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connecting, wiring lightboxes etc
hello all, what would you say the minimum qualification is to connect up a lightbox electrically or do you just do it anyway? Are there any comebacks insurance wise for not being qualified? are there any courses to give you the minimum standards?
This part of sign fitting has always been a bit vague after all sometimes you are just making off the tails into a connecter block or spur already in place 😕
been doing some googling and part p springs up
Just like to know your thoughts
Cheers
G
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12 Replies
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HI
Since it’s not a small domestic job e.g. one socket outside of a kitchen or bathroom, then Part P should spring up since it’s a necessary qualification in order to do this work.
Rightly or wrongly (I believe wrongly since I have qualifications in electronics systems anyway) our glorious government is moving things in the electrical trade towards that ‘closed and rewarding shop’ (but not for the cheated customer) of the likes of Corgi registration in plumbing.Ian :lol1:
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if you put all the electrics in the lightbox yourself, then i think you need it checked out / to be qualified.
if you buy it in, ready made with the lights all wired up and it’s a simple cast of plugging it in, or at worst connecting a cable, fitting a plug and plugging in, then you’re (to my knowledge) perfectly within the law.
was chatting to an electrician about this a few months back. the law is really there to stop people hacking into ring mains etc, and overloading circuits / causing fires as a result. simply plugging something into a wall socked is not viewed as ‘skilled’.
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I have made of the tails and fitted to the connecter block/spur before Hugh but wanted to know where i stood legally, i think if you make it clear that if there is a local switch spur i will wire it in (its not rocket science) but that is as far as i go i am not putting in another ring etc 😕
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if hard wiring it (spur) then i’m not entirely sure, I always tell the customer that i can out a plug on it, but if they want it hard wired they need to organise / do that themselves, i think you can but i’d sooner not take the chance that they’ve already got too much on the ring main!
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As said before simple wiring is all you can touch i.e fitting a plug. But touching the electronics in the box is not allowed. One other thing you should watch is that whoever manufactured the box is part p qualified generally there not so thus the whole unit needs to be checked over . You either need to get it pat tested (very difficult to find anyone within a reasonable price) or installed by an electrician. Because I’m part p qualified i can fit the electronics, but before that i just fitted the box and left the rest to an electrician.
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isn’t part p for domestic wiring? and surely if you buy a light box it must be made to a standard?
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Sorry im going down the wrong road. You can fit a plug by all means but to be able to install it into the ring main you must be a qualified electrician. Also yes boxes should be made to a standard but i do know a few manufacturers who are fitting the control gear but are not electricians they are assuming that an electrician will test the box. Ignore my crap about pat testing. Sorry for the confusion
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As a qualified PAT tester I cant even change a plug (if its moulded) under the regs as its not considered a minor fault.
Ideally the external electrics should be connected to a fused RCD protected spur and I believe under 17th Edition armoured cable should be used outside the building.
Basically if in doubt get a qualified sparky to do it. The last one I did had an external loop in the ring main, so had to get a sparky to sort that out.
A PAT course will cost about £100 and the kit from £170 upwards, qual lasts for 2 years and allows you to test equipment connected to spurs…….This will allow you to hook up and issue a certificate!!!! Not to mention being able to sign off all your own tools and electrical equipment.
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Sorry i did not make myself clear enough the box is already built and bought in from a reputable company it usually comes with twin and earth cable in place ready to connect up to whatever is ready from the customer, if they are not sure about it i always suggest they get a qualified electrician in BUT if they say here is the spur i have had put in place for this lightbox then i usually dob it in.
Graeme are you telling me that a lightbox can be classed as a portable appliance???
😕
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Yes…………its a gray area between what is fixed and portable. A fused spur is just a posh connection without a plug! This was talked about at great length on my course because there is no black and white cutoff. e.g. a 40Kg pillar drill n a 13A 3 pin plug versus a spur wired 450Kg pillar drill, both need testing even if hard wired to the wall. Light boxes are generally out of reach to the public/workforce, but what about the poor window cleaner who gets zapped by a dodgy light box!!!
Remember all those plush air con units outside offices are PAT Testable!!!!
At the end of the day, follow the regs and where possible do the little extra that mitigates risk against yourself i.e. it was certified fit for use on the day it was fitted.
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So is there short training courses that can be acheived that qualify you to build, fit, and maintain LED’S, and lighboxes without having to do a full apprentiship?
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Working sub 50 Volts is no problem as long as you are not breaking into transformers. Most of these are sealed units and fall into class 3 testing (pretty much visual). LED’s are all low voltage components. Above 50V and you need to be qualified to fit and test and thats where the sparkies come in.
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