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New EICR "unsatisfactory" - complete rewire required?!?

Former Community Member over 4 years ago

The lighting circuit has no CPC (earth), this is not uncommon in older houses. For that reason all light fittings are Class 2 i.e. plastic with no metal, and there is a clause in the tenancy agreement which forbids tampering with the light fittings (this is a house we own and rent out).

Previous EICRs did not even mention the lighting circuit because of the Class 2 fittings. I have just got a new EICR with an observation "lighting circuits have little or no earth" and classification code C1 ("Danger present, risk of injury, immediate remedial action required"). The overall assessment says "Unsatisfactory" with the comment "Needs updating to current regs". This can only be fixed by a complete rewire of the whole lighting circuit.

This is pointless, there are no earth connections in the plastic fittings.

Any thoughts? Many thanks.

0 Sparkingchip over 4 years ago

perspicacious:

Or that the brick/block layer left the mortar joint "squished out" rather than trowel it off!

Regards

BOD

A half decent electrician would have his hammer up and down the wall knocking the mortar snots off before placing the cables in position.

However half decent electricians have been a bit thin on the ground for many years.

Andy B.
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0 Former Community Member over 3 years ago

Sparkingchip:

Look at a typical semi that hasn’t had the lighting circuit altered in fifty years or more, there aren’t light switches on the perimeter, they are generally all down the middle and accessible from above by lifting boards on the landing and third bedroom, though the kitchen being under the bathroom can be a bit of a sod.

Thanks for that diagram and explanation, it's much appreciated. The kitchen IS a bit of a sod because the lighting wiring goes underneath floorboards underneath lino underneath the bath and then into a short low extension roof. It's possible I'll have to remove the bath.
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0 Former Community Member over 3 years ago

I decided to use low-profile plastic surface pattress boxes rather than metal back boxes. Here's some examples of the old and the new.

Old two-way switch with wooden back box.

New surface pattress box fixed to firm plaster (not the same switch as above)

New light switch with nylon screws

All other light switches with metal back boxes have had the metal screws replaced with nylon. All light fittings checked to make sure the tenant hadn't changed them. New big label on consumer unit.

I'm not sure there's anything else I can do without rewiring the whole lot, which I will do at next change of tenancy.

Thanks for all your advice on here. I have another question about grounding metal back boxes which I will put in a new post.
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0 Sparkingchip over 3 years ago

Nice bit of butchery to get those MK MCBs into the Steeple consumer unit, how was that coded?
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0 Alcomax over 3 years ago

In your scenario if the back box is all insulated there is no need for nylon screws.
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0 Former Community Member over 3 years ago

Sparkingchip:

Nice bit of butchery to get those MK MCBs into the Steeple consumer unit, how was that coded?

No mention.
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0 Former Community Member over 3 years ago

Alcomax:

In your scenario if the back box is all insulated there is no need for nylon screws.

Yeah I wondered about that. Some of the switches have DO metal back boxes with nylon screws, so I did it throughout.
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New EICR "unsatisfactory" - complete rewire required?!?

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