Cheap EICR prices

[not clever]

Domestic EICR £190 & like Murdoch when pushed into it PAT'ing is £2.00 - £2.50 per item

 

[NDG Elecs]

Would you believe it, I have just had an email drop in my inbox.... see below

******** is a specialist Anonymous subcontractor for testing and inspection. We can help you by providing a quality inspection service to your clients either at those times when your staff are busy on other projects, or as an addition to your current provision.

The inspection work is carried out under your brand, you can use Inspexx for ongoing projects or just for occasional assignments.

Features of our service include:

• Experienced and Qualified Technicians – all staff are C&G qualified and CRB checked.
• ECA registered member.
• NICEIC registered member.
• BSi 9001 Quality Assured.
• Branded reporting – the inspections are carried out under your name.
• Confidential – we do not contact your customers or share client information.
  
  Our services include EICR, PAT and Emergency Lighting testing.
• EICR: £5.00 per circuit (minimum charge per site £150.00 up to 30 circuits)
• PAT: £0.55 per test (minimum charge per site £75.00 up to 100 tests)
  
  The reports are sent directly to you. You can pick up any remedial requirements

Kind Regards
**********

That's the one I emailed ages ago. Different fella, and can't recall the minimum £150.00 for, ahem, cough cough, 30 ccts!

 

[uksparks]

It's very very tempting to employ one of these to test your own house to see what sort of monkey turns up!

 

[NDG Elecs]

EXAMPLE

Lets just take a 3 bed semi for example, old wylex 3036 box retrofitted with MCB's, only 6 circuits.

Sockets Up
Sockets Down
Lights Up
Lights Down
Water Heater
Cooker

1. First of all I walk around the house in every room with the customer and look for any obvious problems.
2. Agree anything that you are not going to test or take apart with the customer such as light switches embedded in the walls with plaster and light fittings that are likely to fall apart or awkward to remove.
3. Unplug everything and switch all SFCU and 20A Switches off and remove lamps, then switch on all lights
4. Check bonding to water, gas and oil etc
5. Go to board, do a Ze
6. IR each circuit in turn at 250vDC to check to see if anything connected still, then 500vDC
7. Do end to end on rings
8. Cross connect rings to do R1+R2, go round all sockets to take readings
9. Jump L - E for each radial and do R1+R2 for them.
10. Put it back together, switch on
11. Do Zs on sockets, and calculate Zs on radials where no socket available or easy to do.
12. Do a functional test of switches etc
13. Check metering equipment and tails etc

That's about it... I think?

When doing an EICR, Ill remove a few faceplates on sockets and see what its like, if its ok, ill leave the rest, if not, ill continue, either way, I make a note of the ones I have looked at.

The light switches, again, if they are embedded in the wall or is going to damage decoration, then I don't look at them and they get noted down. Light fittings that are going to be majorly problematic to remove etc I don't, this is more for 12v or double insulated etc where you cannot get an earth reading.

The loft space, again, ill say whats in the loft, if they say no power or light I ignore it, if they say a light etc, ill include it, but if its inaccessible due to rubbish in the way, it gets noted down.

Typically it takes me about 3 hours or so to do a 3 bed semi properly, I would say thats about right.

I don't think im doing anything wrong with how I do it, obviously I write everything down, all readings and figures etc etc and then type it all up nicely along with any findings.

For this I would charge £125 - £150

Yeah sounds fair enough, but some houses are so cluttered with sheet you can hardly move. And then there's the pet dog trying to chew through your wander lead! Bad/dodgy wiring can slow me down as my head tries to comprehend how it has actually been wired up. Always a FI for something like that.

 

[NDG Elecs]

It's very very tempting to employ one of these to test your own house to see what sort of monkey turns up!

Yep, I've been tempted myself mate. Or I might try them out on another property and doubled check a couple of the results myself to see if they tally up.

If they charge 150 for up to 30 ccts then surely they can do 6 ccts properly. Could knack the shuttering on a couple of sockets to see if they pick up on it!

 

[davesparks]

I'd ask them to see a sample report

 

[rich.250]

EXAMPLE

Lets just take a 3 bed semi for example, old wylex 3036 box retrofitted with MCB's, only 6 circuits.

Sockets Up
Sockets Down
Lights Up
Lights Down
Water Heater
Cooker

1. First of all I walk around the house in every room with the customer and look for any obvious problems.
2. Agree anything that you are not going to test or take apart with the customer such as light switches embedded in the walls with plaster and light fittings that are likely to fall apart or awkward to remove.
3. Unplug everything and switch all SFCU and 20A Switches off and remove lamps, then switch on all lights
4. Check bonding to water, gas and oil etc
5. Go to board, do a Ze
6. IR each circuit in turn at 250vDC to check to see if anything connected still, then 500vDC
7. Do end to end on rings
8. Cross connect rings to do R1+R2, go round all sockets to take readings
9. Jump L - E for each radial and do R1+R2 for them.
10. Put it back together, switch on
11. Do Zs on sockets, and calculate Zs on radials where no socket available or easy to do.
12. Do a functional test of switches etc
13. Check metering equipment and tails etc

That's about it... I think?

When doing an EICR, Ill remove a few faceplates on sockets and see what its like, if its ok, ill leave the rest, if not, ill continue, either way, I make a note of the ones I have looked at.

The light switches, again, if they are embedded in the wall or is going to damage decoration, then I don't look at them and they get noted down. Light fittings that are going to be majorly problematic to remove etc I don't, this is more for 12v or double insulated etc where you cannot get an earth reading.

The loft space, again, ill say whats in the loft, if they say no power or light I ignore it, if they say a light etc, ill include it, but if its inaccessible due to rubbish in the way, it gets noted down.

Typically it takes me about 3 hours or so to do a 3 bed semi properly, I would say thats about right.

I don't think im doing anything wrong with how I do it, obviously I write everything down, all readings and figures etc etc and then type it all up nicely along with any findings.

For this I would charge £125 - £150

Sounds ok, apart from continuity should be done before insulation resistance.

 

[davesparks]

Sounds ok, apart from continuity should be done before insulation resistance.

Why? Its not necessary for an eicr

 

[rich.250]

It's necessary in a RFC.
I know R1+R2's are not required. Although I always do them.
There's no point doing insulation if the circuit has no cpc for example. It's going to need repairing then re testing.

 

[davesparks]

It's necessary in a RFC.
I know R1+R2's are not required. Although I always do them.
There's no point doing insulation if the circuit has no cpc for example. It's going to need repairing then re testing.

Its not a case of any tests not being required, its that for an eicr the order of testing doesn't need to be adhered to the same way it does for initial verification

 

[rich.250]

Its not a case of any tests not being required, its that for an eicr the order of testing doesn't need to be adhered to the same way it does for initial verification

Fair point.
I've always followed the same order, just makes sense. In my head at least.