average DIY skills, but not competent in the context of wiring regulations. Competent persons have to take into account supply characteristics, earthing and bonding arrangements. exsisting circuit loads, cable sizes, protective devices, additional loads into their design stage. They will then also have dead and live testing on the amended circuit(s), issuing correct certificates of their test results As well as actually joining the wires up. They probably would not be using choc blocks or electrical tape very much either.

Would we recommend getting qualified? Probably be a waste of time and money. A lot of reasonably skilled DIY people could probably do an MOT on their car if they had some instructions and some correct test equipment and get themselves licensed with the relevant testing bodies. But as with a lot of things in life it is often better to pay someone to do a proper job more efficiently with the correct tools to do the the job, rather than investing a lot of time and money on training and test equipment for a few one-off DIY projects that will never recoup any investment you make. Notwithstanding the update and changes that regularly come along that necessitate additional expenditure to maintain valid qualifications. 

Doc H.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Hi everyone,

Im came here because i could do with some advice on what qualifies as a competent electrician. you see, I have always "dabbled" at electrics, fixing equipment / components / soldering etc... to changing plug sockets / dimmer switches etc in my house. I understand the basics of a circuit and can follow instructions.

My biggest job was upgrading the bathroom single light to 6 spotlights ( using the same wiring but placing the spotlights on a parallel line). Now I am confident in my work, I use junction boxes, chock blocks, electrical tape etc - I make sure my connections are tight and secure with no strays that could catch anything - but I am not a certified electrician. I would never do any of this in anyone elses house - but i have just moved out of the house where i installed the spotlights ( over a year ago mind ).

I dont want to have to start calling specialists in for work i know i can do - like yesterday I called someone in to wire in my new oven, after watching him i know i could have done that!

firstly: would you recommend I get someone qualified to check back over the spotlights in my old house?

secondly: would you recommend i go through the motions of getting qualified - so i can continue with my own DIY?

thanks for your time!

Hmmmm......

Hello Paulthemannnnnn..

Welcome to the forumbulator!!

Guinness

I would say you could probably rung rings around a whole bunch of other DIY persons who dabble with electrics.....

BUT...

if compared with a fully pukka qualified competent electrician you wouldn't even be at the starting blocks...

maybe not yet in the dressing room..

Probably still looking to buy your running shoes actually...

re getting qualified...

1/ Do you have loads of spare time and money..??

2/ If you are the sort who just wants to spend their spare savings on an expensive hobby project that you would enjoy then YES go ahead and do it...

3/ As a rough starting point have a look at the price of proper test equipment ..

our Sponsor has good prices you can use as a benchmark..

Look at 17th edition testers and/or kits..

http://isswww.co.uk/17th-Edition-Kits/

£500 -> £1000 +

4/ I have no idea how much electrical courses and exams are now...

But its going to me more than three figures!!!

Course / Exams / Books etc...

NOT cheap!!

BUT...

there again I know of people who will spend £4000+ on a push-bike...

or on other sports equipment...

So ...

If you have the money and the time and you want to give it a shot, There will be lots of people on here who can help you with any tricky questions you may come across on the courses.

Buy Steptoe a few beers Guinness   Guinness   Guinness

and he will tell you everything about Earth Rods!!!!!

 

[steptoe]

no I will not,

I know nothing about them,

I only use bits of wood and twigs apparently,

but, what do I know, I didnt spend mostly 4 years of my apprenticeship testing earth resistances and banging them in and testing them for good Ra,

Ive only ever worked in ideal conditions in a cubicle,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[btw, the 4 years I spent testing earth rods, and resistivity of the general mass of earth, was actually part of a 5 year apprenticeship, not because I was too stoopid to pass a 6month course that it took me that long]

 

[kerching]

Sooooooo       Steps is coming out of the closet  cubicle !

He has been in there banging Rod for ages     :facepalm:

just saying

 

[steptoe]

even had a bit of galv to hold onto when it got a bit tight,,,,,