electics inspected what does this all mean

[1chris]

Hi can you help me understand this please
the following is what a report came back from an electrician but does not give enough information.

New a new fuse box............Why does this need replacing 2 years ago we installed trip switches to the main fuse box so that if there was any electricity surge the electric is switched off and the electrician told us to install a new fuse box would be a waste of money unless the house was rewired and that the trip switches do the same job.


The bonding needs upgrading to the meters............what is the bonding and where is it, what does this mean.


The main tails and earth cable needs upgrading............what are main tails I am not sure but we may have had the earth upgraded 2 years ago
From a thread on this forum it was stated that the electricity supplier is the only one who can upgrade the main tails.

Is this all unsafe.
The electrician wants £350 to do the above.

Any advice would be appreciated
thanks

 

[flameport]

New a new fuse box............Why does this need replacing 2 years ago we installed trip switches to the main fuse box

This depends on what you have got - are these 'trip switches' plug in devices which replaced rewireable fuses?

The bonding needs upgrading to the meters............what is the bonding and where is it, what does this mean.

Green/yellow wires from the fusebox to the gas and water pipes where they enter the building. It is likely the wires you have are too small.

The main tails and earth cable needs upgrading............what are main tails .

The wires between the electricity meter and your fusebox.

£350 would be a typical price for the works, and it could easily be more, depending on the number of circuits your fusebox has, and what other repairs are required.
If you can, please post some pictures of the fusebox, meter and surrounding area.

 

[Chri5]

And report produced will have been done to 17th ed regs which came in to force July 2008.

All circuits need to be protected via rcds or rcbos, sounds like yours has no rcds or rcbos, likely to have mcbs only.

Earth bonding in 10mm sq grn / yellow is required between the main earth terminal and the gas and water supplies at the main in point (within 600mm of gas meter and water main cock). The MET is either a silver connection block external to the fuse board or on the earth bar inside the fuse board.

As mentioned some pictures and a scan of the report could be posted to clear up your questions as precisely as possible.

 

[1chris]

Chri5 thanks for the reply.

I am waiting for the report from the electrician.

I cannot send pictures because this is a little terraced house in negative equity that i have had to let and is up north.

yes they are plug in devices. the trip switches are to replace the ordinary wired fuses, I think they cost about £40 at the time and were supposed to be the best alternative to a fuse box.

The gas meter is almost next to the fuse box in a cupboard at the front of the property, the gas meter is at the back in the kitchen.

Green/yellow wires. Are you saying they would have to put cabling from the front of the property to the back?
thanks

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

you say you had trip switches installed 2 years ago.

Can you give more details on who did this, what they did and the certificates produced for the job?

It might sound a bit leftfield and irrelevant, but the answers to that may shed more light on the recommendations by the latest sparky. ( a copy of his report when you get it would also be a big help)

could the tenant or agent email you some photos of what is currently installed?

 

[flameport]

yes they are plug in devices. the trip switches are to replace the ordinary wired fuses, I think they cost about £40 at the time and were supposed to be the best alternative to a fuse box.

They are NOT an alternative to a new fuse box. Whoever told you that was wrong.
Those plug in MCBs serve the same purpose as the fuses did - they are there to protect the cables from overloads and short circuits.

If the existing wires to the gas and water are undersized (or don't exist), then replacement would involve new ones from the fusebox to wherever the water and gas supplies are. This may well involve removing floorboards etc.

 

[Chri5]

As a landlord you do have a duty of care to your tenant which means that you will have to react to the codes on the report ( a PIR- periodic inspection report).

Code 1's are major, diluting down to code 4's- Code 1's require immediate attention:-

Installations with no category 1, 2 or 3 observations can be considered satisfactory.

1. Requires urgent attention
- Broken equipment where live parts are exposed
- No earth connection at origin
- Use of water or gas pipe as means of earthing
- Double-pole fusing
- RCD that does not operate when test button is pressed
- No cpc in one or more lighting circuits with Class I fittings
- Incorrect polarity.

2. Requires improvement
- No RCD for sockets likely to supply equipment outdoors
- No main equipotential bonding
- No supp. bonding in bathroom
- No cpc to lighting circuits with Class II fittings

3. Requires further investigation
(not normally applicable to domestic installations)

4. Does not comply with (latest) BS7671
- Main bonding 6 sq mm in TN-C-S installation
- Bathroom supp. bonding does not include lighting circuit with Class II fittings
- Voltage operated ELCB installed.

The 10mm bonding can be done as a DIY job. Obviously the gas meter will be easy- the water (since it comes in to the back of the property) will be harder to do.

The tails from mains supply to fuse board should be 25mm for L and N, and the earth 16mm.

RCD's and RCBO's are designed to trip very quickly (quicker than the time a shock takes to kill you) via detecting LE or NE faults and are required on all new installations.
Although the existing CU is antiquated and not in keeping with 17th ed 2008 so is 75% of CU's being used !

Although the report is correct to code this as something that could do with changing it shouldn't be coded as a MUST change. So the choice is yours, save money and keep as is or spend money and be happy in the knowledge that you are offering your tenant a safe, modern, complaint electrical system.

 

[1chris]

Hi
Thanks for all your replies. and all the information at least I understand what the report was talking about.

I did not receive any certificates in the past so have just decided to go ahead and have the work done, at least I know the tenant is safe.

 

[GaryMo]

The tails from mains supply to fuse board should be 25mm for L and N, and the earth 16mm.

RCD's and RCBO's are designed to trip very quickly (quicker than the time a shock takes to kill you) via detecting LE or NE faults and are required on all new installations.

'Should be' and 'are required'?

You can't think of any situations where the above isn't applicable?

However, the above may[/] apply in this case but not every case.

 

[Chri5]

Of course I can, lets rewire the site and break the building regs codes by chasing too far in to a wall to get greater than 50mm depth.

Or we could go with conduit, swa or approved foil covered cabling.

Occasionally is it not prudent to leave out the exceptions when dealing with unknown installations at unknown sites with unknown issues ?

Or are you suggesting that we all have a sig against our posts that covers the entire 17th 2008 knowledge base

 

[GaryMo]

Nope, I agree with what you wrote above but I was only stating that neither of the two points you mentioned were set in stone.

 

[electronicsuk]

Hi
Thanks for all your replies. and all the information at least I understand what the report was talking about.

I did not receive any certificates in the past so have just decided to go ahead and have the work done, at least I know the tenant is safe.

Well done - we get a lot of landlords on here with similar questions to yourself, and they generally don't take well to it when told that the work should be done, if nothing else, for duty of care to the tenant.