Hello all,
So I haven’t got much EICR experience, but I’m pretty comfortable with the testing procedures and have a decent idea of coding though I still have lots to learn. I did an EICR at my grans house with my tutor from the 2391 course which was great, we hit a few snags along the way which we corrected.
I do have one question on bonding which is asked below.
Today I was carrying out an EICR at my mums flat alone just for practice to get some more experience. Again hit a few snags which I corrected. I did get a little bamboozled when it got to the ring socket circuits as there was a lot of shenanigans going on with the wiring… I kinda suck at the paperwork side of things and some of the questions I’m going to ask I have an idea of the answer but I need some confirmation of whether I’ve got the right idea or not…
Q1. So first thing it’s a Crabtree Fuseboard type SB6000. Main switch is BS5419. But I’m unsure what type it is? There was nothing mentioning the type on the side of the device. On the schedule of circuit details sheet at the top it says Distribution circuit OCPD BS EN then next to it says type… I’m unsure of what to fill out. I’m guessing this is to do with the supply characteristics?
Q2. If so, even this I had issues with today as I wasn’t able to get access to the main intake equipment such as the fuse head. I traced back the orange cable (picture attached) and it went into the block of flats communal area behind some screwed wooden panel which I didn’t want to start undoing, so I’ve put down Lim on the supply protective device box in section I. I’ve also put down TNS the earthing is coming off the sheathing of the outer metal jacket of the orange cable as this is what is apparent to me visually or should I have Lim this also?
Q3. When I did the EICR at my grans house, I couldn’t find the bonding conductor to the gas pipe. The gas pipe has a meter cupboard outside it then seems to go into the house under the floors which is all laminate, so there’s no way of visually finding it. I asked my tutor and he said check the continuity between the water pipe which is under the stairs to the gas pipe in the gas meter cupboard in the front and I got a reading of 0.00ohms which indicates that it’s bonded. I can’t imagine a reading this low would be from being connected via a boiler? or underground? What code would you give this? It would be ridiculously hard to get a bonding conductor to the front without damaging the place, the floors are laminate and the ceilings have those patterned wallpaper ceilings
Q4. When carrying out the ring socket circuit continuity test I got good readings between the LL (0.22) and NN (0.24) but then come EE and I had 3 cpcs which I were getting end to end readings off 2/3 combinations of them… let’s call them E1 E2 and E3. I was getting a reading between say E1-E2 0.41, E1-E3 0.43, E2-E3 >2049 or whatever it is. So I decided to split the rings cpc somewhere in one of the sockets. I then wander leaded on one of the sockets cpc and then on to each of the E1, E2 and E3 at the board and it picked up only E2, I then done the other cpc at the socket and it picked up both the remainder 2 cpcs… bare with me on this sorry I know it’s long. I couldn’t quite work out which of the extra cpc was being picked up from where. In the end I decided that all 3 of those cpcs will be terminated in the bar so what I’ll do is do the step 3 figure of 8 for the R1+R2 using a combination of E2 which was picked up on 1 leg when I split the socket and E1 with L1 L2, then E2 and E3 with L1 and L2 and recorded the highest reading out of those 2 tried combinations. I’m just wondering if there was another way I could’ve tackled this?? Would you code this??
Thing is I know it’s my mums flat and I feel eager to start fault finding and seeing what’s what but I want to get out of the habit of trying to disect everything and just do an EICR as it’s supposed to be, just a report. Any fault finding will come after if she/ the client agrees.
Q5. I’m sure this one creeps up a ton of times on eicrs. Ring mains sockets with sockets spurred off of them with out being fused. The sockets that are within the ring are obviously adequate enough to handle the current that the MCB/RCBO will allow and the protective device being 32amp will protect the ring cables but then the spured cables will only be covered up to about 26 amps maximum and that’s if it’s clipped direct. Lower if other installation methods used. Do you code this? C2? Danger if a fault occurs being the cable can overheat and melt?
Q6. The electric oven with a rating of 3480W is used by being plugged into a socket which is obviously not right as that’s drawing just over 15amps. But it’s not fixed wiring. This needs a code of C2? Or C3? I don’t feel like it’s dangerous as it’s on a 13amp fuse. The cables rated to handle much more. Not so sure about the pins though…
So I haven’t got much EICR experience, but I’m pretty comfortable with the testing procedures and have a decent idea of coding though I still have lots to learn. I did an EICR at my grans house with my tutor from the 2391 course which was great, we hit a few snags along the way which we corrected.
I do have one question on bonding which is asked below.
Today I was carrying out an EICR at my mums flat alone just for practice to get some more experience. Again hit a few snags which I corrected. I did get a little bamboozled when it got to the ring socket circuits as there was a lot of shenanigans going on with the wiring… I kinda suck at the paperwork side of things and some of the questions I’m going to ask I have an idea of the answer but I need some confirmation of whether I’ve got the right idea or not…
Q1. So first thing it’s a Crabtree Fuseboard type SB6000. Main switch is BS5419. But I’m unsure what type it is? There was nothing mentioning the type on the side of the device. On the schedule of circuit details sheet at the top it says Distribution circuit OCPD BS EN then next to it says type… I’m unsure of what to fill out. I’m guessing this is to do with the supply characteristics?
Q2. If so, even this I had issues with today as I wasn’t able to get access to the main intake equipment such as the fuse head. I traced back the orange cable (picture attached) and it went into the block of flats communal area behind some screwed wooden panel which I didn’t want to start undoing, so I’ve put down Lim on the supply protective device box in section I. I’ve also put down TNS the earthing is coming off the sheathing of the outer metal jacket of the orange cable as this is what is apparent to me visually or should I have Lim this also?
Q3. When I did the EICR at my grans house, I couldn’t find the bonding conductor to the gas pipe. The gas pipe has a meter cupboard outside it then seems to go into the house under the floors which is all laminate, so there’s no way of visually finding it. I asked my tutor and he said check the continuity between the water pipe which is under the stairs to the gas pipe in the gas meter cupboard in the front and I got a reading of 0.00ohms which indicates that it’s bonded. I can’t imagine a reading this low would be from being connected via a boiler? or underground? What code would you give this? It would be ridiculously hard to get a bonding conductor to the front without damaging the place, the floors are laminate and the ceilings have those patterned wallpaper ceilings
Q4. When carrying out the ring socket circuit continuity test I got good readings between the LL (0.22) and NN (0.24) but then come EE and I had 3 cpcs which I were getting end to end readings off 2/3 combinations of them… let’s call them E1 E2 and E3. I was getting a reading between say E1-E2 0.41, E1-E3 0.43, E2-E3 >2049 or whatever it is. So I decided to split the rings cpc somewhere in one of the sockets. I then wander leaded on one of the sockets cpc and then on to each of the E1, E2 and E3 at the board and it picked up only E2, I then done the other cpc at the socket and it picked up both the remainder 2 cpcs… bare with me on this sorry I know it’s long. I couldn’t quite work out which of the extra cpc was being picked up from where. In the end I decided that all 3 of those cpcs will be terminated in the bar so what I’ll do is do the step 3 figure of 8 for the R1+R2 using a combination of E2 which was picked up on 1 leg when I split the socket and E1 with L1 L2, then E2 and E3 with L1 and L2 and recorded the highest reading out of those 2 tried combinations. I’m just wondering if there was another way I could’ve tackled this?? Would you code this??
Thing is I know it’s my mums flat and I feel eager to start fault finding and seeing what’s what but I want to get out of the habit of trying to disect everything and just do an EICR as it’s supposed to be, just a report. Any fault finding will come after if she/ the client agrees.
Q5. I’m sure this one creeps up a ton of times on eicrs. Ring mains sockets with sockets spurred off of them with out being fused. The sockets that are within the ring are obviously adequate enough to handle the current that the MCB/RCBO will allow and the protective device being 32amp will protect the ring cables but then the spured cables will only be covered up to about 26 amps maximum and that’s if it’s clipped direct. Lower if other installation methods used. Do you code this? C2? Danger if a fault occurs being the cable can overheat and melt?
Q6. The electric oven with a rating of 3480W is used by being plugged into a socket which is obviously not right as that’s drawing just over 15amps. But it’s not fixed wiring. This needs a code of C2? Or C3? I don’t feel like it’s dangerous as it’s on a 13amp fuse. The cables rated to handle much more. Not so sure about the pins though…
