Change in the Law regarding RCDs in Rental Properties

[Spazz]

I have been in contact with my local AM about the need for a legal requirement for all rental properties to contain RCDs to protect against electric shock, she fully agrees with myself that this is a requirement which needs to be brought inline with the requirements that are imposed with Gas Safety.

I have the backing of the Electrical Safety Council with this, and now looking for the backing of all the members on here as well.

Please visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Electrical-Safety/434757336534379 and like this page.

This is now being put in front of the Welsh Housing Minister to get this imposed in Wales, then we will be looking at UK wide.

Your backing would be greatly appreciated with this


Admins please sticky this

 

[trev]

While we're on dchester can we tag on a provision to check all domestic kitchens each week for potentially harmful bacteria and force every parent to undergo food hygene training. You never know what could be going on and if we're going to have a nanny state it may as well be done properly

 

[dchester]

I like the way your mind works Trev.

While we are on it perhaps they should add a germ detection to the MOT test in order to check car seats for harmful bacteria. Hmmm. perhaps not

David

 

[AV-Nik]

Good Idea. I lost a nephew from old sockets. An RCD 'may' have saved his life.

 

[Knobhead]

What's a good idea?

 

[Dave 85]

Welcome to Nics nanny state where all electricians are millionaires and everyones else has starved to death through poverty. Its for their own good mind, cos now they have RCD's.

 

[Marvo]

It's been a legal requirement where I am for several years already that RCD's are fitted to protect all socket circuits and certain equipment in bathroom zones. Old properties without RCD's aren't illegal but if they ever want extra socket circuits or alterations to existing ones then an RCD would then need to be fitted protecting all socket circuits so a certificate of compliance (EICR) could be issued. Also if a property changes hands it needs certifying so again an RCD would need to be fitted.

The issue is that portable appliances by their nature are responsible for a high percentage of shocks received by the user of an electrical installation. Appliances are prone to trailing cable damage, impact damage and water ingress making a higher likelyhood of broken cpc's or exposed conductors/live parts etc .

I always assumed the reason the UK hasn't adopted a blanket requirement for RCD's on circuits supplying plug-in appliances is because you have rigorous portable appliance testing instead but from what I've read about this in real life I can't help thinking that tighter RCD requirements might not be a bad thing.

 

[Spazz]

Marvo - there is no legal requirement at present to have a RCD installed on your shower or anything like that - it is only a recommendation.
BS7671 is regulations - regulations are recommendations - Acts are legal requirements.

Electricians must install RCDs because BS7671 states they should be installed and when an electrician signs off work s/he is stating that it complies to BS7671.

Fully agree with the appliances being the biggest cause of electric shocks - but an RCD will pick up any damaged appliances and isolate them before a risk(or death) occurs - a fuse will only sometimes "blow"

PAT testing is not a legal requirement either - its a recommendation - the only reason the government wont adopt RCDs in every house is because of money and not enough people have died!


But again fully agree with tighter RCD requirements

 

[UNG]

Fully agree with the appliances being the biggest cause of electric shocks - but an RCD will pick up any damaged appliances and isolate them before a risk(or death) occurs - a fuse will only sometimes "blow"

Assuming it is working correctly I have found so many non functional RCD's it's difficult to have faith that they will work when needed and let's face it how many people press the test button regularly or are you looking to make that law as well

PAT testing is not a legal requirement either - its a recommendation - the only reason the government wont adopt RCDs in every house is because of money and not enough people have died!

Although PAT testing is not a legal requirement it satisfies the requirements of proving adequate maintenance under the EAWR and as the EAWR is a statute document there is a need to comply with it

 

[Knobhead]

Assuming it is working correctly I have found so many non functional RCD's it's difficult to have faith that they will work when needed and let's face it how many people press the test button regularly

You've made me think UNG, how many times do we get people advocating all RCBO boards on here now? More gubbins in a smaller package, all the more chance of failure. Food for thought.

 

[UNG]

Tony, hadn't thought about that one all the problems I have come across were single or dual RCD boards but then again the proliferation of RCBO's is a more recent thing and not had time to fail yet. This now begs the question how many actually test all the RCBO's they have fitted or is it assumed that if one works they all do

 

[Knobhead]

......

 

[Engineer54]

At least when and if an RCBO fails, it will only effect the one circuit, and not 5 or 6 unrelated circuits as is the case with the compromised integrity of dual RCD 17th CU's.

 

[Knobhead]

So if you get a neutral to earth fault and it just so happens the circuit is protected by a faulty RCBO what happens then?

 

[Dan]

I'm just bumping some of the older threads in the general electrical forum that had a lot of replies. They might not be current topics, if they're not, just ignore them and they'll soon drop off the list. If you DO wish to add a reply and get the conversation going again, feel free to do so. Your input might help somebody else in the future.

 

[DPG]

This thread has become more relevant I suppose now, with the tighter regulations around RCD's in domestic environments in amendment 3 of the regs. Daz