P day draws near

[Couleddie]

Finally, the day is here. Tuesday at 9.30 it's Elecsa time. 28 years after I first discovered I had an unhealthy interest in wires and sockets i'm putting the dodgy DIY days firmly into the past and making it official.

Strangely, i'm not really nervous about it although i'm thinking I should be. Bit concerned about my memory taking a last minute holiday when it comes to testing but apart from that I feel pretty much ready.

Did my CU a while back and going to test it all again tomorrow. Also just more or less finished a first fix on a rewire which came about totally by chance.

Probably start to feel a little apprehensive tomorrow when i'm getting the paperwork in order.Pray

 

[monkey5]

good luck with it. let us no the ins and out hoping to do it myself after new year.

wayne

 

[Cirrus]

Good luck. I have my NIC inspection on Thursday week. Bricking it to be honest, feel I am being cheeky as my 2 jobs are deliberately small. I have 1 single switched socket on a 16A radial (new circuit of about 4 feet in length!) and an additional socket wired on ring. I kept them simple because one is in my house and one in a friends because I need to ensure I can get access on the day and don't want customers letting me down. I mentioned the jobs to the NIC and they said that's fine, just need a major job (new cct) and minor works (additional socket). Let's see...

 

[PC Electrics]

If you're in E Yorks, does that mean you've got Gary?

 

[Theorysparky]

good luck with that

got mine in March........

 

[Apache]

Good luck! Let us know how you get on.

 

[electrocuted]

Finally, the day is here. Tuesday at 9.30 it's Elecsa time. 28 years after I first discovered I had an unhealthy interest in wires and sockets i'm putting the dodgy DIY days firmly into the past and making it official.Strangely, i'm not really nervous about it although i'm thinking I should be. Bit concerned about my memory taking a last minute holiday when it comes to testing but apart from that I feel pretty much ready.

Did my CU a while back and going to test it all again tomorrow. Also just more or less finished a first fix on a rewire which came about totally by chance.

Probably start to feel a little apprehensive tomorrow when i'm getting the paperwork in order.Pray

good luck mate ,keep us informed.

 

[Couleddie]

If you're in E Yorks, does that mean you've got Gary?

Yes. You know him?

 

[NozSpark]

Cirrus..

You have to be very carefull about what jobs you use for your inspection..

A couple of years ago during my DI inspection I nearly got put on limited scope due to the jobs that I showed him..

The main one was a CU change (17th board), a new cooker circuit and additions to a socket circuit, he said it wasn't enough but I managed to argue the point and get him to accept it as full scope.

 

[Couleddie]

Cirrus..You have to be very carefull about what jobs you use for your inspection..

A couple of years ago during my DI inspection I nearly got put on limited scope due to the jobs that I showed him..

The main one was a CU change (17th board), a new cooker circuit and additions to a socket circuit, he said it wasn't enough but I managed to argue the point and get him to accept it as full scope.

That's ridiculous. How can they class a CU change as a limited scope job? I would've thought that, along with a new circuit and additions would be more than enough. What do they want? A three-phase installation and 150 way distribution board???

 

[NozSpark]

That's what I thought.... the guy that assessed me was an AC (out of area... by quite a bit!)..

In the end he said it was lucky that I'd put a new cooker circuit in!!

 

[PC Electrics]

Yes, Ed, I do.

i usually have Russell for my assessor (did this Sept), but in Sept 2008 for some reason I got Gary. Really nice bloke.

He's recently bought an MG RV8 (that's the new version of the BGT with a 3.9 litre Rover V8 engine). Being an ex-Rover/Land Rover R&D engineer and having owned a (modified) SD1 V8 I was able to talk turkey with him about the car and some of the finer points of looking after that engine.

If you've prepared your paperwork and done the testing properly for your assessment then you won't have any problems.

I use the assessments as an opportunity to ask questions too. I miss working in a team where there are other people to bounce ideas off, so i talk to my assessors about various situations and have learnt loads from them.

 

[Cirrus]

Cirrus..You have to be very carefull about what jobs you use for your inspection..

A couple of years ago during my DI inspection I nearly got put on limited scope due to the jobs that I showed him..

The main one was a CU change (17th board), a new cooker circuit and additions to a socket circuit, he said it wasn't enough but I managed to argue the point and get him to accept it as full scope.

Now that concerns me. I spoke to the NIC and was told that these two jobs would be fine. I will go mental if the assessor tries to put me on limited scope after being told that I just have to show a new cct and an extension as sufficient.

 

[NozSpark]

I always make sure that I've got a rewire as my main job now..

For my last assesment I had a rewire on a TT installation and an extension to a ring (4 sockets in a conservatory).

I have been told by my assesor that I should really make at least 3 jobs available, they will only visit 2 jobs, but if for some reason you cannot get to 1 of them then you have a back up.. try and get keys off the owners the day before!

If you word it right then they will almost certainly be willing for the assesment to be held at their property... you have to say something like "I've just had my NICEIC assesor on the phone and as part of my yearly asesment he wants to check the work I did for you. It's just to make sure that I'm doing everything right! If you can't be in then I could pick a key up?"

The main thing for first time assesments (and subsequent ones) is to firstly make sure that you have all the books that you need, then make sure that you have all the paperwork in order (MWC's, EIC's, a log of certificates & insurance etc..). Then for the job obviously it has to be right!, but you also have to have all the correct stickers in place and make sure that you use safe isolation procedures and do not leave the cover off anything that could be live when you are not there...

During my assesments I know that I've made small mistakes, but I have chastised myself for them in front of him for making them ... then he knows that I know that I've made a mistake (under pressure)

HTH

 

[Cirrus]

Think I will call the NIC tomorrow to discuss this. I can see me having a right ding dong with the assessor if he tries to tell me the jobs don't qualify as it is subjective. If the NIC ask for one major and one minor then surely it doesn't matter how involved those jobs are as long as they fall into the bracket of major / minor?

 

[NozSpark]

They like to see a measure of the jobs that you do...

If you only show them small jobs then they would think that that's all you do and stick you on limited scope..

Here's a link to the NICEIC page that details the type of work

http://www.niceic.com/en/contractor/article.asp?SECTION=15&ARTICLE=9

 

[Cirrus]

But one is a new circuit and one is minor works. It says it in black and white. Just cos the assessor may want to see a rewire etc doesn't mean that if I don't want / have one to show that he can stop me joining if I fulfill the criteria as defined in that doc.

 

[NozSpark]

I'm only saying what happened to me... and what I now do.

In theory you should be OK with the your jobs but if you cover it belt and braces then the assessor has a bit more to choose from.

 

[tom1]

my assesment was adding a socket and installing a new light circuit, they were ok with that i bet some assesors are more better than others. seems like they were wrongly, a bit harsh on noz spark, cu is classed as major work. what would they say if u replaced a cu and issued loads of minors, they cant have it both ways.

to be honest the minimum they require for DI could be looked at as not enough, they have no idear of whats buried, if u have actuly done the work yourself and if you know enough to take on other work, in theory u could install a shower and cooker radial and have no idear how to install a ring main or light circuit. (not likely though)

but its there in black and white what they want and i anit complaning, would be a bit inpratical to examen every aspect of your work.

i will say though i was asked a lot of questions

 

[Evans Electric]

Yes, Ed, I do.i usually have Russell for my assessor (did this Sept), but in Sept 2008 for some reason I got Gary. Really nice bloke.

He's recently bought an MG RV8 (that's the new version of the BGT with a 3.9 litre Rover V8 engine). Being an ex-Rover/Land Rover R&D engineer and having owned a (modified) SD1 V8 I was able to talk turkey with him about the car and some of the finer points of looking after that engine.

If you've prepared your paperwork and done the testing properly for your assessment then you won't have any problems.

I use the assessments as an opportunity to ask questions too. I miss working in a team where there are other people to bounce ideas off, so i talk to my assessors about various situations and have learnt loads from them.

I usually get Russell too , but got an ECA guy last month, he was OK though.