I just DIY installed a new light fixture for the dinning room. Now I'm worried about violating the law?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › I just DIY installed a new light fixture for the dinning room. Now I'm worried about violating the law?

Lakl

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#177286 28-Jul-2015 20:33

There was a very nice Philips lighting fixture on sale in Mitre10 for only 20 dollars. I bought it without thinking and carefully replaced my old lights in the dinning room.

This is the old one.

The new one is very similar to this.

It was a easy DIY, just need to drill 2 new holes in the solid wood and carefully connect 3 wires. Checked and rechecked and everything works great.

But by law, can I do this myself? Will this affect my house insurance? Does insurance company has any ways to find out?

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Biddle Corp

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#1353786 28-Jul-2015 20:38

The law allows the homeowner to replace a light fitting.

If you look at the MBIE website you'll find plenty of information regarding what you're legally allowed (and not allowed) to do.

Lakl

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#1353791 28-Jul-2015 20:42

sbiddle: The law allows the homeowner to replace a light fitting.

If you look at the MBIE website you'll find plenty of information regarding what you're legally allowed (and not allowed) to do.

Yes, so even the new fitting is different from the old one?
In my case, the new one is more like a pendant type, or is it?

Thanks.

wellygary

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#1353798 28-Jul-2015 20:52

You are not required to replace "like" for "like" ....

http://www.med.govt.nz/energysafety/consumer/safe-living-with-electricity/getting-electrical-work-done/doing-your-own-electrical-work#wiring

What electrical work can I do?

Remove and replace any of the following kinds of fittings, where the work does not involve work on any switchboard:

- Switches,
- Socket outlets,
- Permanent connection units,
- Light fittings,
- Batten holders,
- Cord grip lampholders,
- Ceiling roses,
- Flexible cords connected to any permanent connection unit, ceiling rose, or cord grip lampholder,
- Water heater switches,
- Thermostats,
- Elements.
Remove and replace fuse links.
Connect and disconnect fixed wired appliances.
Relocate existing switches, socket outlets, and lighting outlets that are supplied with electricity by toughplastic- sheathed cables.

Lakl

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Wannabe Geek

#1353808 28-Jul-2015 20:57

wellygary: You are not required to replace "like" for "like" ....

http://www.med.govt.nz/energysafety/consumer/safe-living-with-electricity/getting-electrical-work-done/doing-your-own-electrical-work#wiring
What electrical work can I do? Remove and replace any of the following kinds of fittings, where the work does not involve work on any switchboard:

Switches,
Socket outlets,
Permanent connection units,
Light fittings,
Batten holders,
Cord grip lampholders,
Ceiling roses,
Flexible cords connected to any permanent connection unit, ceiling rose, or cord grip lampholder,
Water heater switches,
Thermostats,
Elements.
Remove and replace fuse links.
Connect and disconnect fixed wired appliances.
Relocate existing switches, socket outlets, and lighting outlets that are supplied with electricity by toughplastic- sheathed cables.

Thanks for the info. No need to "like" for "like" :D

I have another question. My garden has a old light on the ground which doesn't work, it looks like it's a mains voltage fluorescent. I suspect the switch is the same as my eaves light as I cannot find any other one.

I plan to do a test this weekend to confirm that. If the wiring still works, I would like to terminate it. I don't need a light in that position. Can I do this by myself?

gregmcc

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#1353852 28-Jul-2015 21:38

Lakl:
wellygary: You are not required to replace "like" for "like" ....

http://www.med.govt.nz/energysafety/consumer/safe-living-with-electricity/getting-electrical-work-done/doing-your-own-electrical-work#wiring
What electrical work can I do? Remove and replace any of the following kinds of fittings, where the work does not involve work on any switchboard:

Switches,
Socket outlets,
Permanent connection units,
Light fittings,
Batten holders,
Cord grip lampholders,
Ceiling roses,
Flexible cords connected to any permanent connection unit, ceiling rose, or cord grip lampholder,
Water heater switches,
Thermostats,
Elements.
Remove and replace fuse links.
Connect and disconnect fixed wired appliances.
Relocate existing switches, socket outlets, and lighting outlets that are supplied with electricity by toughplastic- sheathed cables.

Thanks for the info. No need to "like" for "like" :D

I have another question. My garden has a old light on the ground which doesn't work, it looks like it's a mains voltage fluorescent. I suspect the switch is the same as my eaves light as I cannot find any other one.

I plan to do a test this weekend to confirm that. If the wiring still works, I would like to terminate it. I don't need a light in that position. Can I do this by myself?

good copy and paste, but yop left out the most important part

Doing your own wiring

When doing work on wiring in your home, you must:

Make sure that the power is switched off before you start.
Ensure that you do not work in any enclosure where conductors or terminals are live or could become live.
Ensure that if you install, extend or alter cables, you do not connect your work to the electricity supply yourself. The finished job must be checked and tested by a licensed electrical inspector. If it complies with safety requirements, the inspector will connect it, test it, and issue you with a Certificate of Compliance.

itxtme

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#1353866 28-Jul-2015 21:51

Greg this isnt necessary for replacing the light fixture as the OP has done, only for additional runs...

solival

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#1354189 29-Jul-2015 10:26

Can I ask question on slightly different topic?

Can I do wiring work on DC 12V? I want to put some wires (LAN and 12V) in walls for camera, also add some home automation (sunshades, speakers, etc). Do I need electrician for all of that?

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
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#1354206 29-Jul-2015 10:41

solival: Can I ask question on slightly different topic?

Can I do wiring work on DC 12V? I want to put some wires (LAN and 12V) in walls for camera, also add some home automation (sunshades, speakers, etc). Do I need electrician for all of that?

you can do it yourself. please note when you are doing this... you must not run the extra low voltage cables (LAN/12V /speaker/phone etc) through the same drill hole as the 230V

otherwise go for it

Matthew

dpf81

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#1360083 6-Aug-2015 15:49

ive replaced light fittings and broken power outlets before, no additional wiring involved there so you are allowed to

richms

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#1360739 7-Aug-2015 16:03

mdooher:
solival: Can I ask question on slightly different topic?

Can I do wiring work on DC 12V? I want to put some wires (LAN and 12V) in walls for camera, also add some home automation (sunshades, speakers, etc). Do I need electrician for all of that?

you can do it yourself. please note when you are doing this... you must not run the extra low voltage cables (LAN/12V /speaker/phone etc) through the same drill hole as the 230V

otherwise go for it

And dont bother running 12v. Get power over ethernet cameras and a PoE switch.

Richard rich.ms

greenbone

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#1361981 10-Aug-2015 11:31

mdooher:
you can do it yourself. please note when you are doing this... you must not run the extra low voltage cables (LAN/12V /speaker/phone etc) through the same drill hole as the 230V

otherwise go for it

is this a legal or safety requirement? or is it to do with interference issues? your "must not" as opposed to "should not" has me confused

Jaxson

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#1362038 10-Aug-2015 12:41

A few points:
You can only do this in your own home, that you live in. You can't change it if you are renting, or if you are a landlord and it's one of your rental properties, without being a registered electrician.
As above, as long as you're not moving/changing fixed wiring then you should be good to do this yourself.

Electricians now provide an Electrical Safety Certificate, which is used when they do this sort of thing but where a full Certificate of Compliance is required. I don't think this impacts on the homeowner though, other than I thought I'd mention you should probably get one of these for nearly everything an electrician does in your home, where a CoC is not required.

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
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#1362078 10-Aug-2015 13:29

greenbone:
mdooher:
you can do it yourself. please note when you are doing this... you must not run the extra low voltage cables (LAN/12V /speaker/phone etc) through the same drill hole as the 230V

otherwise go for it

is this a legal or safety requirement? or is it to do with interference issues? your "must not" as opposed to "should not" has me confused

This is a "must not", yes it is a legal requirement. The reasoning is: if two wires are in the same constricted hole and you drive a nail through that hole (hanging a picture, attaching Gib etc) you could end up with 230V on a circuit that is designed for 12V etc.

Matthew

gregmcc

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#1362301 10-Aug-2015 18:13

Jaxson: A few points:
You can only do this in your own home, that you live in. You can't change it if you are renting, or if you are a landlord and it's one of your rental properties, without being a registered electrician.
As above, as long as you're not moving/changing fixed wiring then you should be good to do this yourself.

Electricians now provide an Electrical Safety Certificate, which is used when they do this sort of thing but where a full Certificate of Compliance is required. I don't think this impacts on the homeowner though, other than I thought I'd mention you should probably get one of these for nearly everything an electrician does in your home, where a CoC is not required.

Here is the way it works, let's just say Joe Bloggs decides to put up some nice looking light fittings in several spots around the house, he is a pretty handy guy, he added some extra timber in the ceiling to hold the weight of new lights, he has some basic electrical experience and actually wired the lights correctly, and legally he can change out the light fittings been the home owner.

fast forward 12 months down the track........there is a house fire, the insurance adjuster is looking thru the derbies and notices several very charred light fittings which look like they aren't a standard item compared to the rest of the house.

So the adjuster asks Joe Bloggs, "where did the lights come from?", Joe answers "XYZ lighting store", "no problem", the adjuster says, "do you have access to the suppliers document of conformity?". "Document of What"? Joe says, every electrical items sold in NZ must have a Supplier document of conformity, the suppliers usually supply them with the items or can provide links on line for them.

"So who installed it then?", Joe proudly says "I Did!, by the way legally I'm allowed to" (Joe is right). The insurance adjuster now says "How do I know that you correctly installed these light fittings?", "Do you have some sort of electrical qualification to prove you know what you are doing?"

Now the adjuster has just got an out clause for his insurance company, If they can't find a cause then usually they blame an "Electrical fault" and now that the home owner has admitted that electrical work was done without any form certification or testing (even though Joe did do it right, there is no way to prove that) there is a real possibility from the adjusters point of view that the electrical work Joe done could have caused the fire.

At the end of the day after a several months long fight and and lots of stress the insurance company may even pay out, but for the sake of getting an electrician in to do it, and provide a Electrical Safety Certificate and move all of the liability on to the electrician for about $100 to put up a couple of light fittings it stops a lot of problems.

BTW if you think your insurance company is your friend, your wrong, they will try every possible excuse to get out of paying.

Jaxson

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#1362309 10-Aug-2015 18:33

gregmcc:

BTW if you think your insurance company is your friend, your wrong, they will try every possible excuse to get out of paying.

Well that went off in a tangent quickly.

I don't think they are my friend, but thanks for advising me all the same.

Just saying what he's legally entitled to do, as others have posted links to, IF he owns the house and IF he lives in it.

As for what potential issues there are down the line, that's not covered in the links/regulations, but agree it's probably not worth the hassle.

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