How-To & DIY
151 sources in the library on how-to & diy. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 2 of 4.
- very strong RN-HIUMHY
Historic Environment Scotland
The public-body source for why cement mortar on a traditional stone or soft brick wall causes decay, published 13 October 2016 by Historic Scotland (now HES), INFORM Guide, 377 KB PDF. Scope stated on the page: it focuses on the two commonly used mortar types, lime mortars and cement mortars, gives an overview of the physical properties of both, and indicates their technical suitability for use with traditional stone masonry, on the basis that selecting a suitable mortar for repair works matters for conservation and for PREVENTING MASONRY DECAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF INCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS. Pair it with the HES Short Guide: Lime Mortars in traditional buildings (1 March 2013, 2.16 MB PDF), which covers the history and use of lime mortars, sourcing of raw materials, preparation of mortars for repairs and how to recognise and reduce the risk of failure, and with the INFORM Guide: Hot-Mixed Lime Mortars (1 April 2015, 4.41 MB PDF), which explains how hot-mixed lime mortars differ from other lime mortars and how they are prepared on site.
- very strong RN-B869UP
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The government plain-language map of the Building Regulations system in England, written after the Hackitt review called for the old manual to be revised, and split into Volume 1 (overview, chapters 1 to 8) and Volume 2 (further guidance, chapters A to F, plus key terms in Appendix I and references in Appendix II). It confirms that the Building Act 1984 sets the enforcement powers, that the Building Regulations 2010 contain 15 technical requirements in Schedule 1 each lettered as a Part, and that regulation 3 defines building work. Chapter 3 gives the list a renovation note can cite verbatim for when approval is likely to be needed: replacing consumer units or installing new circuits, new plumbing and waste connections, changing circuits near a bath or shower, installing ventilation or air conditioning, replacing windows and doors, replacing pitched or flat roof coverings, installing or replacing a heating system, adding extra radiators, removing a chimney breast, removing a wall (load bearing and sometimes non-load bearing) and creating a through lounge; it also confirms that new loft insulation unconnected to other building work is not checked by a building control body although it must still comply. Chapter 4 states that where work is done under a competent person scheme the installer or scheme operator notifies the local authority and issues a completion certificate within 30 days of completion, and that if work has already started or finished without notification an approved inspector cannot be used, leaving only local authority building control, which is not obliged to approve work already carried out. Chapter 3 also confirms courts can impose unlimited fines for non-compliance. Note the manual predates the Building Safety Act 2022 changes, so it still uses the term approved inspector rather than registered building control approver.
- very strong RN-ITGAHZ
Scottish Government
Scotland's equivalent of the Approved Documents, and the handbook a Scottish reader needs because Scotland has no Part A to Part R lettering. The domestic technical handbook supports the Building (Scotland) Regulations for houses and flats and is organised into sections 0 General, 1 Structure, 2 Fire, 3 Environment, 4 Safety, 5 Noise, 6 Energy and 7 Sustainability, with Appendix A defining terms and Appendix B listing the standards and other publications it relies on. That structure matters when translating an English reference: fire is section 2 rather than Approved Document B, sound is section 5 rather than Part E, and energy is section 6 rather than Part L. Cite the handbook, and the relevant numbered section, whenever a note gives a building regulations figure and claims to cover the whole UK.
- strong RN-J699CC
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS 1202-1:2002 was published 7 February 2002 under committee B/518, ISBN 0 580 37316 9, and specifies the requirements, including dimensions and finish, for steel nails. It divides them into wire nails, of which it lists 14 types from convex head roofing nails to duplex head nails with round, square, annular ringed and helical threaded shanks and chisel or diamond points, and cut nails, of which it lists two types, cut clasp nails and cut floor brads. This is the standard behind a specification such as galvanised round wire nails to BS 1202-1, and it is the reference used when BS 5534 calls up nail types for tile and slate fixing. Parts 2 and 3 (both 1974) cover copper nails and aluminium nails. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, committee and the type lists; dimensional tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-002CQ2
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 1 January 2005. BS 4721:1981 was published 31 July 1981 and specified pre blended ready mixed building mortars, covering composition, properties and quality requirements for cement, lime, sand and aggregate based mortar products. It was superseded by the European mortar standards, principally BS EN 998-2 for masonry mortar and BS EN 998-1 for rendering and plastering mortar, with mortar designations moving from the old roman numeral mixes (i to v) to the M classes (M2, M4, M6, M12) by compressive strength. A note that cites BS 4721 for a bagged or silo mortar, or that gives a mortar designation without saying which system it belongs to, is working from a standard withdrawn over twenty years ago. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope but does not name the replacement.
- strong RN-AMDJGS
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS 6172:2010+A1:2017 was published 31 July 2017 and supersedes BS 6172:2010, which superseded BS 6172:2004 and BS 6172:1990. It specifies requirements for the safe installation, servicing and maintenance of domestic gas cooking appliances, with installation defined to include design, inspection and commissioning, and it applies to new, previously used and second hand appliances in dwellings, leisure accommodation vehicles, residential park homes and permanently moored boats, but not towed or motorised caravans. The A1:2017 amendment reflects European changes allowing gas cooker hoses and sockets to BS EN 14800 and gas hose connection valves to BS EN 15069. This is the standard behind a kitchen note's statement that a gas hob or cooker must be connected by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and it works with BS 5440-2 for ventilation. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, supersession and scope.
- strong RN-XKXB9S
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 27 March 2025, superseded by BS 7533-102:2025. BS 7533-3:2005+A1:2009 was published 20 October 2005 and gave the recommendations for constructing flexible pavements using precast concrete blocks to BS EN 1338 and clay pavers to BS EN 1344, for roads, industrial areas and other paved surfaces under all categories of static and vehicular loading and pedestrian traffic, covering both conventional and permeable construction. It is the standard behind the laying course depth, jointing and compaction advice in every block paving driveway note, so the March 2025 withdrawal is a live correction: those notes should now cite BS 7533-102:2025 for installation and BS 7533-101:2021 for structural design. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope.
- strong RN-445W51
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The accessibility code of practice that Approved Document M sits alongside. Paywalled, so only the catalogue page is public; it confirms BS 8300-2:2018, published 31 January 2018, status Current, and that it is part 2 of a two-part standard, with BS 8300-1:2018 (also published 31 January 2018, also Current) covering the external environment including parking, setting-down points, access routes and approaches to entrances. Part 2 covers external features affecting external access routes, and building interiors including entrances, reception facilities, horizontal and vertical movement and building facilities. Crucially for a home renovation note, the catalogue page states plainly that BS 8300-2 does NOT apply to individual dwellings; its residential scope is nursing, residential and care homes, student accommodation and the COMMON PARTS of blocks of flats. It also confirms the recommendations apply largely to new buildings but can be used to assess and improve existing ones, and that the extent to which they apply to listed and historic buildings is decided case by case.
- strong RN-XYYYMW
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 1 March 2005. BS 8301:1985 was published 30 April 1985 and was the code of practice for building drainage, covering sewers, drain pipes, manholes, pipe laying, foul and surface water drainage, hydraulic testing and maintenance. It was superseded by the BS EN 752 series, Drain and sewer systems outside buildings, with BS EN 12056 covering gravity drainage inside buildings and BS 8000-14 the workmanship for below ground drainage; Approved Document H is the regulatory route in England. A note citing BS 8301 for gradients, manhole spacing or soakaway design is quoting a standard withdrawn over twenty years ago. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope but does not name the replacement.
- strong RN-XWFCEG
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT, and it is a Designated Standard. BS EN 12380:2002 was published 17 December 2002, identical to EN 12380:2002, ISBN 0 580 40973 2, committee B/505, ICS 23.060.99 and 91.140.80. It specifies the requirements, test methods and evaluation of conformity for air admittance valves in drainage systems, the one way valves (often called by the trade name Durgo valve) that admit air to relieve negative pressure in a soil stack without letting foul air out, so a stack can be terminated internally rather than taken up through the roof. It is the standard to cite when a note explains that an AAV is acceptable for a new en suite or a relocated WC subject to Approved Document H, and that at least one stack on a drainage system must still be open to atmosphere. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, ISBN, committee and scope; the tests are paywalled.
- strong RN-UU3LKW
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 13126-1:2022 was published 31 March 2022 and supersedes BS EN 13126-1:2011, which is withdrawn, so a note citing the 2011 part is citing a withdrawn edition. It gives the requirements and test methods common to all types of hardware for windows and door height windows, covering strength, durability, corrosion resistance and safety, and it applies whatever the window frame material. It excludes fusible links, pneumatic and hydraulic operating mechanisms, single axis hinges (BS EN 1935), sliding door hardware (BS EN 1527) and door and window bolts (BS EN 12051). It is part one of a large series whose other parts cover specific hardware: -5 opening restrictors, -6 stay hinges, -8 tilt and turn handles, -13 sash balances, -16 lift and slide, -17 tilt and slide. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, supersession and scope.
- strong RN-PB0KJ4
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 204:2016 was published 31 August 2016 and supersedes BS EN 204:2001. It classifies thermoplastic resin based wood adhesives for non structural use into four durability classes, D1 to D4, by the strength of the bond line under specified test conditions, and it applies to adhesives for bonding furniture and interior structures, panelling, doors, windows and stairs made of wood or wood based products. The class is the practical point for a note: D1 is dry interior use only, D2 occasional short term dampness, D3 frequent dampness or exterior sheltered use, D4 frequent severe exposure. It does not cover temperature resistance of the bond line, and it is not a structural adhesive standard (that is BS EN 301 and BS EN 15425). The 2016 revision removed the thick bond line test references and moved assessment to 20 test pieces. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, the D1 to D4 classes and scope.
- strong RN-3TAWNC
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 215:2019 was published 30 September 2019, is identical to EN 215 and supersedes BS EN 215:2004; it also replaces the older British specification BS 6284:1983. It covers thermostatic radiator valves for wet central heating systems, specifically two port and integrated thermostatic valves with or without pre setting, rated for water up to 120 degrees C and nominal pressure PN 10 or lower. It gives definitions, performance requirements and test methods, plus dimensions, permitted materials and connection specifications for four series of straight and angle pattern valves, with tests for thermal performance, flow rate and endurance. This is the standard to cite when a note says a TRV must be to BS EN 215, and the reason a TRV should not be fitted in the same room as the room thermostat. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the test detail is paywalled.
- strong RN-41S8GR
BSI (British Standards Institution)
The standard behind the use class numbers printed on treated timber, which is what a decking, fencing or timber decay note should cite when it says the timber must be right for its exposure. BS EN 335:2013 is the UK implementation of EN 335:2013, published 30 April 2013 under committee B/515 Wood preservation, ISBN 978 0 580 75630 6, ICS 71.100.50 and 79.040, and it superseded and withdrew BS EN 335-1:2006, BS EN 335-2:2006 and BS EN 335-3:1996. Clause 4 defines the use classes and their application: Use Class 1, then Use Class 2, then Use Class 3 with sub-classes 3.1 and 3.2, and higher classes for ground and water contact. In practice a deck board or fence rail above ground is a UC3 item and a fence post or deck joist in soil contact is UC4, so a note that specifies treated timber without naming the use class has not specified anything. The standard is currently Under Review.
- strong RN-XS4XXQ
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 413-1:2011 was published 30 June 2011 and supersedes BS EN 413-1:2004, which is withdrawn. It defines the composition and specifications of masonry cement, the cement made specifically for mortar for bricklaying, blocklaying, rendering and plastering, which contains air entraining additives to improve workability and frost resistance after hydration. It sets physical, mechanical and chemical requirements, defines strength classes (the 2011 edition introduced the air entrained class MC 22.5) and gives the conformity criteria. This is the standard to cite when a note distinguishes masonry cement from ordinary Portland cement to BS EN 197-1: they are different products with different standards, and masonry cement should not be dosed with extra plasticiser as if it were OPC. Part 2 (BS EN 413-2:2016) gives the test methods. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; requirements tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-CG3QHH
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT (marked Under Review). BS EN 459-1:2015 was published 30 April 2015 and supersedes BS EN 459-1:2010, which superseded BS EN 459-1:2001. It defines the types of building lime and their classification and sets the chemical and physical requirements and conformity criteria for each. Building lime falls into two families: air lime (which sets by carbonation) and lime with hydraulic properties (which sets by hydration and is classified by mechanical compressive strength), the latter covering natural hydraulic lime, formulated lime and hydraulic lime with the assessment and verification of constancy of performance rules for each. It applies to lime for mortar, for calcium silicate bricks, autoclaved aerated concrete and concrete, and for civil engineering. This is the standard behind the NHL 2, NHL 3.5 and NHL 5 designations quoted in lime mortar and lime plaster notes; terms of delivery and contract conditions are outside its scope. Parts 2 (test methods, 2021) and 3 (conformity evaluation, 2015) complete the series. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the class tables are paywalled.
- strong RN-3O2M53
Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
The design guide a heating engineer sizes a domestic system from, and the right citation for any note about radiator or cylinder sizing. Publisher CIBSE, status Active, 415 pages, publication date January 2026, ISBN 9781918034196, priced GBP 45 plus VAT for the book and GBP 60 plus VAT for the PDF at standard rate, so the text itself is paywalled and only the catalogue page is public. The catalogue page confirms what the 2026 edition changed: heat loss assessment now follows the BS EN 12831-1:2017 method, domestic hot water cylinder sizing follows BS EN 12831-3:2017 including sizing for storage below 60 degrees C and a thermal disinfection procedure, U-value tables have been updated for modern construction methods, and the latest CIBSE weather data is used with 28 zones and four outdoor design temperatures. It also introduces a System Criteria Document recording design decisions and client and designer sign-off, explicitly in line with the Building Safety Act, plus a new controls section and expanded hydraulic and system configurations. Note the versioning trap: version 2026-02 published in July 2026 supersedes version 2026-01, and CIBSE advises reading the accompanying corrigendum alongside the guide.
- good RN-5DEQ2D
CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association)
The reference work behind every soakaway, permeable driveway and garden drainage decision in the UK, and the document local authority drainage officers work from. CIRIA C753, The SuDS Manual, published December 2015, 964 pages in PDF, ISBN 978-0-86017-759-3, authors Woods Ballard, Wilson, Udale-Clarke, Illman, Scott, Ashley and Kellagher. It is free to CIRIA members and GBP 25 excluding VAT to non-members, so the full text is behind a login but the catalogue page confirms scope and status. It replaced the 2007 SuDS Manual (C697), and the page states expressly that in delivering SuDS there is a requirement to meet the framework set out by the government non-statutory technical standards, which C753 complements while going further to support cost-effective delivery of multiple benefits. It covers planning, design, construction, management and maintenance of SuDS. Cite it as the technical authority when a note explains why a permeable or drained-to-a-soakaway driveway avoids the planning consequence of an impermeable one.
- good RN-9LUDHB
PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association)
The body a note should name when it suggests hiring a tower rather than working off a ladder, and the source for what competence on one actually means. PASMA describes itself as the international not-for-profit association for the mobile access tower industry, representing manufacturers, suppliers, specifiers and users, providing and overseeing the industry standard training scheme and publishing safety guidance. It names EN 1004 as the design standard for towers and podiums, with a revision FAQ, and BS 1139-6 as a further design standard. It publishes the PASMA Operator's Code of Practice along with toolbox talks, safety videos and instruction manuals. Its training covers tower operatives for standard towers, stairway towers, cantilever, linked towers, bridges and large deck configurations, plus low-level access equipment, managers, instructors and work-at-height novices, and it issues PASMA Cards with an online verification system so a duty holder can check a card. A hire company will normally ask for a PASMA card before releasing a tower.
- good RN-FITI8H
The Concrete Society
The index to the Concrete Society technical library and the place to check a concrete claim against an industry-independent source. Four publication families are listed: Technical Reports giving in-depth guidance on design, construction, maintenance and innovation (for example TR43, Post-tensioned concrete floors design handbook, at GBP 85 full price and GBP 51 to members, and Discussion Document DD51 on calcined clay as a supplementary cementitious material, free to all); Good Concrete Guides on practical aspects (GCG8, Concrete practice, and GCG11, Digital monitoring and measurement of fresh concrete); Advice Sheets on specific topics such as no-fines concrete and brushed and tamped surface finishes; and Fingertips, short free reference pages covering masonry densities, cold joints, consistence tolerance and the slump test, floated and trowelled finishes, core testing for compressive strength, delamination of concrete floor surfaces and hot weather concreting. The Society also runs an advisory service of engineers and concrete technologists giving impartial advice to members, including desk studies and site visits. The Fingertips pages are the freely readable part and carry real figures; the Technical Reports are mostly paid.
- good RN-8TA2LQ
The Concrete Society
A free, citable data sheet giving the density ranges a note needs when explaining block types or estimating dead load. Published 3 June 2025 and filed under Buildings, Domestic (low rise). Dense aggregate blocks have a density in the range 1,800 to 2,100 kg/m3. Lightweight aggregate blocks, also called medium dense, are in the range 650 to 1,500 kg/m3. Aircrete blocks are in the range 400 to 900 kg/m3. Concrete bricks are 1,900 to 2,100 kg/m3 for Commons, Facing and Engineering quality, and 1,400 kg/m3 for lightweight bricks. The sheet points onward to the Concrete Block Association and the Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Products Association for more detail.
- good RN-NJGGVA
Timber Decking and Cladding Association
The NHBC-referenced code that fixes decking component sizes, and the source for joist spacing figures. It was produced to meet the installation and performance requirements specified in NHBC home building standards. Section 3.7 gives a recommended processed joist size of 170mm x 44mm or larger installed at 300mm to 600mm centres, and advises increasing the frequency of support joists rather than the thickness; Table 4 gives maximum joist clear spans at 400mm centres. Joists may be cantilevered over a beam by up to 30 per cent of their permissible clear span, and beams may extend beyond a column centreline by up to 30 per cent of clear span (Tables 3.1 and 3.2 give double and single member beam spans). Wall plates or ledger boards must be equal to or greater than the joist size. Timber must be strength class C16 or C24, with preservative treatment to EN 335 Use Class 4 for posts out of ground contact, beams, wall plates and joists (Component Group A), and Use Class 3 or better for stair stringers, deck boards and balustrades (Component Group B). Guarding is designed to BS 6180:2011 with loadings from BS EN 1991-1-1. It notes a distinction in service life expectation for decks less than 600mm high.
- fair RN-AV2T1E
Bat Conservation Trust
How to keep a roost usable after roof works. Access gaps for the small building dwelling species are very small, since those bats land on the building and crawl in, and are usually invisible on the finished building; horseshoe bats are the exception and need a larger letterbox style opening sized to the species, because they fly straight in. Access should normally be recreated as close as possible to its original position so the bats return. Practical detail for tiled and slated roofs: raise a tile slightly on a timber batten or a small piece of tile, and where needed cut a hole in the roofing felt directly beneath the access point, or make a Morris bat slate from spare lead flashing, which is cheap and can be done in house. Access can normally be formed without letting in weather or spoiling the appearance.
- fair RN-PVE53B
Cadent Gas
The exact trench a homeowner or builder must dig if they take the self-excavation option on a gas alteration, which is how the cost is reduced. Customers may only excavate on their own private land, Cadent excavates public highways, roads and footpaths, and self-excavation is not available to owners of flats, maisonettes or other shared residency buildings. The trench runs from the property wall at the new meter position and terminates 1m from the existing live gas service pipe inside the boundary. Dimensions: depth 425mm (17 inches), width between 200 and 300mm, bottom level and free of sharp or stony material, and in stony ground dig a further 75mm (3 inches) and backfill with fine material such as sand or stone dust to bed the pipe. Separation: gas pipes must be laid a minimum of 300mm (12 inches) from electricity cables and 250mm (10 inches) from other services. Changes of direction must be at 90 degrees with enough room for the bend: minimum bend radius 0.3m for 20mm pipe, 0.4m for 25mm, 0.5m for 32mm and 1.0m for 63mm. Gas marker tape must be laid a minimum of 75mm above the duct during backfill. Safe digging must follow HSE HSG47, Avoiding danger from underground services, and Cadent surveys the site first so no excavation should start before that.
- fair RN-1OZ657
Cadent Gas
What is and is not allowed over a gas easement, and what to do after a strike. Normal cultivation including ploughing to a maximum depth of 0.5m is permitted without further reference; anything deeper, including sinking fence and gate posts to a depth greater than 0.5m, requires contacting Cadent first, as does storing material above the pipeline or planting trees and shrubs on the easement. Enquiries go through the LinesearchbeforeUdig online service, which returns results within minutes from a grid reference or postcode and issues asset plans plus the Specification for Safe Working in the vicinity of Cadent assets; where the work is close, a Cadent technician visits site to locate and mark out the pipeline. Emergency procedure after damage: call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999, remove and extinguish potential ignition sources, evacuate all personnel from the area and ensure nobody approaches the asset. Specific higher-risk activities that always need Cadent's own guidance and safe working distances include explosives and blasting, piling, boring, construction, demolition and deep excavation.
- fair RN-WTQGII
Cadent Gas
The homeowner emergency procedure and who pays. If you smell gas, call the free National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, available 24 hours; turn the gas off at the meter unless the meter is in a cellar or basement. If a pipeline is struck during digging, even with no apparent leak, move away and keep others away, then call 0800 111 999. Cadent operates a 'make safe' service: attendance to make you and the property safe and to check for leaks is not charged, but any follow-on work by a Gas Safe registered engineer may be. When tracing a reported leak Cadent may enter neighbouring homes or dig the road, may cut off the supply if it is unsafe to leave on, and may not complete the repair in a single day. The National Gas Emergency Service does not deal with boiler or appliance faults, including a frozen condensate pipe that will not thaw, which is a matter for the boiler cover provider or a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- fair RN-3TYJ5Y
Cadent Gas
States plainly that moving a gas meter yourself is illegal and dangerous, and that the meter and its service pipe are moved together by the gas transporter. For building work such as remodelling or an extension, moving an internal meter and pipe outside is presented as the easier route. Cadent aims to complete work at the property within 6 to 8 weeks of the customer accepting the quote, longer if there are local authority street works restrictions or where the meter is moving from an awkward indoor position. To get a quote the customer must supply the full property address, name and telephone number, the distance of external pipework needed to move the meter from its current to its new position, and the distance of internal pipework needed to reconnect the boiler to the new meter position if Cadent is to reconnect it. Connections Team 0800 074 5788, Monday to Friday.
- fair RN-MOC6JC
Citizens Advice
Fault finding and rights for a domestic gas boiler. The checks before calling anyone: hot water set to at least 50 degrees C at the boiler, boiler flow temperature at least 65 degrees C, cylinder thermostat at least 60 degrees C, and the hot water programme timed to come on 1 to 2 hours before it is needed. On rights, a boiler bought within the last 6 years supports a claim against the seller or installer, and a fault within the first 6 months is presumed to have been there at installation so is far easier to prove. Repairs and replacement must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- fair RN-0OSHMJ
Electrical Safety First
Explains the two protections and why they gate any new electrical work. Earthing gives fault current a path through the protective conductor so a fuse, circuit breaker or RCD disconnects the faulty circuit. Bonding connects separate exposed metal parts so the touch voltage between them collapses in a fault, and is used in two forms, main bonding and supplementary bonding. States that on any electrical work, however small, the electrician must first check the existing earthing and bonding meet the required standard, because the safety of the new work depends on them. On rewiring, redundant cable should be removed, or if that is impossible permanently disconnected from any supply. Also states smoke or heat alarms should be at least one per floor, tested at least monthly and replaced every ten years or at the replace by date, and that an EICR is the way to certify work left uncertified by an unregistered electrician.
- fair RN-V6OK9H
Electrical Safety First
Evidence on DIY electrical risk and the boundary of what a householder may do. In a survey of 1,000 electricians, more than 30% had reports of electric shocks caused by incompetent DIY and 15% reported DIY causing an electrical fire. States that higher risk work such as anything in a bathroom or the installation of a new circuit must be carried out, or reviewed and signed off, by a registered competent electrician, and that a lot of domestic electrical work is notifiable so the local authority must be told and the work certified. Recommends periodic inspection at least every 10 years in an owner occupied home and every 5 years in rented accommodation, and a minimum of one smoke alarm per floor with a heat detector in the kitchen, tested weekly.
- fair RN-WM5BR0
Electrical Safety First
Electrical design rules for a kitchen fit out. Socket outlets and switches must be fitted a safe distance from the sink, which where possible means at least 30cm horizontally. Large appliances such as fridges, dishwashers and washing machines installed under worktops leave their sockets unreachable, so each should be controlled by a switch placed above the worktop. Notes that many accidental house fires start in the kitchen, usually from incorrect use or damaged cooking appliances, and that the combination of water, hot surfaces, trailing cables and high power appliances is what makes the room hazardous. Maintenance rules include keeping the oven and grill free of built up fat and grease, a major fire cause, and defrosting the fridge and freezer at least once a year.
- fair RN-MK7AHC
Electrical Safety First
What to do about electrics after a property floods. Do not touch any switch, socket or appliance while standing in water, and do not turn the supply back on until the installation and every affected appliance has been professionally inspected and tested by a registered electrician. All electrical equipment that has been in contact with flood water must be checked and tested before reuse rather than dried and reused. Fire and rescue services can assist with evacuation and with limiting property damage. Contact the distribution network operator rather than attempting to isolate a flooded cut out or meter yourself.
- fair RN-BX12VU
Electrical Safety First
Ten point electrical fire prevention checklist for the home. Starts with confirming the consumer unit contains an RCD, and recommends plug in RCD adapters at individual sockets where the fusebox has none. Gives the periodic inspection intervals: every 5 years or at each change of occupancy, whichever is sooner, for tenanted property; at least every 10 years for an owner occupied home; at least every 5 years for a business; 3 years for a caravan; and 1 year for a swimming pool. Notes that the average success rate of an electrical product recall in the UK is just 10 to 20%, which is why product registration matters.
- fair RN-318GZC
Electrical Safety First
Sets out socket and extension lead overload. Overload occurs when appliances plugged into one lead together exceed the maximum current rating printed on it, and a socket overload calculator is provided to check the total load. Gives the recommended periodic inspection intervals for the fixed installation: every 5 years or at each change of occupancy, whichever comes sooner, for tenanted property; at least every 10 years for an owner occupied home; at least every 5 years for a business; 3 years for a caravan; and 1 year for a swimming pool.
- fair RN-VRX8A0
Electrical Safety First
Fuse ratings and plug checks. The UK standard is the square pin 13 amp plug, and manufacturers have standardised plug fuses at either 3A or 13A, though 5A fuses remain in some older equipment and are still sold. Rule of thumb: appliances rated 700 to 3000 watts, 3000 W being the maximum rating of a wall socket, take a 13 amp fuse, coloured brown. Worked examples: 3A for a table lamp, standard lamp, television, video, computer or soldering iron; 13A for a washing machine, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, power drill, vacuum cleaner, microwave, kettle, toaster or iron. A replacement fuse must match the original rating. Plug and cable checks, made only with the plug removed from the socket, cover secure cable attachment at both ends, cuts, nicks or crushing, absence of joints or insulating tape repairs, cracked casing, melted plastic or discoloration from overheating, and the BS 1363 mark on the back of the plug.
- fair RN-M999J9
Electricity North West
Before breaking ground, check the location of underground services on network plans and then follow safe digging techniques. Underground services are commonly found in roads, footpaths, on sites and across open land; always assume they are present and treat any cable as live. Service cables and pipes are routinely confused, and the specific trap named is that black plastic covered electricity cable looks like plastic water pipe. Network plans are obtained through LinesearchbeforeUdig. The reference safe-digging document is HSE HSG47, Avoiding danger from underground services, which should be read before commencing work on site.
- fair RN-M877J4
Electricity North West
The consultation trigger distances for any work near overhead lines: you must consult the line operator if working within 15 metres of overhead lines on steel towers, within nine metres of a wood pole, or beneath an overhead power line. Distances are measured at ground level from a point estimated by eye to be vertically under the outermost conductor at the tower or pole. Treat every overhead line as live; some electricity lines look like communication cables and some poles carry both, so never assume a line is telephone. Never raise poles or other long objects towards a line as a sighting or measuring aid. Where work will encroach, request a site visit: the operator's representative recommends a minimum clearance distance, advises on meeting HSE guidance note GS6, confirms in writing any arrangement to switch the line out, and establishes whether shrouding, sheathing or cable protection is needed. Network plans are requested by email at PlanRequest@enwl.co.uk. GS6 (Avoidance of danger from overhead electric power lines) is the reference guide, ISBN 0717613488, free from the HSE website.
- fair RN-FRD5VY
Energy Saving Trust
Draught proofing costs and savings. Professional draught proofing of windows and doors across a whole house costs around £250, with DIY cheaper. A terracotta chimney pot cap starts at around £150 and also keeps out moisture and birds. Savings: around £55 a year in Great Britain and £80 in Northern Ireland from draught proofing windows, floors and doors, plus around £45 in GB and £60 in NI from draught proofing an unused open chimney. A draught free home is comfortable at a lower setting, and turning a thermostat down from 22 degrees C to 21 degrees C saves £120 a year in GB and £80 in NI. Warns that further draught proofing of an already well sealed home raises the risk of poor indoor air quality.
- fair RN-3G2Z0L
Energy Saving Trust
Condensation control by the numbers. A household typically produces up to 100 litres of moisture a week, which builds on surfaces or stays in the air unless ventilated out. Run a bathroom extractor for at least 15 minutes after a shower or bath and a cooker extractor for at least 15 minutes after cooking, or where there is no fan open a window for the same period. Leave a gap of at least 10mm under internal doors, measured from the top of the floor covering to the bottom of the closed door, so air can move between rooms. Distinguishes condensation from rising and penetrating damp and sets out the order of works.
- fair RN-5QU93S
Energy Saving Trust
Practical domestic ventilation rules. Internal doors need a 10mm gap between the bottom of the door and the top of the carpet or flooring so air circulates. Extractor fans should be run, or a window left open, for around 15 minutes after showering, bathing or cooking. Trickle vents should be kept open all year round including in winter, and reopened promptly if they are ever shut to keep cold air out. Ventilation matters as much in winter as in summer.