House Rewire Tips Please

[MrBenn]

Hello

I've just brought my first house and it needs rewiring whilst its empty and i can cut the walls up.

i am very confident but considering i manly work on large industrial and commercial. i once worked 3 months of a block of flats.

i was hoping to tap your collective knowledge for any tips and hints in rewiring a house a few tips i had been given:

• add more sockets then i were thinking for future use.
• work out my routes and chases and get that done and dusted before wiring
• work for top to bottom.
• add coax points in rooms

any tips and advice would be a big help as this would be my first domestic rewire.

cheers

 

[steptoe]

if its empty dont worry so much about top to bottom,

deffo put in twice as much as you think you want,

use radials rather than rings

use spider lighting

add cat5e/6 EVERYWHERE

put in even more sockets than #2

leave 40A for an outside supply [shed or whatever]

outside sockets front and back

outside lights

surround sound in the living room [at least]

put in some more sockets

use one of SBS Daves DP RCBO boards,

put an extra socket over there,

 

[ProDave]

Don't fit downlighters.

Put in every conceivable type of AV cable you can think of, then some you can't think of.

Don't forget cables for satellite tv, at least 2 to every tv point.

High up wiring and AV cables etc if you plan to wall mount tv's

More sockets than you think you need (can't say that too many times)

2 way switching on hall light as well as landing light (never understand why people don't do that. You climb the stairs only to find you forgot to turn the hall light off, so have to go back down, not in my house) 

Wiring for doorbell. Yes I forgot that one in this house and I hate those wireless things.

 

[kerching]

Use the best wire that you can afford!

Recently I have encountered the following piles of utter shite

copper clad alarm cable

aluminium alarm cable 

copper clad steel phone cable

copper clad aluminium data cabcables 

 

[Sharpend]

Use domestic cable and don't worry about the cable tray, not required for domestic(usually)! Oh don't forget plenty of sockets. Smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms. Boiler wiring etc. outside lights. 

 

[NozSpark]

Also don't forget a telephone point behind the TV,, or centralise the telephone and data cables (use cat5 / 6 for all) and patch panels to make whichever ones you want for whatever purpose you want,,, you can get RJ45 to BT adaptors!

 

[OnOff]

Worth investing in a decent book on domestic wiring (or a couple as in "knowledge is power"). You could avoid many of the basic pitfalls. See here from one of our sponsors which gets good reviews:

http://www.electrickerypublishing.co.uk/new-book/

Can't honestly say I have it myself though - I've got the NICEIC & EIT guides to the building regs

Brian Scadden's books are IMO excellent (also a sponsor here). Does them on testing & inspection, design, domestic wiring etc.

Each to their own but I'm a wall chaser fan - WITH proper dust extraction. Empty property best time to do it too.

Draw the thing out in rough BEFORE you start chasing walls etc you might just see something you've missed in your head

Oh, and tap the naighbours up and APOLOGISE beforehand that you might be making a bit of noise! Makes them less likely to cop the hump!

And DON'T ask the wife's opinion.............on anything

 

[batty]

Wise words there onoff.

 

[MrBenn]

thank you for your helpful comments you have highlighted some things that slipped my mind. the doorbell and telephone points.

its going to be empty and ive got 6-7 days to really get stuck in to it.

thank you again for your tips i have jotted alot down and im going to follow some links now about the db and the book.

 

[OnOff]

Of course if you have LOTS of sockets you MIGHT want to consider chasing HORIZONTALLY between sockets to save on cable doing up/down "drops". Some are for this and some against but it's perfectly OK, within zones etc.

You might also want to consider putting the sockets higher than you're maybe used to and the light switches lower in line with current thinking - personally I like the heights. Save's bending as you get older, kids can reach the light switches - better than them falling off a chair! Imagine two lines on your walls, one 450mm off of the floor and the other 1200mm off the floor. Sockets no lower than 450mm, switches no higher than 1200mm. Sockets above the worktops - bottoms of sockets no lower than 100mm above the worktop. Switches, sockets no closer than 300mm  to a hob/sink..............it goes on and on...........BUY THE BOOKS!

Nearly forgot, Part P, read from cover to cover if I were you, won't take long as this is the new dumbed down version:

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_AD_P_2013.pdf

 

[husky2013]

USB Sockets    saves hunting plugs etc for phone/tablet chargers

Loft Light & Switch  (we prefer using an IP Rated Fitting if using a fluorescent) 

As mentioned  RCBO's are the way to go if funds permit

Use good quality wiring accessories and fittings, better to fit once and replace for general wear and tear then fitting cheap rubbish and replacing 5 mins later..

Surge Protection may also be something to consider also

Put more sockets where you think you wont need them in case you decide to change the house around in the future and realise that you havent got a socket where you need it.  ( i,e behind where sofas and units are going to be placed etc) 

Do ask your wifes opinion contrary to what Onoff said lols   your wife may think of strange places to put sockets that you may not think of initially but im pretty sure she will find a use for it

If you have a porch, always handy to put a socket in there also.

Cant think of anything else at the moment good luck with the rewire and i hope it all goes to plan

 

[OnOff]

"Do ask your wifes opinion contrary to what Onoff said lols   your wife may think of strange places to put sockets that you may not think of initially but im pretty sure she will find a use for it "

Charger for 4 AA's next to her side of the bed then!

 

[ProDave]

 

Charger for 4 AA's next to her side of the bed then!

What would that be for then :innocent

But seriously, my next house will have a shelf in the utility room with a row of sockets directly above it. As a charging station for all the mobile phones, ipads, kids games, androids etc etc, rather than have them scattered about the place getting in the way, tripped over etc.

 

[batty]

I am with Steps cat 5 cables I am not a great lover of wireless in fact all my computers are wired and a lot of stuff can go through cat 5/6. What you could do is put conduits in to make it more future proof. I generally use 20/25mm conduit on rewires makes getting cables in easier than oval conduit.

 

[Robin Spark]

Has anybody mentioned alarm cables?

 

[Zeespark]

Buy some earplugs so that you cant hear the wife yapping at you every 2 minutes, just tell her its to keep the noise down when chasing out :innocent

Andy Guinness

 

[husky2013]

and buy a decent kettle,  decent Tea Bags, and or coffee, and a mini fridge to keep a bottle of milk cool

 

[Steve3948]

Pushing data through the mains wiring is very reliable these days and a great get out clause should something crop up unexpected.

 

[OnOff]

IF you're set on doing it yourself BUT a tad out of touch with domestic wiring you could always get a plan together then pay for a local, trusted sparks (one off here dare I say) to pop round for a couple of hours etc and run it by him/her.

Oh, CCTV wiring? Where is the router going? Old airing cupboard if having a combi / condenser elsewhere can makes a nice data centre though "she" will want shelves in there.................

 

[kerching]

ALWAYS ASK YOUR WIFE'S OPINION!.........after which you can treat it with the contempt that it deserves but, always ask!