Not sure what you saying here Eric, whatever the design date and the regulations that applied at that time is not relevant. A code is attributed to whatever defect is found according to the risk/perceived risk, the design date has nothing to do with what code is awarded.
Example - we ref it to the date on inspection and the codes that apply today. A code or no code applies today or does not apply today according to what is there now, irrespective of whether it was designed or installed last week, last year or 10, 20, 30,100 years ago, the code will be exactly the same.
In fact, at least once, I have coded my own house rewire several years afterwards, Of course I needed to explain to the customer " How I had not done a non compliant rewire all of those years ago, but now the regs have updated, several times"
I lot of what ones says is true, if nothing has changed, and a installation was OK in 1954 then it should still be OK. So yes I am wrong, it does not really matter when wired, I hold up hands and say sorry.
However things have changed, for example one could omit the earth wire with lighting fittings using filament lamps installed in a room having a non-conducting floor, mounted at such a height that they cannot readily be touched and are out of reach of earthed metal. But today we don't have filament lamps, so that no longer applies.
As it’s over 20 years since RCD protection entered the regs, I think a C2 in this case is justified
The same applies for many items, I don't have copies of CENELEC Harmonisation Documents, we know the BS 7671 is updated to fall in line with the CENELEC requirements, but not a clue which ones.
Possibly others too depending on whether the bathroom had supplementary bonding in place, whether it was a TT supply and so-on.
This is a problem, we know that plumbers are starting to catch up with the 2008 requirements, and may very well not fit link wires where plastic fittings are used. To test each bit of exposed pipe work to see if it is bonded would take a long time, years ago we were given the scenario of a dog knocking over a standard lamp which smashes onto a radiator, in the room where this has occurred there is no real problem, as occupants can see what has happened, however in other rooms unless bonded the radiators could become live. It is the ability of the pipe work to transmit to fault into other rooms which was considered as a major problem, and we did go rather OTT at one point wanting metal window frames to be bonded.
The changes in 2008 were based on RCD's being fitted, in the main with bathroom supplies, and the scenario related was what in essence caused the death of Emma Shaw, she was not electrocuted in the bathroom but where the stop cock was located, the stop cock was earthed but the metal within the walls was not.
I was rather surprised with my own house, until solar panels were fitted every circuit was RCD protected, but after the central heating supply was no longer RCD protected, I did not think that would be allowed, but I have a compliance certificate issued last year which says it is. The chance of getting a shock off the central heating is very low, sockets on the same supply are fed with SWA and are type A 30 mA RCD sockets.
In this case, those doing the EICR will almost certainly report it needs an urgent rewire, but not based on any genuine inspection.. It was far too brief a visit..
The was in reply to my comment that if it has failed they are duty bound to report this at earliest opportunity, so it must have passed.
We have no idea if the EICR was for a rented property or not, i.e. a legal requirement or owner protecting himself. It should make no difference, however if it is rental then the clock is ticking for any repairs.
It does seem to short of a time to have done all the tests, however unless one has the EICR one can hardly comment, and I would be uneasy at recommending not paying when we have really no idea why the inspection was so fast. Once a circuit has failed there is little point in continuing to inspect and test, if one has found rubber cables which are crumbling then to continue could likely mean the supply can't be turned on again. It is a case of saying a rewire is required ASAP.
