Best Practice Guide

PUTTING CUSTOMERS FIRST

Wiring new homes is our business and we’ve been doing it for 40 years. Working for all the major housebuilders, we wire over 24,000 properties each year across much of England and Wales.

We understand the demands of the industry so when the pressure is on, we pull out all the stops to make sure our electrical teams are there when you need them. Despite operating nationwide we provide a local service managed by dedicated points of contact who understand customer-specific requirements.

We care passionately about customer service and work closely with site managers and other trades, whilst focussing on getting the job done properly for a competitive price. On the rare occasion that things don’t go to plan, our out-of-hours emergency team is on call 24/7 and we’re confident that we’ll have the problem covered.

Framework agreements with many customers seal our commitment to fix our prices, meet build programme deadlines and help maximise profitability through design advice.

QUALITY MATTERS

Of the 500-plus sites we work on, we’re proud that typically each year around 50 of these are NHBC Pride in the Job award-winning sites.

Our workforce is made up of directly employed electricians, not self-employed sub-contractors, and they’re motivated to get things right first time.

We also carry out quality audits on every plot we wire, with electronic copies automatically sent to site managers as houses are completed. This is achieved via a mobile app using a carefully designed schedule to ensure that all systems are fully functional and is in addition to the standard NICEIC new installation test certificate.

Internal processes include the audits being verified by a dedicated Quality Inspector to ensure all systems are correct to wiring regulations, company procedures, builder specification and are therefore homeowner ready.

Our Quality Department will also visit sites with no prior notice to physically audit plots at random, at various build stages and this is to ensure there are no defects present before hand over and that the on site audit has been completed in line with company and customer standards.

The following best practices are to be followed as a minimum and in conjunction with the latest edition of BS7671 wiring regulations, building regulations, customer specifications and our own technical procedures.

1ST FIXING ACCESSORY & BOX INSTALLATION

Boxes are installed level with two fixings and a single box distance between accessories.

Accessories are consistently spaced from room corners where required. (M Regs - Cat2 plots = 300mm and Cat3 = 700mm).

All switches are 150mm from the door frame or 130mm from the stud (or centralised on a nib).

1ST FIXING ACCESSORY & BOX INSTALLATION

Accessories and cables are positioned at least 25mm (or 150mm for CU) away from gas pipes, this includes ceiling spaces. If this is not possible, cables must be separated by an electrically insulated barrier such as tape or copex.

Blind grommets are used where applicable. All back boxes are installed where possible.

1ST FIXING

The accessories and the consumer unit have been set to the correct height.

(Part M, builder specific measurements, consumer unit switches to be between 1350mm & 1450mm, door entry handsets 1165mm).

Box savers used with company logo.

1ST FIXING

All noggins are fitted level with four screws.

Timber stud work is chiselled out neatly for the metal box.

Lighting noggins are installed within joist spaces.

Noggins or plywood are installed for fans where applicable.

Noggins are installed for room stats. Noggins or plywood are installed for the consumer unit where applicable.

1ST FIXING CABLE INSTALLATION

All cables are installed straight and at right angles through the joist or ceiling area, without any 45-degree runs.

Cables are run horizontally and enter the boxes through side knockouts to stay within the zone of the boxes.

Cables are wired within safe zones or fitted with mechanical protection.

Cables are secured along the joists and are at least 50mm away from the top or bottom of the joist, including any flange.

1ST FIXING

All holes are drilled within the correct zones for joists; no drilling is done to attic trusses or I-beam flanges.

Cable drops within stud walls are secured together neatly.

Cables in the loft are positioned outside the central zone, clear of the loft hatch area and not pulled too taught.

Lagging is installed where necessary to pipes (not cables).

1ST FIXING

INSTALLATION

TV cables are free from kinks or tight bends and not crushed by fixing clips. The cables are brought together centrally into the roof space, clipped up above loft insulation, and labelled correctly.

Cables are segregated between low voltage and mains voltage by at least 150mm.

Cables installed above MF ceilings are supported and secured away from the frame and supports.

1ST FIXING

All cables for circuits greater than 6A are fixed in a position where they will not be fully surrounded by insulation or upgraded for the relevant circuit.

Plastic bushes or grommets are used when passing through metal studs or frameworks.

1ST FIXING CLIPPING, SHEATHING & CABLE PROTECTION

All cables are clipped or secured neatly to the walls with the correct sized clips and distance apart, uniform with adjacent drops.

Safe plates are installed with two screws where specified.

Arrows mark the locations where cables pass through the floor on all external walls and both sides of the stud work.

1ST FIXING

CLIPPING, SHEATHING & CABLE PROTECTION

Tail protection is fitted and installed correctly, both on external and stud walls.

1ST FIXING GENERAL

All external cables coiled neatly.

Holes are drilled through the external walls to the correct size from the outside in.

The external lights, vent covers and doorbells heights are set to the correct height.

Conduit is used for any cables passing through a structural wall.

Cables and ducting are sealed when passing through a fire barrier or fire-resisting wall.

Putty pads are installed where required.

The plot is swept and cleaned out.

All sockets are polarity functionally tested.

All light fixtures are unobstructed and functioning properly, including two-way and intermediate switching.

Appliance outlet switches checked.

All pelmet lights are working, and look neat and tidy.

2ND FIXING & FINAL

All smoke detectors are correctly wired and sleeved (black as neutral, grey as interlink). The dust covers are in place and have the correct unobstructed 300mm distance. The smoke detectors have been tested and are interlinked. The smoke alarm sticker has been completed to the relevant installation standard.

Telephone slave outlets & RJ45 outlets are checked using plug tester at master point/hub location).

TV/SAT plates are visually inspected to ensure that the connections are secure.

Kitchen accessories are located at least 300mm away from the sink and 100mm away from the hob.

The location of the bus-bar within devices has been checked with an inspection mirror, and all connections are torqued to the correct tightness.

Outside lights have been installed level and are working correctly.

The gas bonding information sticker is installed, providing guidance on BS7671 regulations.

All accessories are tight, level and flush to the wall, with screw caps fitted where required. (if not are screws at 12 & 6).

Circuit identification and sleeving are used. Chrome switches are earthed correctly.

The consumer unit is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. All connections are torqued to the correct tightness, a grommet strip is used at cable entries, tail clamps are used, and a bus-bar cover is fitted with adequate fixings.

A security sticker is completed and applied to the consumer unit.

MCBs are correctly sized, with blanks fitted at 1350mm to 1450mm. IP codes are observed for surface cable entries, circuits are labelled correctly, and required labels are neatly applied and completed.

The in-line fuse is installed within the meter box and torqued to 3Nm and sealed.

Zone valves are neatly connected and clearly identified.

A 3amp fuse is installed in a fused spur.

The room thermostat is installed level and according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

HEATING AIR SOURCE HEATING

It is important that all design drawings are followed for each house type, but here are a few generic items we must adhere to

Isolators easily accessible.

The cable entry point is used and the connections are soundly made.

The Heat Pump is installed on a solid base and raised to 150mm from the finished floor level.

The internal cupboard is set out neatly to allow room for multiple trade systems.

GARAGES DETACHED GARAGES

The external weatherproof box used for terminations, is fed via a fused spur on the plot and has a 230v sticker applied.

A 3amp fuse is used to fuse down the garage light.

The conduit is installed neatly and secured at uniform distances.

A maximum of 1.5 meters of insulated flexiduct is used for final terminations only and mechanically secured with jubilee clips.

Solid ducting is used and secured every 600mm.

Solid ducting is joined using silicon and then mechanically secured using a minimum of three screws and foil tape to ensure it’s airtight.

• The manufacturer’s instructions are followed at all times.

• The EV charger is installed at a height between 750mm - 1200mm.

• The EV charger is installed in a suitable location in relation to the car parking space.

• The correct grommets and glands are used to ensure the IP rating of the device.

• Installer set-up is completed and customer app information is included in the handover pack.

• The load management facility is included in the handover pack where supplied but not specified.

• The earthing arrangement is confirmed, as many have integrated PEN fault protection.

The inverter, isolators and generation meters are neatly installed.

The DC cables are clipped neatly and identified at regular intervals and changes of direction.

The DC cables enter the roof at 1st fix. Notices and cable ties are applied to prevent plugging into each other.

Excess DC cables are clipped onto the backboard in a 300mm loop.

Labels and warning notices are applied.

SAFE ISOLATION

When energising a circuit or plot, we ensure it is safe to do so. All cables and accessories are fitted or made safe, with tests carried out to verify circuits are safe to be energised and used.

When working on a live circuit, safe isolation procedures are followed, and the circuit being worked on is locked off.

Any cables that are not in a socket box will have their accessory fitted or will be made safe via an enclosure that requires a tool or key to gain access to the terminals.

Tim Bisp

Commercial Director

07968 399298

tim.bisp@clarksonevans.co.uk

Chris Pike

Production Director

07989 477006

chris.pike@clarksonevans.co.uk

Meteor Business Park Cheltenham Road East Gloucester GL2 9QL

www.clarksonevans.co.uk