What does 'mixed lines' mean with regards an EICR?

[pirate]

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It isn't uncommon for a Scottish surveyor to comment "The wiring appears to be of mixed age/condition and a prospective purchaser might consider it prudent to have the electrical installation checked by a qualified electrician".
What this means is simply that the surveyor preparing the Home Report has to tick a box re the electrics, but of course takes no responsibility as he/she is not usually qualified to do other than a cursory visual inspection, nor is the Home Report the place for any detailed comment on the installation.
However, if the wiring is clearly crumbling and in a deplorable state, the surveyor will comment in more specific terms that he recommends an urgent check etc.
I have read thousands of Home reports over the years but have not encountered the "mixed lines" comment iirc. If this is indeed a common phrase then it must be a fairly recent innovation.

 

[lapsed]

It isn't uncommon for a Scottish surveyor to comment "The wiring appears to be of mixed age/condition and a prospective purchaser might consider it prudent to have the electrical installation checked by a qualified electrician".
What this means is simply that the surveyor preparing the Home Report has to tick a box re the electrics, but of course takes no responsibility as he/she is not usually qualified to do other than a cursory visual inspection, nor is the Home Report the place for any detailed comment on the installation.
However, if the wiring is clearly crumbling and in a deplorable state, the surveyor will comment in more specific terms that he recommends an urgent check etc.
I have read thousands of Home reports over the years but have not encountered the "mixed lines" comment iirc. If this is indeed a common phrase then it must be a fairly recent innovation.

'Mixed age/condition' sounds perfect for the job. Let's hope the fashion for using 'mixed lines' is a brief one.

 

[JK-Electrical]

'Mixed lines' is the term that some Scottish surveyors use to describe what we electricians would refer to as a looped supply.

 

[DPG]

'Mixed lines' is the term that some Scottish surveyors use to describe what we electricians would refer to as a looped supply.

That sounds more likely!

 

[lapsed]

'Mixed lines' is the term that some Scottish surveyors use to describe what we electricians would refer to as a looped supply.

Perhaps some do, but the Edinburgh one I specifically asked "Can you tell me what the phrase 'mixed lines' means?" answered "It really just means that the electrics in the property are of mixed age. From my site notes it looks as if the fuse box itself is ok but some of the switches are older. We are just alerting a prospective purchaser that they might want to get things checked out. It’s a common phrase used in that section of a HR."

They need to get themselves sorted out!

 

[JK-Electrical]

They need to get themselves sorted out!

Indeed they do.

I was recently contacted by a prospective customer who was in the process of selling their house and wanted a quotation for remedial work as mentioned in the Home Report:

the electrical system is on mixed lines and this should be checked and upgraded by a registered electrical contractor.

Upon visiting the property to determine what needed to be done, I noticed that the installation was on a looped supply. This is commonplace in the four-in-a-block 'cottage flats' that are to be found across Glasgow. I then contacted the surveyor who produced the Home Report to ask if he had meant 'looped supply' when he wrote 'mixed lines'. He confirmed this to be the case.

I politely advised him to use the correct terminology in future reports so to avoid any confusion. I also pointed-out that supply upgrades are the remit of Scottish Power Networks, not electrical contractors and that he shouldn't be offering such advice.

From an electrical installation perspective, the home reports that I have read are about as much use as window wipers on a submarine.

 

[lapsed]

From an electrical installation perspective, the home reports that I have read are about as much use as window wipers on a submarine.

Yup.

 

[DefyG]

'Mixed Lines' - Possible Polarity issue?

 

[OnlQQker]

If a Scotsman has written down 'mixed lines' it could mean literally anything.
I had a conversation with a chap from Aberdeen 3 years ago, to this day I haven't a clue what he was on about, I just replied with nods and countless yesses.

And I've a feeling if he had written the conversation down, I still wouldn't of made head nor tail of it!