Will an EICR help me understand if the house needs a rewire or not?

Spiderroo

Did you have a survey done when you bought the house? Ours was pretty explicit that our fuse box and plugs aren't up to standard (not just modern standards but are v v dated) so we're having a full rewire. We thought we'd need one anyway so it wasn't a huge shock! 

FaceHead

None of what's been said says to me 'this house needs a re-wire now'. (The "more than 6 wires" thing is very ambiguous, so I'll disregard. Perhaps your electrician saw things that haven't been passed on to get to that conclusion.

The key questions are about safety and reliability:

1. Does it have appropriate earthing, notably in the lighting? Yes, an EICR will do the tests to confirm the earthing is in good shape, or you could get the equipment and learn how to do the tests, but as a starter for ten, unscrew a light cover and take a look to see if there is earthing present.   
2. Does it have appropriate RCD protection? Again, a glace at the consumer unit will tell you (and you can get this by upgrading the CU if it's not there).
3. Are the wires within their useful life? Take a socket or switch off each circuit and take a look. If they are PVC coated (mid-1970's onwards) I wouldn't be rushing out to re-wire. Particularly if it's white PVC on modern colours. If they are rubber sheathed and therefore probably pre-1970, then they are going to be giving you trouble before long, so you might as well get a re-wire done now.  

dil1976

FaceHead said:

None of what's been said says to me 'this house needs a re-wire now'. (The "more than 6 wires" thing is very ambiguous, so I'll disregard. Perhaps your electrician saw things that haven't been passed on to get to that conclusion.

The key questions are about safety and reliability:

1. Does it have appropriate earthing, notably in the lighting? Yes, an EICR will do the tests to confirm the earthing is in good shape, or you could get the equipment and learn how to do the tests, but as a starter for ten, unscrew a light cover and take a look to see if there is earthing present.   Getting your own test equipment and then learning how to use it and understand the results will cost more than a domestic EICR. Just because a earth cable is present at a light fitting doesnt mean it is suitable
2. Does it have appropriate RCD protection? Again, a glace at the consumer unit will tell you (and you can get this by upgrading the CU if it's not there).
3. Are the wires within their useful life? Take a socket or switch off each circuit and take a look. If they are PVC coated (mid-1970's onwards) I wouldn't be rushing out to re-wire. Particularly if it's white PVC on modern colours. If they are rubber sheathed and therefore probably pre-1970, then they are going to be giving you trouble before long, so you might as well get a re-wire done now.  A property over wired over 20 years ago is going to be coming towards the end of its lifespan so getting a EICR done will help identify this more than what sort of cable it is wired in. White PVC cable was around before harmonisation too also most domestic properties are wired in grey cable due it the differrence in the structure in the build of the outer sheath and is cheaper

Some comments on the "advice" being given here

Risteard

fenwick458 said:

Yes get an EICR done, preferably by a local company who you'd be willing to let do the remedial work
If you pick a national EICR outfit that offers very cheap inspections you're more likely to get a worthless certificate with pages and pages of "faults" and a massive repair quote.
did the old electrician say why it needs a rewire? 

I'm going to have to put my pedantic hat on and point out that it is NOT a certificate. It does not certify work that was carried out. It is merely a report on the condition of the electrical installation.

FreeBear

FaceHead said: 3. Are the wires within their useful life? Take a socket or switch off each circuit and take a look. If they are PVC coated (mid-1970's onwards) I wouldn't be rushing out to re-wire. Particularly if it's white PVC on modern colours.

The colour of the outer sheath is no indicator of age - I have a number of reels of T+E in both white and grey sheath (also have some 4 core with a black sheath)..

bris

GDB2222 said:

bris said:

More than 6 wires doesn't mean anything other than a ring main with a spur, found in millions of homes.

An EICR will however show up any problems. 

Can you explain that? A socket with a spur off would usually have 3 cables. 

More that 6 wires, 3 live, 3 neutral and 3 earth, is more than 6 wires.

bris

An insulation resistance test will determine the the state of the wiring. It indicates the amount of degridation over the years

The insulation breaks down in very old wiring, the test machine measures just how badly that is.

It only need to be 1 mega ohm to pass but ideally you are looking for an infinit reading..

GDB2222

bris said:

GDB2222 said:

bris said:

More than 6 wires doesn't mean anything other than a ring main with a spur, found in millions of homes.

An EICR will however show up any problems. 

Can you explain that? A socket with a spur off would usually have 3 cables. 

More that 6 wires, 3 live, 3 neutral and 3 earth, is more than 6 wires.

The point is that 9 is perfectly normal and safe in many installations. So, the original comment about '6 wires' is unhelpful. 

bris

Risteard said:

fenwick458 said:

Yes get an EICR done, preferably by a local company who you'd be willing to let do the remedial work
If you pick a national EICR outfit that offers very cheap inspections you're more likely to get a worthless certificate with pages and pages of "faults" and a massive repair quote.
did the old electrician say why it needs a rewire? 

I'm going to have to put my pedantic hat on and point out that it is NOT a certificate. It does not certify work that was carried out. It is merely a report on the condition of the electrical installation.

Of course it only tells the condition of the installation, I dont see any where in fenwick458's post that states otherwise.

It is how ever a certificate that confirms the inastallation is safe or requires remedial work. 

As a homeowner you can either get the work done or not, your choice but as a landlord you have no choice, as the report is mainly aimed at the buy to let market legally it has to be done and any C1 and C2 must by law be fixed to satisfy the legal requirment. and the "certificate" must be provided to the tenant

Risteard

bris said:

Risteard said:

fenwick458 said:

Yes get an EICR done, preferably by a local company who you'd be willing to let do the remedial work
If you pick a national EICR outfit that offers very cheap inspections you're more likely to get a worthless certificate with pages and pages of "faults" and a massive repair quote.
did the old electrician say why it needs a rewire? 

I'm going to have to put my pedantic hat on and point out that it is NOT a certificate. It does not certify work that was carried out. It is merely a report on the condition of the electrical installation.

Of course it only tells the condition of the installation, I dont see any where in fenwick458's post that states otherwise.

It is how ever a certificate that confirms the inastallation is safe or requires remedial work. 

As a homeowner you can either get the work done or not, your choice but as a landlord you have no choice, as the report is mainly aimed at the buy to let market legally it has to be done and any C1 and C2 must by law be fixed to satisfy the legal requirment. and the "certificate" must be provided to the tenant

It's not a certificate. That's why it's called a report.