Videos of EICRs on Youtube

I am not trying to shoot Colin (the messenger) or anyone else. This is a very important conversation. Industry guidance means what? BS7671 does not say this lack of RCDs may be dangerous, it says that they must be fitted for new installations, and the circuit capacity where that must be fitted keeps increasing! Does a circuit in a third-floor flat need RCD protection in case a long lead is dropped to the ground to charge a car for example? The 18th floor? How would the Inspector either know or probably care. Charging cars is fraught with problems that have still not been satisfactorily resolved, and in reality, the regulations are often difficult or impossible to implement properly. How does one ensure that a car charge point is sufficiently isolated from PME? How do you stop the owner from using a PME extension cable in the car when it is charging?

I assume that “Industry Guidance” comes from vested interests somewhere, be it the IET, NICEIC accessory manufacturers, or whatever. It might be in those “coding books” which are not a substitute for skill or analysis of relative risk. That is the job of the properly skilled and competent Inspector because every situation is different.

I am not trying to shoot Colin (the messenger) or anyone else. This is a very important conversation. Industry guidance means what? BS7671 does not say this lack of RCDs may be dangerous, it says that they must be fitted for new installations, and the circuit capacity where that must be fitted keeps increasing! Does a circuit in a third-floor flat need RCD protection in case a long lead is dropped to the ground to charge a car for example? The 18th floor? How would the Inspector either know or probably care. Charging cars is fraught with problems that have still not been satisfactorily resolved, and in reality, the regulations are often difficult or impossible to implement properly. How does one ensure that a car charge point is sufficiently isolated from PME? How do you stop the owner from using a PME extension cable in the car when it is charging?

I assume that “Industry Guidance” comes from vested interests somewhere, be it the IET, NICEIC accessory manufacturers, or whatever. It might be in those “coding books” which are not a substitute for skill or analysis of relative risk. That is the job of the properly skilled and competent Inspector because every situation is different.