Last week Jordan and Tom carried out a full electrical rewire on a three bedroomed semi-detached property in Bispham.
This property had a solid ground floor, so we had to deviate slightly from our usual rewiring process. The guys started off lifting the upstairs floorboards which gave them access to the joists below, once exposed the guys drilled new cables routes in the joists to take the cables throughout the property. In total the work took them four and a half days to complete. The rewire consisted of the following.
Downstairs sockets rewired on a 16-amp radial circuit
Kitchen sockets rewired on a 32-amp dedicated ring main circuit
Oven and hob rewired on their own circuit
Upstairs sockets on a 16-amp radial circuit
Boiler rewired on its own circuit
Downstairs lights rewired on their own circuit
Upstairs lights rewired on their own circuit
New consumer unit.
If you are rewiring or thinking of rewiring your property, then please fill out our free consultation form for free advice guidance and a quotation.
PV or Photovoltaic panels convert direct sunlight into electrical DC energy. This energy can be used to power electrical items around your home or business or even stored in batteries. In England most Solar panels are installed on your properties roof.
WHY WOULD I INSTALL SOLAR PANELS?
FCR Electrical install full Solar panel installations across Blackpool and the Fylde Coast. A full solar panel system can include, solar panels and inverters, battery storage, immersion heating controls and elements and electric car charger points. Installing a Solar panel system can help with the following
Help with the cost of spiralling energy costs and lower your bills
Car your electric car helping to reduce your fuel costs
Help your home be independent from the energy suppliers
Help lower your carbon footprint which also helps the environment
Provide power to your home or business during energy cuts/blackouts
There is a Solar panel installation to suit all budgets and situations. Solar panels and the technology behind them is moving on in leaps and bounds and with the soaring costs of energy and threats of energy blackouts they represent a great return on investment
This week was a landmark week for FCR Electrical & Mechanical LTD. Our Managing director Chris attended a training course for Solar Panel installations over at ECTA Training in Stockport.
The course was a three-day BPEC training course on the design, installation and maintenance of Solar panel and battery installations. The training will help FCR deliver on our commitment to helping Fylde Coast homeowners lower their energy bills, lower their carbon footprint and create a greener and eco-friendlier environment.
We are pleased to say Chris passed with flying colours, FCR are now moving forward with our MCS registration. To find out more about FCR Electrical’s Solar panel installations across the Fylde Coast click here https://www.fcrelectrical.co.uk/solarpanelsblackpool
This week one of our Fylde Coast rewiring teams have been rewiring this empty Bungalow over in Blackpool. This was a special rewire as it marked the first rewire that our Fourth-year apprentice Charlie took control of. Charlie and Phil got to work on this rewire on Monday and had the property fully rewired and tested by Thursday.
The property was empty when the work commenced which did make the work easier for our team. This rewire consisted of the following.
Fully rewired kitchen socket circuit with a 32amp ring main
Lighting circuit fully rewired
New consumer unit
Fully rewired general house sockets on 2 x 16amp radial circuits.
Outside light to the front of the property and a rear security light
On this property the homeowner had opted to carry out the plastering due to other plastering work being carried out..
All in all Charlie and Phil did a great job with a quick turn around which lets the owner crack on with the decorating and kitchen fitting.
WILL MY WALLS NEED TO BE CHASED WHEN REWIRING MY HOME?
In most cases the answer is YES, you will need your walls chasing to enable the electricians to run the cables into the sockets and switches. Installing your cables this way is the most common and best practice way of rewiring your property. There are ways to minimise the wall chasing if you are trying to avoid redecorating after the rewiring has been carried out. Generally, there is less chasing involved when rewiring your lighting circuits, this is because in most properties across the Fylde Coast the existing cables are installed in either cable capping or metal conduit which are small round metal tubes designed to run cables in. For your sockets, if you install your sockets at the recommended height of 450mm then there will be a 450mm chase up to the sockets, you can mitigate this chasing if you choose to install your sockets just above skirting board heights, this would be a decision for you the customer to have with your electrician.
OK, so you have chased my walls, then what?
If there are wall chases due to the rewiring process of your property, then some companies such as Fylde Coast rewires offer a complete service where we have a plasterer come into your property and patch the chases up. If you choose this option then around two days after, your walls are ready for either painting or wallpapering. You can choose to patch the chases up yourself if you are on a tighter budget, this will save you a around £250.00, just keep in mind, you may end up with more plaster on you than the walls! Another option if you would like to avoid the chasing entirely is to run your cables in surface trunking, we would only recommend this if you really did not have the budget to have the walls redecorated. Although this method will save on the chasing, white plastic surface mounted trunking does look unsightly and can gather dirt and dust. All in all, yes you most probably will need your walls chasing when rewiring your house, although in most cases the chases will be neat and done in areas that are less conspicuous such as corners of the room. We hope this clears up this question.
I NEED MY THREE BEDROOMED SEMI-DETACHED HOUSE REWIRING, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
This is one question that could be answered with, it depends! We will try and answer this question as though we are going to rewire a standard semi-detached house in Bispham near Blackpool. We tend to rewire this type of property within four days, this is with the owner still living in the property, so we are having to replace the carpets and floorboards at the end of each shift and ensure you have no loss of power. The process looks something like the list below.
FIRST DAY (USUALLY A MONDAY)
We would normally start with rewiring the ground floor sockets, earth bond the main gas and water and chase all socket boxes in the walls and second fix the sockets.
SECOND DAY
The second day is a very busy day, during this shift we would aim to rewire the ground floor lights and the upstairs sockets, the ground floor lighting would also be second fixed and reconnected into the old fuse box for the evening, so you maintain lighting.
THIRD DAY
On the third day, one of the team would chase and second fix the upstairs sockets whilst the upstairs lights are rewired and second fixed, again, the lights will be connected into the existing fuse box to maintain the lights.
FORTH DAY
On the fourth and last day, the new consumer unit will be installed in the morning and the kitchen rewired in the afternoon, whilst the kitchen is being rewired we will start the electrical testing for the certificates which are issued on completion. Last thing the property will have a good vacuum throughout and a good tidy up, all rubbish removed from site and all carpets put back in place.
Above is an overview on the timescale to rewire of a typical three bedroomed semi rewire across the Fylde Coast. There are a few variables which could extend the timeframe which we have listed below.
WHAT DO MY PLUG SOCKETS AND SWITCHES LOOK LIKE? WHICH ARE THE BEST SOCKETS AND SWITCHES FOR MY HOME?
There are as you can imagine hundreds of different wiring accessories on the market such as double sockets, switches, pendants, and the like. Here we look at different brands and rate them from our own personal experience after fitting hundreds of different accessories.
KNIGHTSBRIDGE ML SERIES
These white plastic wiring accessories By Knightsbridge are pretty much industry standard for electrical installations in the UK if you are on a budget. This range is dependable and are hard wearing. They are a standard design with a square edge however they do have a thinner profile than some other brands such as the BG range of white wiring accessories. Our view, they are standard and dependable SCORE 6-10
BG 900 SERIES
The BG series are another popular budget range, you will of seen these sockets installed all over the place. This range of wiring accessories are square, chunky and in our view ugly. These will mostly be found in rental properties, budget hotels. They will give you an average performing wiring accessory but will deliver on price if you are working to a strict budget. This range of wiring accessories are available from most small wholesalers all the way up to the likes of Screwfix sourcing a matching replacement socket or switch is easy. With the above points in mind, I we would score these an average SCORE 5-10. Again, our view cheap, dependable but most of all very easy to source.
SCHNEIDER LISSE
The Schneider Lisse range of wiring accessories are our favourite range of white plastic wiring accessories. They have a very sleek round edged look which gives them a classy feel and kind of mirrors the MK Logic range which are detailed below. They also have some nice touches such as the Schneider brand name in the bottom right-hand corner and have a red decal on the switch rockers. This is the range of accessories we fit as standard on all our installs, we have installed them on a £1m+ mansion in Cheshire and a two bedroomed electrical rewire in Blackpool. Of all the Schneider wiring accessories we have installed we have only ever had 1-2 items turn faulty within the manufacturers warranty period. The price point for these accessories is also at great value, slightly more expensive than the above-mentioned accessories they are cheaper than the MK Logic range but with the same classy sleek look. SCORE 9-10
MK LOGIC PLUS
The MKL Logic plus used to be THE benchmark wiring accessory, ask any Architect or QS and they will most probably spec this range of wiring accessory. If you look round any Government building such as a school or Council building, then no doubt these belters will be installed. The design features are slick and have a well-made feel about them. They are by far the most expensive range of white plastic wiring accessories we have reviewed here which is something to think about if you are on a budget for your installation. One thing we would point out from an installers point of view is that the connection terminals on the back of the sockets are not straight, this can cause issues with loose cable terminations which may only become apparent on completion of your installation during testing. This can cause significant time loss if you have many sockets or switches on the installation. Plus, points for this range are the sleek design, brand name and the sheer amount of installations within the UK these are installed in, negative points are the price and we feel poor terminals for cable terminations. With all these points in mind we give the MK Logic a SCORE 8-10
CONCLUSION
Taking all the points above and looking at the four different brands, we have reviewed different accessories for your different needs. If you are on a budget but also looking for a less prominent look then we would always opt for the Knightsbridge ML series, however our favourite range of wiring accessories and what we at Fylde Coast rewires would install on all our installations from rewiring a three bedroomed semi-detached to a Cheshire mansion would be the Schneider Lisse wiring accessory range. For us, these are tried and tested, and our past clients have loved the sleek and elegant look about them. Of course, our last point is if you are wiring a school or hospital then no doubt in our mind the MK Logic Plus would be the Architects choice.
WHAT FURNITURE DO I NEED TO MOVE WHEN REWIRING MY HOME?What do I do with my furniture?
When you are having your property rewired whilst you are living in the property you will have all of your furniture still in the property. This furniture will need to be moved to help aid the electricians carrying the work out. Where and when you move your furniture depends on a few factors. Below is a guide although your electricians carrying the work out will advise during the works.
DOWNSTAIRS
If you have floorboards on the ground floor then whilst having your downstairs sockets rewired it is advised and also makes the work much easier if you move all of your furniture into the middle of the room, this allows the electricians to lift the floorboards up in the corners of the rooms where you will be having your sockets installed. This will allow the electrician to feed his cables under the floors using some cable rods. This helps speed up the rewiring with minimal lifting of the carpets. Once the sockets are wired and chased into the walls the furniture such as settees can be put back in place.
If you are having your downstairs lights rewired then it is advisable to have your furniture around the edge of the rooms ensuring the centre of the room where the lighting pendant is situated is clear, this helps with feeding the cables under the floor from the upstairs and fishing the cables out in the correct lighting locations.
UPSTAIRS
Rewiring the upstairs is a little trickier when it comes to the furniture. Wiring the sockets is the same process as the downstairs, however, when rewiring the downstairs lights, the electricians will need access to the floorboards in the centre of the room, this will allow them to access the lighting points downstairs and also the switch cable drops downstairs. The electricians will still try and only lift the carpets around the perimeter of the room, this helps with restoring the floorboards and carpets at the end of each day. The landing area is usually a key cable run, most of the upstairs cables and some of the downstairs cables will be run under this floor area, it is advisable to move all furniture from the landing area, this will help as usually all of the landing carpet will be lifted each day to allow the electricians to lift the floorboards and drill cable holes into these joists.
BREAKABLES
It is advisable to place all breakables/valuables in a safe place, these items may be TV’s mirrors, vases, pictures. As your electrical rewire will require the moving of the furniture it is possible these may get damaged. A lot of customers place these either in their garage or conservatory or in a spare bedroom out of the way. If you do store these items in these rooms, then these rooms will be the last to be rewired. Your electrician will advise when it will be safe to move these items on a room by room basis
WHAT IS PART P REGISTERED? And what does it mean for me?…
This is an important question we get asked at Fylde Coast rewires all the time. Simply it means that the electrician or electrical contracting company that is carrying your electrical work out can sign off your work with your local council building control.
Most domestic electrical work carried out in England and Wales since 2005 falls under Part P of the Building regulations PART P. The idea behind this was to improve the standards of electrical installation work across England and Wales. If electrical work has been carried out to British standards (b.s.7671) for electrical work then ALL installations should be accompanied by one of two certificates, either a minor works certificate or an Electrical Installation Certificate. It had been noted that too many consumers and householders were having poorly installed electrical installations with no paperwork or guarantees in place. This prompted the British Government to include electrical installations within the building regulations.
Following on from this introduction there was a number of electrical industry schemes where the electrician or electrical contractor could register under the Competent person scheme (CPS)www.niceic.com/householder/findacontractor. This enabled electricians to demonstrate competency within the industry so they can Self Certify their work with the local Council building Control. Some of the scheme’s electricians can register with are
The NICEIC are probably the most recognised of the scheme providers and who Fylde Coast rewires are registered with.
Typical electrical work that is carried out and is notifiable under Part P of the building regulations are the following
The Installation of a new circuit
The replacement of a consumer unit/fuse box
Any additional or alterations to circuits in a special location such as a bathroom/shower room.
If you are having your Fylde Coast property rewired then this will most definitely fall under Part P of the building regulations. Your electrical rewire will be having all of the listed works above carried out during the rewire.
It is advisable before any electrical work is carried out which certifying body is the electrician or contractor registered with. Each registration carries a membership number which can be checked with the registering body if you are unsure.
On completion of any electrical installation work that falls under the above Part P registration you should receive two certificates. One will be the Electrical installation certificate and the other will be the Part P certificate which will detail work carried out, who the contractor was that carried the work out and the date the work was completed along with the electrical installation certificate number associated with the work. It is important you receive these certificates as it will be difficult to sell or insure your property without these important documents.
If you choose not to use a registered electrician, then your work can still be signed off through your local councils building control. The fee for this differs from council to council although we would budget between £300-£400. They will still ask for the relevant electrical certificates and may also wish to visit the works during installation. Choosing this option obviously can cause delays and disruption to your project and add extra costs to it also.
