During a recent EICR (electrical Installation Condition Report) on a 3 bedroom House in Fordingbridge, built in the 70s, we found that the property had just 4 circuits:
- Circuit 1 - Cooker fuse rated at 30 amps
- Circuit 2 - Sockets fuse rated at 30 amps
- Circuit 3 – Shed. fuse rated at 15 amps
- Circuit 4 - Lights fuse rated at 6 amps
Just one aspect of what we are looking at when undertaking an EICR, is how the circuits are arranged. IET (Institute of Engineering and Technology) who produce the Electrical Wiring Regulations BS7671 (currently 18th Edition 2nd Amendment) have set requirements for these. After consulting with the customer we decided a fuseboard replacement was the only course of action after the EICR.
Issues found during EICR
There were two issues we found whilst carrying out the EICR that we needed to bring to the home owners attention.
Firstly - Within these regulations there is a requirement for the circuits to be arranged so as to minimise inconvenience and disruption during an electrical fault.
If there was a problem with the only lighting circuit, the homeowners would be plunged into darkness all over the house and if it happened at night they would have to negotiate the stairs risking a fall and injury
Also there is only one socket circuit serving the kitchen, utility room lounge and 3 x bedrooms so if there was a problem on this socket circuit again there would be no other sockets the homeowner could use and there is a very high risk over overloading this circuit.
So clearly the circuits have not been installed so minimise inconvenience or disruption in the event of a fault.
Secondly - Circuit 2 is rated at 30 amps for a ring final socket circuit. The problem is when we checked to see that the ring main was intact we found it to be broken on live, neutral and earth conductors and was in fact 2 x radial circuits and should be fused at 16 amps.
The existing fuseboard only had space for 4 circuits so we could not split the sockets onto 2 x 16 amps. And to protect the circuit from a dangerous overload we would need to derate the circuit or fix the fault. Even if we fixed the fault and reinstated the functioning ring final circuit it would still be insufficient for the potential load the whole house would place on this single socket circuit.
Remedial work following EICR
Solution.
We would replace the existing 4 way fuse board with a 10 way fuseboard with individual RCD protection (RCBO’s) with 3 x spare way after we installed additional circuits for future use.
We also agreed with the client to install a dedicated socket circuit for the kitchen at their Fordingbridge home and another dedicated socket circuit for the utility room. We would then leave the remaining bedrooms and lounge to share the 16 amp circuit.
Additionally, we agreed to split the only lighting circuit by disconnecting the upstairs lights from the downstairs lights by removing (and making safe) the existing power supply to the loft space and installing a new power supply from the fuseboard.
EICR Electrician in Fordingbridge
This is a good example of why you should consider having your electrical installation checked to make sure it is safe for continued use.
Undertaking an EICR is very complex and the above is a small part of the work this safety inspection requires us to check.
Please download our free EICR Guide so you know what to expect and what we do during our electrical assessment of your property
Feel free to contact our friendly team at Carlyia if you have any questions about EICRs.
