Electrical inspection EICR no RCD

[oscar21]

Did a couple of inspections on 2 x 2 bed ground floor flood damaged flats today, only 4 circuits in each, bizarrely one socket circuit and 2 lighting circuits and one cooker circuit in each. Just a 4 way MCB consumer unit in each without RCD protection on any circuit, built and wired in the 80's.

There is however an RCD socket by the front door, is this 16th edition or even 15th edition? I cant quite remember, I was certainly fitting split load boards in the mid 90's with all sockets on RCD's. Or fitting a what we used to call "tail breakers" which was a kind of two pole RCBO.

Anyway what would you code this as? My opinion is a C3 due to the RCD socket by the front door but they are local authority housing units (retirement I think) and I don't want to come a cropper from the local council bod again although its a totally different area this time.

 

[westward10]

It isn't overly relevant whether it was 15th or 16th. Nor is it relevant they are local authority housing units and what does your decision have to do with the local council bod. If you have sufficient experience and knowledge to carry out EICRs then use your judgement.

 

[littlespark]

flood damaged?

I'd be inclined to C1 or C2 any water damaged accessories, never mind the lack of RCD.
There might need to be extensive rewiring, or at least new boxes and fronts...

Water doesn't have to actually pass through the consumer unit to cause damage to it... just the moisture in the air can be enough to knacker circuit breakers in which case the fact there's no RCD will probably be rectified during the renovations.

 

[James]

Flood damage and an extended time in high moisture conditions means that you cannot be sure any accessory is in a good enough state of repair to return to service.
so in my opinion,
C2 all circuits with circuit breakers
c2 all circuits with switches or sockets.
because you cannot be certain that there is no internal corrosion, in fact you can be reasonably certain that there will be corrosion damage.
the cables, if there are no junctions, can be tested and reused if ok.
every one is Lilkley to be a re wire, with the exception of replacing the wires (maybe)

 

[oscar21]

Nothing electrical got wet, it was one of the two flats that had a leak and flooded both of them, think new carpets, decorating, one of them needed a new kitchen as the plinths and end panels were blown, that sort of stuff, the water was maybe 1/2 in deep. You wouldn't renew every building that had a burst pipe would you? All the insulation values etc were good.

 

[oscar21]

It isn't overly relevant whether it was 15th or 16th. Nor is it relevant they are local authority housing units and what does your decision have to do with the local council bod. If you have sufficient experience and knowledge to carry out EICRs then use your judgement.

Because the last time I was involved with a local authority their inspector went bananas that I fitted a different make SPD into a consumer unit because I couldn't get the correct make on that day and the job had to be finished, even though there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing what I did.
Like I said, my personal judgement is its a C3 because of the RCD'd socket near the front door, I was just getting opinions on what others would do in this situation, sometimes councils have their own rules above and beyond - 4mm rings for example where 2.5 is perfectly adequate for the job.

You cant win sometimes, we did a job the other day that was just a consumer unit change in a small house, the house was empty, dirty and smelly. I rang the contractor and said all the sockets and switches are really old and full of dirt and grease do you want me to change them? He said no way just change the board because there isn't any money in this one. He then rings me and says the inspector has pulled the job on the hall ceiling rose being caked in grease and cobwebs and why didn't we change it.

 

[James]

Easy to say but sometimes difficult to action.
don’t let the customer dictate the specifics of the job to the point where you are not happy with the finished job.