Help Understanding EICR

[Midwest]

Apologies if I haven’t been clear - this is for a house purchase which is in process. We know there is upgrading work to be done on the electrics - the electrician who carried out the EICR has been vague beyond ‘yes yes it has failed and needs a rewire’. We are paying this cost and not using it to negotiate with the seller. But are trying to understand if it is a true rewire or just upgrading. As it would change our approach on moving in straight away or getting the rewire done.
Appreciate all the responses given!

You could get another electrician, to look at the EICR and the house electrics. But don't think its a game changer. Has the price of the house been agreed upon?

 

[1987FayJane]

You could get another electrician, to look at the EICR and the house electrics. But don't think its a game changer. Has the price of the house been agreed upon?

Yes it has been.

 

[Midwest]

Yes it has been.

I was going to say, that could be reflected in the asking price, but that horse has bolted.

I would not get too scared at the prospect, you’re committed to renovating the property, just need to factor that into your costings.

 

[littlespark]

Circuit chart mentions type 61008 rcd for each circuit. None there. Thought it was maybe an up front rcd before fuseboard, but no.

Would be asking what the “no cpc continuity” on an rfc means. Is it no cpc at any socket, or end to end continuity?
Could be a loose cable behind a socket, easy fix…. But could also be a hidden JB somewhere impossible to get to.

A new consumer unit would make it inherently safer, but any underlying problems may come to the surface afterwards

 

[pc1966]

There are aspects to the EICR that are not terribly great, but that board ( = fuse box = CU) is probably pre-1980 and if it is at all possible you should be changing it now irrespective of the results. There is an RCD in the white box but it looks not to be protecting any of the socket circuits, etc. If used for outdoor appliances, extension leads, etc, that is a pretty dangerous thing.

It might not need rewiring as such, if the cables really are in good condition, but given the age of that you will probably find there are not enough sockets in each room, or where you want them to be, same for lights or kitchen appliance locations. That alone might justify the extra cost of an actual rewire.

Do that before you consider new carpets or decorating! You might not want extra expense just now, but longer term it makes the house safer and increases the value should you want to sell in a few years time.

 

[1987FayJane]

I was going to say, that could be reflected in the asking price, but that horse has bolted.

I would not get too scared at the prospect, you’re committed to renovating the property, just need to factor that into your costings.

There are aspects to the EICR that are not terribly great, but that board ( = fuse box = CU) is probably pre-1980 and if it is at all possible you should be changing it now irrespective of the results. There is an RCD in the white box but it looks not to be protecting any of the socket circuits, etc. If used for outdoor appliances, extension leads, etc, that is a pretty dangerous thing.

It might not need rewiring as such, if the cables really are in good condition, but given the age of that you will probably find there are not enough sockets in each room, or where you want them to be, same for lights or kitchen appliance locations. That alone might justify the extra cost of an actual rewire.

Do that before you consider new carpets or decorating! You might not want extra expense just now, but longer term it makes the house safer and increases the value should you want to sell in a few years time.

Thank you - yes the fuse board is definitely going to be replaced for a new one at the absolute minimum. But as you say may be worth a total rewire now vs in the future.

 

[timhoward]

Would be asking what the “no cpc continuity” on an rfc means. Is it no cpc at any socket, or end to end continuity?

I assumed it related to the 1999 r2 on the 2nd circuit, so probably end to end.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

I notice that he has incorrectly shown the fuses for both lighting circuits and general sockets as BS1361 types (cartridge fuses) but they are BS3036 (rewireable fuses) which are less safe, have different characteristics, and therefore the breaking capacity and maximum Zs shown are also wrong for those circuits. To make this mistake on multiple circuits, when you can tell the difference at 20 paces, implies a lack of attention or knowledge.

Please ensure the grey plastic cover is refitted to the consumer unit; hopefully it was only removed to show the fuses but it should always be in place before switching on. The fuses are not completely enclosed so there is a risk of contact with live parts, and there is a possibility of a power arc to the edge of the opening in the metal housing if a fuse blows with the cover removed.

I would be surprised if this was only 30 years old; the consumer unit is more likely to be 40-50 years. I can't see clearly if there are any solid-green earths (rather than green/yellow) but they would be pre-1976.

 

[1987FayJane]

I notice that he has incorrectly shown the fuses for both lighting circuits and general sockets as BS1361 types (cartridge fuses) but they are BS3036 (rewireable fuses) which are less safe, have different characteristics, and therefore the breaking capacity and maximum Zs shown are also wrong for those circuits. To make this mistake on multiple circuits, when you can tell the difference at 20 paces, implies a lack of attention or knowledge.

Please ensure the grey plastic cover is refitted to the consumer unit; hopefully it was only removed to show the fuses but it should always be in place before switching on. The fuses are not completely enclosed so there is a risk of contact with live parts, and there is a possibility of a power arc to the edge of the opening in the metal housing if a fuse blows with the cover removed.

I would be surprised if this was only 30 years old; the consumer unit is more likely to be 40-50 years. I can't see clearly if there are any solid-green earths (rather than green/yellow) but they would be pre-1976.

Thank you this is very helpful - there was an extensive refurb done in 1978 and I did not believe any work had been done since then, there was a further change to the property early nineties when this moved from a shop to a residence.
This property has been rented till quite recently when the current owner decided to sell.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

I suspect that the Wylex metal CU was put in during the 1978 work, perhaps along with the majority of the wiring, and rather less was done in the early 90s. It is possible that new wiring was connected to the old CU but that seems a bit daft.