EICR and unnecessary work?

[Guest55]

I was going to take the trouble of answering all the OP's questions clearly.
Then I realised he hadnt come back to check the replies after 5 hours so i wont lol.

 

[1shortcircuit]

The beauty of replacing the board now is that if/when you need any alterations/additions done to circuits you are already complying by having RCD's fitted. By not having RCD protection if alterations/additions need to be carried out then you will need to protect the said circuit with 30mA protection. This can be easily done individually but how many individual RCD's would you like dotted around the original consumer unit?

PS, Is lack of RCD protection not a C2? :thumbsup

 

[Farmelectrics]

I thought rcd protection pre 2008 was only required for sockets intended for out door use

 

[1shortcircuit]

Here's a comparison for you

I bet the OP has an iphone rather than one of those old bricks with a handset and cord lol

Being eletcrically safe and up to date is obviously Sooooo unfashionable lol

Put your hand in your wallet and update you tight fisted geeeeet lmao



Posted in jest obviously :thumbsup

 

[Octopus]

Round my way a lot of the letting agents won't take on a property unless it has an up to date board fitted. Minimum seems to be RCD on sockets.

 

[i=p/u]

and bathroom

 

[plugsandsparks]

I will be renting out next year and have already decided, no matter what property i rent out, it will have at least a whole house RCD, 240V smoke alarms and a CO alarm.

In my view anything less, then the landlord is not fit to rent out, as this stuff is so cheap compared to a weeks rent.

If i was doing the EICR it would be a C2 for any issue with earthing or RCD protection. Hence un-satisfactory, so best not to call me

 

[bureaucrazy]

Thanks for all your replies even if one or two assumptions have been made. I sometimes post on this forum before I hire anyone if I am unsure about anything as it is far better to know a little of what i'm talking about beforehand as I have ended up with sub standard and superfluous work done in the past when I didn't know the score.

Imagine if you took your car for an MOT and the garage refused to pass it unless you had ABS and airbags fitted. Yes your car would be much safer but the garage has no right to bully you into paying for such improvements if they are not mandatory. If your car meets the MOT standard test you should pass and you can always take the garages advice if you want better safety features.

In fact I suggested the use of RCBOs in my original post as an economical way to improve safety even if it were not mandatory.

So here it seems that some of you would rate the lack of RCD protection as C3 and others C2 so is there a definitive official answer or is it simply down to the competent person to justify? I do not know the exact age of the installation but will check for labels. It is probably 12 to 15 years old.

Thanks again.

 

[spark 68]

The least demanding code it can be given is a C3, if it is not likely that any sockets will be powering outdoor equipment.
If it is likely to be used for outdoor equipment, then a C2 is to be issued.

Have a look at this :

http://www.esc.org.uk/fileadmin/use...y/best_practice/BestPracticeGuide4-Locked.pdf

and this:

Guidance for Landlords : Electrical Safety Council

As others have said though, there is good reason to fit RCD's, not least of which for safety reasons, but could be for insurance purposes, or LA licencing reasons.

Apologies if you have already looked at these.

 

[Des 56]

I did ask but perhaps the question has been missed
What is the purpose of the report ?

 

[oldtimer]

Round my way a lot of the letting agents won't take on a property unless it has an up to date board fitted. Minimum seems to be RCD on sockets.

Thats a brave thing to do in these current economical times the one I do work for have been doing it for years but tackle it on a if required and peace meal basis

- - - Updated - - -

 

[Strima]

Thats a brave thing to do in these current economical times the one I do work for have been doing it for years but tackle it on a if required and peace meal basis

- - - Updated - - -

I've seen some letting agents state a minimum number of sockets per room, can run into thousands on some properties just to earn a couple of hundred quid each month.

 

[mheyes]

The whole point of an EICR is to determine if an electrical installation is safe for continued operation by the end user. It must be tested by a by a skilled and competent person. Bight the bullet and have it tested by a local spark.
You don’t have to fix everything over night.

 

[drew35]

More info needed really, like is there any supplementary bonding in the kitchen and bathroom as this will affect the need for an RCD. Just get the report done by somebody registered and not a cowboy, then you can discuss all of their findings. You can also check them on the Safety Councils guide to EICR codes.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Suggest the Op author goes on www.esc.org.uk - have a look around.
An RCD even just a simple stand alone one can trip before an electrical fire gets a grip, i.e. at the over heating stage prior to full blown flames. An MCB will happily feed a fire until everything melts before tripping.
They are a no brainer and cost less than three gallons of fuel.

Car analogy does not work as the driver has the biggest influence over safety anyway, there is no driver in house electrics. When you are tucked up in bed, nasty gremlins come out and appliances, sometimes mass produced for pennies, let go.

Last one i read about was plug in fragrance devices, how harmless can they look, but sadly the worst happened and it burnt a house down.

Anyway as for C2 and C3, if i do a EICR on a dwelling - if there is no RCD anywhere, i use my knowledge and experience to justify a C2 on the basis of the massive benefit over cost they provide. In my view the lack of backward regulation for this is a cop out. In 2012 there is absolutely no need for people to live in houses with no RCD protection