It has been a busy year for Electricien Anglais En France and have been fortunate enough to acquired some fantastic work which has enabled me to put my knowledge of the French electrical system into their homes. I have also had my first inspection by the Consuel, which has been a great experience and again demonstrates my knowledge of the strict regulations in France where new installations are concerned. An inspection is required where there is no power supply present. So by installing correctly I am making sure that the incoming electrical supply is as safe as houses.
The following paragraphs are updates of a couple of new rewires where certification has not been required but adherence to French normes has been applied.
A full rewire on a older French property in January 2014 with an existing but non-compliant supply and non compliant cabling throughout. While there was no need for sign off by Consuel, all electrics comply to French normes. For example, the house had plenty of 2 pin sockets which are no longer compliant as they have no earth connection. The house was a blank canvas and clients were able to redesign their home and incorporate the relevant requirements for under floor heating, water tanks and plenty of socket points throughout the house and various practical and mood lighting fixings throughout. Much of the cabling was 'chased in' which means that the cables are not visible. Due to the extensive works that has been undertaken on this property and the time allowed by the clients, various stages of my work was carried in tandem with other works taking place.
The following paragraphs are updates of a couple of new rewires where certification has not been required but adherence to French normes has been applied.
A full rewire on a older French property in January 2014 with an existing but non-compliant supply and non compliant cabling throughout. While there was no need for sign off by Consuel, all electrics comply to French normes. For example, the house had plenty of 2 pin sockets which are no longer compliant as they have no earth connection. The house was a blank canvas and clients were able to redesign their home and incorporate the relevant requirements for under floor heating, water tanks and plenty of socket points throughout the house and various practical and mood lighting fixings throughout. Much of the cabling was 'chased in' which means that the cables are not visible. Due to the extensive works that has been undertaken on this property and the time allowed by the clients, various stages of my work was carried in tandem with other works taking place.
Another rewire commenced in April 2014 on a large older French house plus out buildings with an old existing 3 phase supply. 3 phase supply gives you 3 x 15a supplies. This is not suitable for modern day living, especially when you have electric ovens and hobs. Nuisance tripping is prominent with 3 phase supplies. I advised client to proceed with a single phase installation which he agreed to.
A new fuseboard and electrical installation was installed and surface mounted in trunking as requested. Having catered for initial requirements surface mounted trunking allows for further additions or repositioning of sockets and circuits in general. Installation allowed for a number of appliances to be used in the kitchen and supply to be fed to outbuildings. Work of this nature took 4 weeks.
A new fuseboard and electrical installation was installed and surface mounted in trunking as requested. Having catered for initial requirements surface mounted trunking allows for further additions or repositioning of sockets and circuits in general. Installation allowed for a number of appliances to be used in the kitchen and supply to be fed to outbuildings. Work of this nature took 4 weeks.
Just before Christmas of 2013 I received an enquiry from another lovely customer who was looking to work with an electrician who could install a new electrical system at his 5m2 holiday home over 2 floors. As a 2nd home owner, client was a bit dubious as he hadn't had much luck with receiving quotes from other electricians. Either they didn't turn up or didn't submit devis. So early 2014 I visited his property while he was in the UK, measured up and submitted devis in good time. Faith had been restored and I started work in May 2014 at the time of their visit to France.
Even though the property was of a small size, it still needed to conform to NF standard. The design of the house allowed for 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and open plan living downstairs. There are strict regulations as to how many sockets/TV/phone points are required per room, and this was adhered to despite the size. Supplies were fitted for the hot water tank and controller to be switched by the meter. Light switches and fittings, again strict regulation adhered to. The fuseboard has to be at a specific height and fitted on a 'GTL' which is floor to ceiling trunking.
All phone and TV points must run to a communication box which is fitted below the fuseboard and ready for services to be connected. Despite, client not wishing to use a telephone, strict regulation, meant that comms box needed to be there. Finally and most importantly, the earth rod must be installed and tested to give the correct reading and connected to the fuseboard. Not easy, when there is no temporary power and working from a generator.
Once work was completed the Consuel inspected my work. We talked through the questions that he had and he remarked on how neat and tidy the finish was. With a passed installation, the Consuel then proceeded to supply a certificate which means that EDF have the relevant conformity to connect electricity to the property.
Even though the property was of a small size, it still needed to conform to NF standard. The design of the house allowed for 2 bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and open plan living downstairs. There are strict regulations as to how many sockets/TV/phone points are required per room, and this was adhered to despite the size. Supplies were fitted for the hot water tank and controller to be switched by the meter. Light switches and fittings, again strict regulation adhered to. The fuseboard has to be at a specific height and fitted on a 'GTL' which is floor to ceiling trunking.
All phone and TV points must run to a communication box which is fitted below the fuseboard and ready for services to be connected. Despite, client not wishing to use a telephone, strict regulation, meant that comms box needed to be there. Finally and most importantly, the earth rod must be installed and tested to give the correct reading and connected to the fuseboard. Not easy, when there is no temporary power and working from a generator.
Once work was completed the Consuel inspected my work. We talked through the questions that he had and he remarked on how neat and tidy the finish was. With a passed installation, the Consuel then proceeded to supply a certificate which means that EDF have the relevant conformity to connect electricity to the property.
I am extremely familiar with the normes. These are applied to the work that I do every day in peoples homes - electrical safety is paramount. Poor wiring or faulty wiring contributes to a high percentage of fires in France, which can be mitigated with compliant electrical installations.
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