Services:
Questions & Answers (Page under construction)
Here we aim to answer those annoying questions that even many electricians struggle to find a correct answer to. We have spent hours researching each question, to find what we consider the best and most correct answer. Where possible we have attached links to other official websites such as the NICEIC, ECA, Health & Safety Council etc.
Please remember though despite our research, we cannot guarantee that all our information is totally correct. This page is designed for guideline purposes only. We recommend that before you follow any advice on this page that you do your own research or contact your own registered body.
1) Do I need to use fire rated down lights or fire hoods?
This depends completely on the situation that you need to install the lighting. As a general rule a single dwelling in traditionally properties, no bigger than 2 stories will not require them.
There is a good guide for this is - The Electrical safety councils Best practice guide 5 available as a free download from
However, the cost of many fire rated down lights has reduced considerably over the last couple of years, if you are in any doubt we would recommend that fire rated fittings are installed.
2) How close to a sink can I install a socket outlet or switch?
There is no regulation that suggests how far away a switch or socket must be from a sink, although regulation 512.2.1 requires external influences to be considered when you are selecting equipment for a particular location. Standard accessories are not designed to prevent the ingress of water, therefore there is general rule of thumb that these should be at least 300mm away from a sink.
3) Can I install any type of light fitting in my bathroom?
What type of light fitting you have installed in your bathroom will depend on how for away the light is from any bath or shower. This is clarified by zones.
For bathroom zones click here
The NICEIC have a very informative factsheet on bathrooms, please see the link below;
4) Can I install a standard 13 amp socket in my bathroom?
Before July 2008 only shaver sockets were permitted to be installed in a bathroom, however since July 2008 normal domestic sockets are permitted. There are however 2 important conditions that must be applied to;
1) Any 13 amp socket outlet must be at distances greater than 3m horizontally from the boundary of zone 1
2) Any 13 amp socket outlet must have RCD protection
For bathroom zones click here
Any works in a bathroom must be carried out by a Part P registered installer.
5) What is an RCD?
RCD is an electrical wiring device that disconnects a circuit whenever it detects that the electric current is not balanced between the energized conductor and the return neutral conductor. Such an imbalance is sometimes caused by current leakage through the body of a person who is grounded and accidentally touching the energized part of the circuit. A lethal shock can result from these conditions. RCDs are designed to disconnect quickly enough to mitigate the harm caused by such shocks although they are not intended to provide protection against overload or short-circuit conditions.
A 30mA RCD will operate quicker than 50mA which is the potentially lethal level for a healthy person.
In laymans terms, an RCD is a device that has been around for a number of years often called a circuit breaker. These are often used when using outside equipment such as lawn movers and will fit between that socket outlet and the lawn mover plug. This will automatically operate if a fault occurs such as if the person was to go over the lawn mover cable.
Although RCDs are often considered a nuisance by many, there is no doubt that RCD's do save lifes.
6) Do i need to 'earth' plastic pipes?
No. You do not need to install an earthwire onto plastic pipework. Research by Electrical Research Commission as instructed by the IEE found that the exact resistance of water within plastic pipes varied but on a whole it was a very poor conductor of electricity.
7) Should my lighting be rewired if my lighting cables don't have an earth wire?
Ideally yes. However, if the lighting installation does not include any metal (Class 1) light fittings or switches, this will pass an electrical test.
If the installation incudes any metal fittings. Protentially the switch/light could become live under fault conditions. If you were to touch this 'live' fitting you would then become the fault path (earth). This could give a very serious electrical shock. If this was the case, all metal fittings should be removed or the lighting rewired.
8) How often do my electrics need to be checked?
Please see my Electrical Testing page. This varies depending on the use of the electrical installation. The time period as shown within the regulations, is for guideline purposes only. The installer/tester can recommend a time period as he/she sees fit.
The recommendations are as follows:
Domestic - 10 years (or change of tenancy if rented)
commercial - 5 years
Industrial - 3 years
Caravans - 3 years
9) Can I run cabling through loft insulation?
Yes you can, but the cable rating is severely depreciated. This can get very complicated and reference to the IEE regulations will almost definitely be required with a knowledge of how to calculate the maximum cable rating of cables. Cables clipped to joists/beams will have a lower cable depreciation due to the insulation being on only one side of the cable. But again this will need to be calculated.
Depth of insulation and insulation material will also need to be considered.
So all in all, if at all possible keep cabling away from loft insulation - it keeps things much simpler!
10) Why does my bathroom fan require a isolator?
Regulation 132.15.2 & 132.15.1 states;
"Every fixed electric motor shall be provided with an efficient means of switching off, readily accessible, easily operated and so placed to prevent danger"
I can think of 2 reasons for an isolator;
1) An Emergency
In an emergency, could you run downstairs find the fuse box and the correct MCB? Particularly when the fan is timed and will continue to run once the lights are turned off.
2) Maintenance
To be able to safely work on the fan. This is useful when the lights are required if the fan requires attention for maintenance or cleaning.
11) Can I still install the old red & black cored cables?
12) Do I need to install electrical mains battery back up smoke detectors?
13) What is Part P?
Please see the Part P section.
14) Can I rewire my own house?
Only Part P registered contractors are able to sign off any works required by Part P, this includes rewires. The only alternative, is for the installer to pay the local building control to sign off the work, usually at a cost of about £100. They will usually insist on a test certificate that says that the installation is satisfactory.
15) There is a fishy smell coming from my fuseboard.
A fishy smell is very common with various electrical fittings using a particular type of plastic when they overheat, sometimes due to poor connections. This needs attention immediately, call out a competent electrician without delay.
