EICR's on buildings with multiple consumer units

dtec dave · Jan 9, 2018

I have just been asked to do an EICR on a fairly large commercial building, up until now my experience of EICR's has been on domestic buildings so need a bit of advice on how to do the certificate please!!

The main distribution board is a 3 phase board which then feeds 8 consumer units throughout the building, 2 of these consumer units then feed another 2 smaller consumer units.

I have been looking at the NIC software and I can't work out how to set this up without having to do a separate EICR for each individual consumer unit.

Can anyone give me some advice on the set up of the certificate?

Cheers

AJshep · Jan 9, 2018

I do quite a lot of large condition reports.
I do exactly what the others mention, one EICR complete with schedule of inspections then as many continuation (schedule of test sheets) as there are distribution boards.

Its up to you how you choose to list it but personally If I have say a 3 phase supply coming into a 400amp switch then to a Busbar which feeds mutiple fused switches which in turn each feed a distribution board then I might tend to relable the boards so they make logical sense,
quite often I would do a test schedule for the busbar as well, I'd list the cable size/ and phase but just omit the results. Although it' not necessary I personally think it makes it easier to read in the future, with the early Amtech software you had to do this as it created a distribution board spider chart.

My labling would usualy be something simple like this.

Main Switch.
Busbar.
SF1 - supplying- DB1 - supplying a submain - DB1A
SF2. -etc-etc

Reasons being if you pick up the maintenance afterwoods, it makes it alot easier for you.

I was told at a ECA meeting once by a board member from the IET that strictly from a City and Guilds exam point of view that each set of distribution board test results should have a separate schedule of inspections. Personally I don't know anyone who does this, however if the condition report was carried out on a large Residential school then I would probably do separate Schedule of Inspections sheets for distribution boards that maybe supply wet rooms.
I would only do a separate EICR if there was a seperate incoming supply.

westward10 · Jan 9, 2018

SparkyChick said:
Are you able to say publicly what the building is used for? I'm just curious as the labels make me think shop or abattoir (footwear I can make work in my tiny mind for an abattoir but I'm not sure about footwear lift ). I guess I'm curious as to how it could get into that state and what the place is used for may help with some ideas.

Bang on SC it is a 1950s department store which closed last year although two floors of offices are still in use. It is a fascinating place and the architecture inside is fantastic but the huge sales areas are empty and like a big ghost ship. I have been told it was a slaughterhouse originally and was built in 1903 and became a shop in the 1950s, bit like Grace Brothers. The footwear lift is ancient and is long redundant but it is all complete and only goes between two floors.

SparkyChick · Jan 9, 2018

westward10 said:
Bang on SC it is a 1950s department store which closed last year although two floors of offices are still in use. It is a fascinating place and the architecture inside is fantastic but the huge sales areas are empty and like a big ghost ship. I have been told it was a slaughterhouse originally and was built in 1903 and became a shop in the 1950s, bit like Grace Brothers.

Thanks for that.. they certainly don't build them like they used to. Sadly too many old buildings that had real character are no more

Deleted member 9648 · Jan 9, 2018

The big problem with some of that lovely old switchgear is access to live parts without the use of a tool. Always hate coding something that has been operating perfectly for half a century or more.