Trying to work out what to price EICRs

[ppelec100]

So I’ve been having a look around and come across some other threads on this forum mentioning around £20 per circuit…

Surely this can’t be right?
I know it’s less graft than install but to do an eicr on say a lighting circuit, radial socket circuit, even a ring socket circuit would take at least an hour each circuit by the time you you’ve done r1 r2 properly by removing from the bar to remove parallels and linking, bypassing any electronic equipment such as dimmers PIRs USB sockets, inspecting all the accessories for damage burning etc, opening a % to sample and check for tightness etc, then removing loads if needed for IR test. You still need to fill out the details for the breaker, do an Rcd test if it’s an RCBO etc etc you get the drift.

Where are you guys based and what are you charging? I’m new to the EICR game so I’m trying to get my head around pricing.

Thanks

 

[westward10]

1. R1+R2 is not a necessity, obtaining a Zs is the minimum you need to do regarding continuity unless you don't do live tests and calculate it.
2. You do not need to remove parallel paths.
3. You do not need to bypass dimmers, PIRs, USB sockets etc.... RCD sockets will need removing from the circuit.
4. You do not need to remove loads unless you are getting odd readings.

 

[Jock from the north]

So I’ve been having a look around and come across some other threads on this forum mentioning around £20 per circuit…

Surely this can’t be right?
I know it’s less graft than install but to do an eicr on say a lighting circuit, radial socket circuit, even a ring socket circuit would take at least an hour each circuit by the time you you’ve done r1 r2 properly by removing from the bar to remove parallels and linking, bypassing any electronic equipment such as dimmers PIRs USB sockets, inspecting all the accessories for damage burning etc, opening a % to sample and check for tightness etc, then removing loads if needed for IR test. You still need to fill out the details for the breaker, do an Rcd test if it’s an RCBO etc etc you get the drift.

Where are you guys based and what are you charging? I’m new to the EICR game so I’m trying to get my head around pricing.

Thanks

I don't do eicrs due to the remedials involved but the last company I worked for charged 175 plus vat for 2 bed and 210 plus vat for upto 4 bedroom or any other normal sized house ie not a mansion with a swimming pool .plus 75 pound for the pat test [scotland for leasing]they made there money off remedials by using the regs liberaley .that was in 2015.unless its comercial eicrs you are doing then it's a different animal

 

[ppelec100]

1. R1+R2 is not a necessity, obtaining a Zs is the minimum you need to do regarding continuity unless you don't do live tests and calculate it.
2. You do not need to remove parallel paths.
3. You do not need to bypass dimmers, PIRs, USB sockets etc.... RCD sockets will need removing from the circuit.
4. You do not need to remove loads unless you are getting odd readings.

Yeah that’s true, but what I’ve learnt from following some guy on YouTube who does purely testing videos. He has membership videos which are about £5 a month and quite insightful.

1. anyways he shows that doing a Zs test is simply not enough as you could do a Zs on a kitchen ring circuit and it might not even have a cpc but it’ll be picking up an earth off of the gas pipe which connects to the gas hob casing and then back through the cpc on the lead and onto then into circuit and of course there are other scenarios.
EDIT: and if in the future if that gas hob gets replaced with an electric hob then that ring circuit will lose its cpc which was the gas bond
2. As explained above in that scenario if it’s not removed from the Earth bar it’ll pick up the gas bond as the cpc
3. Why do dimmers and pirs etc not need to be bypassed? You won’t get the R1+R2 reading otherwise? Unless you’re suggesting carry out a RN+R2 test? I mentioned bypassing usb sockets for IR tests…
4. Removing loads I mentioned for carrying out IR tests

 

[westward10]

There are lots of ifs and buts but it is acceptable to measure Zs to confirm continuity and yes there is a possibility it is not using the circuit cpc.
Dimmers and PIRs I thought you were referring to IR tests. They really do not take long to bypass just need some Wagos or leads with croc clips.
IR tests you do not need to remove all loads, connect line to neutral and test to earth only no need to test between live conductors.
Who are you paying £5 a month on YouTube?

 

[ppelec100]

There are lots of ifs and buts but it is acceptable to measure Zs to confirm continuity and yes there is a possibility it is not using the circuit cpc.
Dimmers and PIRs I thought you were referring to IR tests. They really do not take long to bypass just need some Wagos or leads with croc clips.
IR tests you do not need to remove all loads, connect line to neutral and test to earth only no need to test between live conductors.
Who are you paying £5 a month on YouTube?

Yeah I get that it’s acceptable but I feel like it’s a minimum and we can always go that extra mile, or we should really to make sure that things have actually been done properly. I don’t think I’d be comfortable just doing a Zs unless the circuit or equipment couldn’t be isolated for whatever reason then I have no choice I guess but I’d note that down.

Yeah you’re right bypassing dimmers doesn’t take long but when they’ve been filled or painted into the wall it is a nightmare trying to carefully cut around it.

Sorry when I meant remove all loads, i wouldn’t go crazy and remove all lamps and fixed equipment etc but if there was only say a few lamps on that circuit easy to remove or say a downstairs ring with only a few tv stuff and chargers plugged in then I’d be inclined to remove them so that I can carry out a full LN LE NE IR tests.

The guy on YouTube is called mainly electrical

 

[Risteard]

Yeah I get that it’s acceptable but I feel like it’s a minimum and we can always go that extra mile, or we should really to make sure that things have actually been done properly. I don’t think I’d be comfortable just doing a Zs unless the circuit or equipment couldn’t be isolated for whatever reason then I have no choice I guess but I’d note that down.

Yeah you’re right bypassing dimmers doesn’t take long but when they’ve been filled or painted into the wall it is a nightmare trying to carefully cut around it.

Sorry when I meant remove all loads, i wouldn’t go crazy and remove all lamps and fixed equipment etc but if there was only say a few lamps on that circuit easy to remove or say a downstairs ring with only a few tv stuff and chargers plugged in then I’d be inclined to remove them so that I can carry out a full LN LE NE IR tests.

The guy on YouTube is called mainly electrical

Doing more isn't always better, though. Consider the risks due to unnecessary dismantling and reassembly of the electrical installation.

 

[Pretty Mouth]

1. anyways he shows that doing a Zs test is simply not enough as you could do a Zs on a kitchen ring circuit and it might not even have a cpc but it’ll be picking up an earth off of the gas pipe which connects to the gas hob casing and then back through the cpc on the lead and onto then into circuit and of course there are other scenarios.

I came across similar when testing at my brother's house. Zs at kitchen sockets, but no continuity on the CPC to some of them when disconnected from the MET. Turned out the cooker had two cables terminated into it: one to the cooker circuit outlet plate, and another to a 3 pin plug, which was plugged into a socket under the counter, which was how the kitchen sockets were getting their earth. Bizarre, and very dangerous should anyone have unplugged it.

So I do prefer to disconnect the CPC when testing, if feasible to do so. Problem is, real world there are time constraints, and often the board is a rats nest of cables, with the CPCs not following the order of the circuit breakers. When it's like that I'll just clip to the earth bar.

 

[westward10]

I would often loop to the cpc when disconnected at the accessory for boilers, water heaters etc... just to prove it, the result between that and Zs can be quite different and only once did I have no continuity to the cpc.

 

[ppelec100]

I would often loop to the cpc when disconnected at the accessory for boilers, water heaters etc... just to prove it, the result between that and Zs can be quite different and only once did I have no continuity to the cpc.

Sorry can you explain what you mean here, I think I might be reading it wrong. Do you mean that you’ll disconnect the boiler completely off the load side and do a Zs off the incoming L to cpc?

 

[westward10]

Sorry can you explain what you mean here, I think I might be reading it wrong. Do you mean that you’ll disconnect the boiler completely off the load side and do a Zs off the incoming L to cpc?

I do a Zs with everything connected then another Zs to the cpc with it disconnected at the accessory, so live to that cpc.