EICR reports

HUMBUG

I've just had an EICR and I know it will fail because some of my electrical wiring for the sockets (in the skirting boards - which is a rule breaker) and the lighting is about 70 yrs old. Also the main fuse box is really old and there are some small wires which have fabric insulation , not rubber.

But my bathroom was refurbished back in 2001 and all the wiring for the halogen ceiling lights and the electric shower 9.5kw is not that old .

Plus my kitchen was refurbished too and all the wall sockets and wiring were newly installed at the time around 2009 , exception being 1 old wall socket located on the skirting board where my fridge is plugged into. Also the kitchen light wire is not new and maybe 50 years old .

I also had a new boiler and hot water tank installed 8 years ago which all needed new wiring . This is all in the kitchen area where the gas boiler is hidden within the cabinets while the 'hot water tank & CH control box' is in an old airing cupboard

The electrician informed me before he left that the whole house needs rewiring but I fail to understand why he didn't mention anything about the kitchen and bathroom 'newish' wiring which is only about 25 years old . He said surface trunking would be the best and "you wouldn't notice it" although I beg to differ.

Will the EICR report provide details of the wiring condition in my kitchen and bathroom as I don't want to waste money ripping out stuff that might already be safe. I'm putting my trust in the honesty of qualified electricians to not try and rip me off with an inaccurate EICR.

Do you think the cost of the EICR was quite steep at £192 (including vat) for a 1 bedroom maisonette in Greater London?

silvercar

Did you show the electric certificates for the kitchen and bathroom? Failing that, did you mention that the kitchen and bathroom had been retired?

For Greater London, I don’t think it that expensive. Although your flat is relatively small, I wouldn’t expect much less due to the area.

FreeBear

He said surface trunking would be the best and "you wouldn't notice it" although I beg to differ.

Surface trunking means having surface mounted sockets and switches. It will all stick out like a sore thumb, so on that point, you are correct.

Chasing walls for conduit and back boxes is a dirty, dusty business that requires extensive patching afterwards. There may also be walls where this is no possible (e.g. stud walls). Skirting, dado, and picture rails would also get in the way of running chases, so they may well get damaged in the process. In the process, you get the chance to add extra sockets around each room and get them up off the floor - As we get older, it saves having to bend down to plug stuff in and/or turn off sockets.

At the end of the day, only you can decide if the work is worth it, and/or if you want to decorate afterwards. But I wouldn't accept surface mounted anything…

Albermarle

Also the main fuse box is really old and there are some small wires which have fabric insulation , not rubber.

It is a bit surprising that when you had the kitchen and bathroom refurbished, that the electrician involved did not insist on a new consumer unit be installed at the same time to replace the old fuse box.

Also I think rubber coated cables would also be a red flag ( as well as fabric coated ones) . Unless you mean PVC ones which became the norm over 50 years ago. These are usually OK if they seem in good condition even if they are quite old.

chrisw

Why have you had an EICR done? Unless you are renting the house out or maybe trying to sell it, you are free to take on board or ignore any bits of the report you choose.

silvercar

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82025641#Comment_82025641

I agree with this. I live in a house from the 1930s. I’ve had the main fuse board updated and as we’ve had rooms updated the relevant circuits updated, but I haven’t bothered with a rewire. The oldest parts have Bakelite switches inside cupboards in the eaves!

Ectophile

An EICR is essentially a list of things that failed when tested/examined against the current standards (BS7671:2018 + amendments). It won't say what's good - you have to assume anything that isn't listed is good.

The results are graded:

• C3 - should be improved, but most people take a C3 as a recommendation for future work.
• C2 - not up to standard; not immediately dangerous, but you're missing a safety feature that would save you if something else happens.
• C1 - immediately dangerous; fix it now before it kills someone.

By the sound of it, you will end up with a collection of C2 failures, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few C1's too. The electrician may add further recommendations and observations at the end if they see fit.

A good electrician will do an EICR for you, with no expectation that you will immediately pay them to fix all the problems. There's nothing to stop you paying their fee, taking the report, and then hunting around for someone else to do the fixes.

Mr.Generous

When you see really old wiring if stripping out walls or lofts the insulation covering the wire just falls off, and sometimes already has. Fine when the wiring was left in situ but no longer connected, a very high fire / shock risk when it is still in use. A test report will find any such issues because the readings from the test equipment will reveal all. If you have wiring 70 years old get it replaced! A new mains board would almost certainly show up faults that an old fuse board wouldn't - so just changing the board can lead to constant issues, or it just won't set in the first place. Expensive job, but cheaper than a house burning down or constant call outs as more and more failures occur. The new wiring you describe may wee have been tacked onto existing unless they went all the way back to the mains board.

SystemsChange

Will the EICR report provide details of the wiring condition in my kitchen and bathroom

Yes, it should do. Then you can make your own decisions about what to update.

Do you think the cost of the EICR was quite steep at £192 (including vat) for a 1 bedroom maisonette in Greater London?

Yes, I paid £160 + vat. But that £32 extra you paid is kind of negligible if you factor in the costs of any remidial works you need - that's the pricey bit!