Do I need to rewire after this EICR

[Mslala]

Hi,

First time buyer here who is purchasing a 1970s 3 bed semi detached. No idea about anything electrical but the vendor said the electrics are old so we got an EICR report done.

It's full of C3's and C2's and he recommends a full rewire. We have the budget to have this done if we must, but a lot of other things in the house need doing so we only wanted to do a rewire if it was as at the point where it was dangerous to live there if it wasn't.

He quoted us about £3.5k for a like for like rewire or £5.5k for a rewire with extra sockets and smoke alarms (but nothing fancy like spotlights etc). I mostly just want to check that we aren't being convinced into a full rewire when one isn't actually needed and hope some people on here could give me their opinion! EICR report, his comments and some pics below for reference.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dustydazzler]

Reality is if most or all the wiring is old original then its 50+ years old. This doesn't mean it is unsafe just means its getting old.

If you are thinking of having work done like a new kitchen , then you want to Re-wire first , last thing you wany to do is spend 5 grand on a new shiny kitchen and have to rip it all out later when you do a Re-wire

Re-Wire first , new kitchen and new bathroom second

 

[pc1966]

Get anything like this done first, before you consider decoration, etc. The low IR suggests poor cable condition (though may be something else) but if it is 70s installation there will be far too few sockets where you want them so plan what you would like for room layouts and get plenty of sockets put in as needed.

Lack of bonding and no RCD are also significant safety issues, but if going some of the necessary work you might as well get it all brought to the condition you want before a new kitchen is considered. Also plan for that so a dedicated socket supply for that as most power-hungry appliances are concentrated in that room.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

It probably does need a rewire. Not definitely, just probably. It's impossible to say without doing our own EICR. £3.5K - £5.5K sounds perfectly reasonable for a 2 -3 bedroom house. Get 2 more quotes and choose the person you feel happiest with.

 

[James]

It looks like a well written report, It may well be possible to spend 2 to 3 days rectifying the C2's and changing damaged sockets, light switches and main switch, so in all honesty my best guess is it is probably better to do it (a rewire) now instead of when you have redecorated a room that sods law says half the ceiling will have to come down in!!

without seeing the installation it is not possible for us to tell you if the report is accurate or not but gut feeling because of the age of the property and the items listed means it is most likely to be true.

p.s. I do like the way they have tried to explain the C2's in layman's terms, this in itself suggests that they have given it some time rather than a quick glance, even faster report written and hand held out for payment.

p.p.p.s I can see that there written English is not the best but we all have to be good at some things and not so good at others.

 

[WallaceP]

Seems reasonable to me, and a fair price too, Would be much better getting it out of the way now then a quick fix to call him back when the faults he has found become bigger issues.

 

[Markyd]

£5.5k for a full rewire......bite his hand off

 

[UNG]

Why is it that unswitched sockets are a problem these days on EICR's, I've seen it mentioned on a few EICR's over the last couple of years and also on the one posted here

 

[James]

Why is it that unswitched sockets are a problem these days on EICR's, I've seen it mentioned on a few EICR's over the last couple of years and also on the one posted here

in my opinion, they are not a problem.

if you want to isolate whatever is plugged in, unplug it?!!?

 

[timhoward]

Why is it that unswitched sockets are a problem these days on EICR's, I've seen it mentioned on a few EICR's over the last couple of years and also on the one posted here

My opinion is that it’s due to confusion! Some people construct an argument thus (I do NOT agree)

537-04-01, a means of interupting the supply for the purpose of emergency switching shall be capable of cutting of the full load current of the relevant part of the installation.

537-04-04, 'it shall be installed in a readily accessable position where the hazard may occur'

537-04-02, A plug and socket-outlet or similar device shall not be selected as a device for emegency switching.

(regs copied from another post and may be outdated)

Isolation and emergency switching are not the same thing. Some people merge the two in their thinking.

 

[James]

My opinion is that it’s due to confusion! Some people construct an argument thus (I do NOT agree)

537-04-01, a means of interupting the supply for the purpose of emergency switching shall be capable of cutting of the full load current of the relevant part of the installation.

this is intended for a permanently fixed piece of electrical equipment that may need stopping due to an emergency condition.

537-04-04, 'it shall be installed in a readily accessable position where the hazard may occur'

absolutely, if you have a device for emergency switching off, of an appliance then it should be next to it, not out in the car park.

537-04-02, A plug and socket-outlet or similar device shall not be selected as a device for emegency switching.

Isolation and emergency switching are not the same thing. Some people merge the two in their thinking.

Any equipment that is supplied with a 13A plug attached should have its own control system designed as appropriate,
this should include switching off in both normal use and emergency conditions.

in short, residential properties are where the issues are.
if you are concerned about emergency stop/switching off then you should be looking at the manufacturer of the equipment to ensure it is safe for use in all circumstances and can be turned off under normal or fault conditions. (normally they use a DP switch on the supply for this)

when it comes to commercial or industrial settings, every piece of equipment put in the workplace should have a risk assessment completed that looks into failure modes and how to stop the dam thing if it likely to cause an injury.

This is just taking things to far, if you plug it in and it causes a problem, switch it off, if it wont switch off then unplug it.
surely this is not rocket science?

537-04-01, a means of interrupting the supply for the purpose of emergency switching.
who on earth decided that every device plugged in to a 13A socket needs an extra method of stopping it in an emergency? surely the product designers have covered this?

 

[James]

to make a socket suitable for emergency switching
parts list and estimated cost.
socket £4
emergency stop controller £45
32A contactor x 2 £150
emergency stop button inc. encosure £75
Labour and circuit diagrams etc. £350
TOTAL £699

 

[swaRRR]

Looks like it.


tweeeeeenttyyyyyfiiiveeee

 

[sparkdog]

Well, I'll have my say. Wiring regs are not retrospective regarding EICRs, ref Part P document, even on RCDs depending on when the original installation was done. " no RCD on lighting circuit C2" I don't think so.
Low insulation readings, I would say further investigation needed, could be a back box full of debris, dead mouse, damp or anything. Don't see any mention if its PVC or VIR wiring.