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What do you consider a sample to mean during an EICR

I’m interested to hear peoples opinions on how they approach an EICR with regards to a sample? I’m asking because I was recently reviewing a couple of domestic EICRs for a client and raised a couple of questions one being that test results were only recorded for two of the six circuits. The response was that they were employed only to carry out a 20% sample. Personally I’ve always considered a 20% sample to mean that all circuits should be tested but only at 20% of the accessories connected to them will be fully tested and inspected. I’ve also always thought when carrying out an EICR for the purposes of private lettings that this practice is only an option when the previous records are available, and if you do choose to carry out a small sample you’d be likely to widen the search if you found any C2’s or C1s. What is everyone’s thoughts here, how does the community approach EICRs?

I was just surprised to see an unsatisfactory report where the sample hadn’t been widened and where four circuits had no test results recorded, not even Insulation resistance, it’s so quick getting IR results on a single phase board.

Parents
  • Well, you can test 100% of the accessories on 20% of the circuits, or 20% of the accessories on 100% of the circuits, but you mustn't sample the accessories on a sample of circuits.

    Ideally, the sample should be selected at random.

    With 6 - 10 circuits in a domestic, I think that all should be I&T'd. The contract may have been for 20%, but IMHO, that doesn't meet the legislative requirement.

    By contrast, if you have an office block with dozens of circuits, by all means sample them. Even better is to test say 20% each year on a 5 year cycle, but a record must be kept of which have been done when.

    If you do sample, and find a duff circuit, what then? If it was 1 out of 5, the conclusion must be that the whole installation is unsound. Wink

  • Yes Chris I can see the merits of the 20% per year ethos - providing you start at a straight edge of a full EICR/EIC prior to that (either one you have done yourself preferably or one that you have faith in (rare as a unicorn!!!)) then a rolling 20% as you say does have some meaning and could have merits. 

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  • Yes Chris I can see the merits of the 20% per year ethos - providing you start at a straight edge of a full EICR/EIC prior to that (either one you have done yourself preferably or one that you have faith in (rare as a unicorn!!!)) then a rolling 20% as you say does have some meaning and could have merits. 

Children
  • In domestic installations I test everything. I do not "sample." M.O.T. inspectors test everything as well.

    Z.