Rewiring a French House

[jackie_baldwin]

Our French house needs rewiring completely.  Our son is an English fully qualified electrician.  Can anyone tell me categorically whether French regulations require the work be done to be certified, approved or passed by a French electrician or whether he is prohibited from doing the work on the house?

So far as the French authorities are concerned, there will not of course any funds changing hands in regards to the work.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[powerdesal]

Jackie,

The general accepted perception is that if your house already has a

supply then work on your side of the meter can be done by you (or

yours), It should however be done to fully comply with current (pun not

intended) French codes and Normes - not English style.

[Mikew]

Try:

"Les évolutions de la norme électrique", a good 7.50 Euros worth of explanation of the wiring standard NF C 15-100.

gives schemas and examples of wiring different sizes of houses, as well as picture explanations of the rules.

[Anton Redman]

If you have an exisitng supply then downstream of the meter you can do what you want.

Unlike the UK if you wire a new build from scratch then a totally independant body the CONSUEL has to approve the wiring before connection by EDF

I would strongly recommend buying a couple of French books so that the key differences are understood :

No Ring Circuits

Earth wires the same section as Power and Return

Ability to rewire without damaging exisitng decoration.

I have an ex colleage who almost has to cross himself before he wires anything to French Normes  

 

[Alcazar]

I would add

no "twin and earth" type cable, as it doesn't have insulation on the earth, and, as noted elsewhere, the earth is a smaller CSA than the phase and neutral.

use two pole disjoncteurs for everything,

Alcazar

[tj]

[quote user="Alcazar"]

I would add

no "twin and earth" type cable, as it doesn't have insulation on the earth, and, Alcazar

[/quote]

Maybe missed something but all the twin + earth cable I use has insulated earth?

 

[Chancer]

UK Twin + Earth has an earth conductor that is only single insulated whereas the phase and neutral are double insulated and as [posted the earth conductor has a smaller cross sectional area..

The French eqivalent (R03V not exactly equivalent as it is round not flat!) has all 3 cores of the same section and insulation.

[Alcazar]

[quote user="tj"][quote user="Alcazar"]

I would add

no "twin and earth" type cable, as it doesn't have insulation on the earth, and, Alcazar

[/quote]

Maybe missed something but all the twin + earth cable I use has insulated earth?

 

[/quote]

Are you sure you're talking "twin and earth"? Not 3-core?

The stuff I'm on about is the flat section used for wiring BEHIND sockets, lights etc in the UK, and was, until very recently, red, black and bare earth..

Alcazar