EICR - Unsatisfactory - No RCD - C2

[Surgite]

Hi all, have just ordered my first EICR ever for a studio to 1-bed conversion flat in London. It cost a little less than £80 and the electrician had great reviews on the site I booked him on. It came back with 4x C2 and 1x C3, all related to RCD. The summary was unsatisfactory with comment "No RCD protection of any of the circuits".

I've attached an anonymised version of the report. As I'm new to all this, I'm wondering did I get value for money or did I get ripped off with an unfavourable summary that requires urgent remediation according to the electrician. Any questions about the flat, just ask.

In terms of next steps, I'm unsure if I should book an appointment with another electrician to try getting a satisfactory report, or start getting quotes for the RCD works.

 

[plugsandsparks]

If the board is 35 years old, it has done its job and advice is to retire it, lol
Modern up to date stuff offers far superior protection for life, building and equipment, so my advice is replace DB,

 

[timhoward]

Exactly. The current consumer unit is designed to protect the wiring from over-heating and avoid fires. It's not designed to save anyone's life. My general advice would also be to get the board changed. Modern boards detect electricity 'going the wrong way' e.g. through a person and turn things off damned quickly if required.

I have suspicions that someone apparently managed to test 9 circuits for £80. We could get into technicalities about whether RCD protection is required, but it's 2022 and you really want RCD protection irrespective of whether there's a theoretical route through an EICR that ends up determining it's not required.

Another EICR (if done competently) would cost at least double that, and it would likely have at least one C2, so you'd be back where you started. In other words the money is better put into a board change.

I'd get some quotes from other people to change the board. Whoever does it will/should test each circuit anyway and give you peace of mind about the installation. (As long as you have a written record that the work was completed you don't need another EICR saying "satisfactory").

 

[telectrix]

as asaid. the report looks OK from my chair. lack of RCD protection is definitely a C2 or a C3 on the EICR. what is worrying is could he do a competent EICR for <£80. that equates to a brief 2 hours at most. I would expect you to have paid double that amount for a thorough inspection.

 

[GBDamo]

as asaid. the report looks OK from my chair. lack of RCD protection is definitely a C2 or a C3 on the EICR. what is worrying is could he do a competent EICR for <£80. that equates to a brief 2 hours at most. I would expect you to have paid double that amount for a thorough inspection.

It's a standard look at the board (no RCD), do a few test, fill out the form, it'll all get tested after the board change.

One of the other sparks at work just go bit by this. Fully completed EICR certificate, all tests; results fine.

We got the remedials, two board to swap out, 11 circuits in total.

Of the five rings only two were. (All reviously on 30A rewirables)

IRs all 999+ on the EICR, reality says between 0.7 and 40 MOhms.

It was an out of hours job, commercial. Customer wouldn't accept EICR before board change, can hardly blame them, so he ordered all the RCBOs and went in blind.

In the end the job was left with two circuits disconnected, 7 radials in three16A RCBOs, one ring fixed.

Customer told to minimise loads, no AC units, until we can resolve. They're miffed as "none of these falts were found in the EICR".

You so want to say "well pay for a proper EICR then"

 

[swaRRR]

To be fair, for £80 in London i think that's a pretty decent EICR and his recommendations are right - the install is a fail.

There's a worrying trend on here of customers automatically assuming their spark is trying to rip them off when a fail comes their way.

 

[westward10]

To be fair, for £80 in London i think that's a pretty decent EICR and his recommendations are right - the install is a fail.

There's a worrying trend on here of customers automatically assuming their spark is trying to rip them off when a fail comes their way.

An EICR does not fail it is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

 

[swaRRR]

An EICR does not fail it is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Semantics.

 

[davesparks]

Semantics.

It's not semantics, there is a difference

 

[westward10]

Semantics.

No it isn't.