Electrics certificate

DodgySailor · 14 Apr 2021

Dear all,

I was living in a house for a few years which I have been renting for the last 10.
When we bought the house we had the electrics checked and certified by a local electrician.
I have lost the certificate and any trace of the electrician. How can I get a copy?
Another question.
My tenant has replaced the bathroom fan himself without consulting me. Will this invalidate my certificate?
Thanks

RF Lighting · 14 Apr 2021

The fact that the certificate was issued ten years ago will mean it has expired now anyway. You need to have an electrician carry out an EICR to your rental property without delay. It is a legal requirement to do so.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...safety-standards-in-the-private-rented-sector

Your certificate which you don’t have is invalid anyway so it doesn’t really make any difference if a fan was swapped.

ericmark · 14 Apr 2021

The problem has been RCD protection, in 2008 the rules on bonding changed, and also many appliances manufacturers instructions say they need RCD protection, so often it is found RCD protection is now required, so many EICR have had code C2 which the new law considers as a fail. The EICR does not show compliance with regulations although the regulations are used as a guide, so the pass/fail is not black and white, one inspector may pass something which another one will fail.

EFLImpudence · 14 Apr 2021

The rules on bonding did not really change.

It's just that RCDs altered the parameters.

ericmark · 14 Apr 2021

EFLImpudence said:
The rules on bonding did not really change.

It's just that RCDs altered the parameters.

BS7671:2008 said:
701.411.3.3 Additional protection by RCDs
Additional protection shall be provided for all circuits of the location, by the use of one or more RCDs having the characteristics specified in Regulation 415.1.1.
NOTE: See also Regulations 314.1(iv) and 531.2.4 concerning the avoidance of unwanted tripping.
701.415.2 Supplementary equipotential bonding
Local supplementary equipotential bonding according to Regulation 415.2 shall be established connecting together the terminals of the protective conductor of each circuit supplying

Class I and Class II equipment to the accessible extraneous-conductive-Parts, within a room containing a bath or shower, including the following:
(i) metallic pipes supplying services and metallic waste pipes (e.g. water. gas)
(ii) metallic central heating pipes and air conditioning systems
(iii) accessible metallic structural parts of the building (metallic door architraves. window frames and similar parts are not considered to be extraneous-conductive-parts unless they are connected to metallic structural parts of the building).
Supplementary equipotential bonding may be installed outside or inside rooms containing a bath or shower, preferably close to the point of entry of extraneous-conductive-parts into such rooms.
Where the location containing a bath or shower is in a building with a protective equipotential bonding system in accordance with Regulation 411.3.1.2, supplementary equipotential bonding may be omitted where all of the following conditions are met:
(i) All final circuits of the location comply with the requirements for automatic disconnection according to Regulation 411.3.2
(ii) All final circuits of the location have additional protection by means of an RCD in accordance with Regulation 701.411.3.3
(iii) All extraneous-conductive-parts of the location are effectively connected to the protective equipotential bonding according to Regulation 411.3.1.2.
NOTE: The effectiveness of the connection of extraneous-conductive-parts in the location to the main earthing terminal may be assessed. where necessary. by the application of Regulation 415.2.2.

This was the change I am talking about, the supplementary equipotential bonding may be only omitted if there is RCD protection, the use of plastic piping often means the supplementary equipotential bonding has been omitted, which means the RCD is required on all bathroom circuits including the lights.

JohnW2 · 14 Apr 2021

ericmark said:
This was the change I am talking about, the supplementary equipotential bonding may be only omitted if there is RCD protection ...

That's essentially what EFLI said, isn't it?

ericmark said:
... the use of plastic piping often means the supplementary equipotential bonding has been omitted, which means the RCD is required on all bathroom circuits including the lights.

Well, for a start, what you say is moot, since BS&671 requires RCD protection for all circuits serving (or, indeed, merely 'passing through') a bathroom, regardless of any considerations of supplementary bonding.

However, the idea behind the first part of your sentence arises when there is a misunderstanding of the regulations. If there are NO extraneous-c-ps (e.g. if all that enters the room are plastic pipes), then there is NO requirement for any supplementary bonding (and, indeed, no way one could implement SB even if one wanted to, if there are no extraneous-c-ps to 'bond').

Kind Regards, John

EFLImpudence · 14 Apr 2021

'Omitting' is the wrong word isn't it?

JohnW2 · 14 Apr 2021

EFLImpudence said:
'Omitting' is the wrong word isn't it?

Well, I suppose that if something is 'not present', then it could be said to have been 'omitted' - but, as I said, if there are no extraneous-c-ps to bond, it would theoretically not be possible NOT to 'omit' it! (and I leave you to get your head around that double or treble negative

).

Kind Regards, John

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Electrics certificate

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