Mattg4321

Anybody terminating SWA like that shouldn’t be touching it! If you haven’t got all the strands, then how do you know that all of them are satisfactorily connected so that if something were to pierce the cable and short out the armour to a line conductor you could be sure the circuit would be disconnected? To connect all the strands after using a stuffing gland would be harder work than just using the correct gland in the first place! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using the armour as the cpc, if done properly, and especially if the cable is mechanically protected in a duct in my opinion. Plumbers should stick to pushing pipes together! I’ve seen far too many dodgy boiler wiring centres in my time. 😜

Just to add to this, if you buy 2 core armoured cable, then it will be brown and blue cores, with the steel wire armouring used as the cpc/earth. Most people now prefer to have a separate core for the cpc/earth these days though, even if not actually required. Usually to mitigate the risk of some idiot builder damaging the sheathing, thus exposing the swa and starting the process of it rusting away. I usually try and buy single phase colours (brown, blue and g/y), for when using it in single phase applications, but it usually needs to be ordered in as no wholesalers seem to stock it. It’s now specifically against the regulations to use a green/yellow core for anything other than a cpc/earth, single 18th A2. This one is going to catch out a lot of plumbers!!!

Poor quality lamps (bulbs) most likely. Or fitting not designed with enough ventilation

I always use metal capping on all my jobs. No reason you can’t just clip, especially if dot and dabbed walls, but I think capping is a better job. Gives the cables some protection from idiots leaning stuff against the walls, plasterers trowels etc. You can also often rewire through it, even though it’s not really designed for that. It is a pig of a job though. My apprentice still hasn’t totally mastered it after 3 years.

Dry lining boxes look ok if the wall is to be skimmed and they are fitted beforehand so they finish flush to the surface. only downside to this is that sometimes when second fixing you can break off pieces of the multi finish, which then needs repairing. If it’s a taped finish or after the wall has been skimmed then that to me is an unsatisfactory finish as the box sits proud. If I have to use dry lining boxes then Appleby are probably the best, unless it’s double boarded, in which case they don’t work. Knockout boxes on noggings is the correct way of doing it in my opinion. You can detail PIR board around them better if necessary too imo.

You won’t wire it as an intermediate/normal 2 way set up as the way time lag switches work is completely different. They turn themselves off, rather than it needing to be possibly turned off from 3 positions. You’ll just need to provide a permanent line and neutral to each switch. Then common together all the switched line outputs to the lights.

Any of the time lag switches will work as you have a 3 core and earth between the switches. It’s an incredibly simple job for a competent electrician.

No sleeving. Are you sure this guy is an electrician??!!

Come across a few of these over the years. Commonly known in the trade as a widow maker.

4 core will be suitable for 3 phase, either by using the SWA as earth - if calculated to be suitable, or by making the garage TT - again if suitable. If you want belt and braces, chuck a 16mm2 earth through the duct with it. This was always the accepted way of doing it. Seeing 5 core installed is rare. The incoming DNO supply will very likely be aluminium concentric, so external appearance won’t be much clue. Not that you really need to know! Only what size your DNO fuse(s) are.

You can’t use the 90 degree temp unless all accessories connected are also rated to that, which invariably they won’t be. It’s highly likely that 35mm2 will be overkill. It’s also likely you’ll want to run data out there I would think. Especially if you’re fitting EV charging. I’d be allowing for a TPN EV charger just to future proof it as much as possible. At a guess, 4C 16mm2 and at least one separate cat 6. It really would be best to discuss with the person who is doing the job though.

A duct with a rope through it would be better.

Ants often get into bollard lights and build a nest in there, causing problems. I refuse to fit 230v bollards now. More aggro than they are worth. Extra low voltage or 230v lamp posts for me now.

Something like the one in your link will work well. Also paper suit and gloves would help.

Looks terrible. Needs replacing imo

The attitude towards asbestos is a bit OTT these days, certainly in relation to other potential dangers such as silica dust and also carcinogens released when working with MDF, both of which nobody seems to give two hoots about. The risk is probably not far off similar though. Asbestos in things like artex and corrugated roofs is fairly low risk in comparison to blue asbestos in boiler rooms for example, which is high risk. I’m often hearing of people buying houses lately and being scared by an asbestos survey that has identified asbestos in artex or the bitumen/glue under their flooring. They then have it removed at great expense. Mostly unnecessarily imo. Total overkill.

Fair enough, but I would suggest you’re being a little pedantic! It’s people, rather than houses that use water. The same link shows that the number of households has increased by a similar amount. We have a similar problem here with regard to wastewater. Southern water (the company that deals with my wastewater), received a record £90M fine a couple of years ago for doing exactly that. Those responsible should be facing jail time for that imo.

https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/media/17852/census_briefing1_population.pdf The population of West Sussex, where I live, increased by 9.4% between 2011 and 2021. Of course, it's possible it actually increased by more than that, since we don't know how many people are living here illegally. Either way, it's a big increase in a small amount of time, leading to pressure on services, when the infrastructure is not suitably upgraded, when evidently it has not been.

Nothing to do with a lack of water though. South East Water have imposed one on me yet their reservoirs are 97% and 82% full, due to the very wet start of the year we had. The problem is huge amounts of extra housing in the area, and not enough investment in the infrastructure (as with pretty much everything in this country). They literally can’t treat the raw water fast enough and get it to all the houses quick enough if demand surges when it’s hot and dry (as you’d expect it to do). Blaming climate change is a total cop out and let’s these incompetent clowns off the hook. Water should be really be nationalised (along with energy, rail and anything else that is vital to a functioning society) and run for the good of the people. Unfortunately, you’ll get clowns, charlatans or crooks running it most often whether it’s run by the state or the private sector!

Nothing wrong with that, but you’re designing out a ‘risk’ that doesn’t exist. Double sockets are rated at 20 amps. Those 2 appliances will go nowhere near this. Not so, You just need suitable local isolation. Most (not all) people prefer not to have a load of FCU above their worktops ime. The 8/12 gang appliance control plates are prime suspects to go wrong/burn out, so I don’t really fit them either if I can help it. They’re usually poorly made (the fuse holders most often, but sometimes the 20A switches too) and much more liable to fail than a double socket imo. I’ve probably only ever seen a tiny handful of sockets that have failed due to overload (rather than a loose connection). I’ve seen loads of FCU and grid switches/fuses though

Good points, but what’s wrong with a double socket for a dishwasher and washing machine? There’s absolutely no way that a domestic dishwasher/washing machine would exceed 20 amps when run at the same time. If by some chance they did, it would be for such a short period of time as to be insignificant imo.

I had this when we did our new build in 2017. 32mm for sprinklers and 25mm for general use. Much shorter runs than yours though. We paid to install the 32mm for sprinklers, but no ongoing costs after that.

I’ve run in loads of flex as specced by av guys on site

I’ve seen that table before. So if the tree is 10m away, then if it’s over 20m tall (which it probably is), it’s likely to need foundations deeper than 2.5m. Sounds like a soil investigation report is the next step. Meeting architect again on Tuesday, so will discuss a way forward with him. Anything I should be asking him/pointing him in the right direction with anything? Thanks for all the help so far.

I have been considering taking the tree out, but it’s likely to upset the neighbours. I’ve been there before and it’s not something I want to repeat. Maybe I need to start thinking of a way to sell a story to them and hopefully keep them onside.