Result from Electrical visual survey

[cottontop]

Hi all,

As part of doing a part-ex on our house we had an Electrical Visual Inspection Report carried out on the house. From the comments made below is there anything that stands out as an "issue" that could get in the way. I dont want the builders of our new home to try and squeeze any more money than we need to...By the way the house was re-wired in 1988.

Replace with new split load consumer unit, including RCD’s and MCB’s

Conduit to earth electrode broken below decking, earth electrode no longer accessible for inspection

There is no supplementary earthing between exposed conductive parts and the circuit protective conductors within the bathroom

Kitchen light hit by cupboard doors, would recommend repositioning or fitting recessed light fitments.

The socket outlet for the oven & hob would appear to be behind the appliances , so access for isolation is impossible, I would recommend repositioning socket outlet into cupboard side of the appliances.

Some of the socket outlets are mounted directly above the skirting, this can cause problems for appliances that have moulded plug tops not sitting into the sockets correctly when plugged in.Also some of the socket outlets have not been earthed to there metal back box.

It would appear that there could be more socket outlet spurs,than there is socket outlets connected to the ring final circuit, this could result in over loading the circuit.

No identification sleeving as been used to identify switched lives at light switches.

A green yellow core of a flexible cable as been used as a link across the rear of the switch for a common live link, this requires removing and an appropriate coloured conductor used

The earth electrode resistance measured at 158 Ohms, the required resistance should be a Max of 100 Ohms for a TT System. I would recommend connection to the TNCS connection on the incoming supply.

I know its a long post but many thanks for your help.

 

[Spark123]

Replace with new split load consumer unit, including RCD’s and MCB’s

What is there at the moment? As a TT system it will mean fitting one with a time delay 100mA RCD main switch and a 30mA for downstairs sockets etc.

Conduit to earth electrode broken below decking, earth electrode no longer accessible for inspection

There is no supplementary earthing between exposed conductive parts and the circuit protective conductors within the bathroom

Kitchen light hit by cupboard doors, would recommend repositioning or fitting recessed light fitments.

Seem reasonable

The socket outlet for the oven & hob would appear to be behind the appliances , so access for isolation is impossible, I would recommend repositioning socket outlet into cupboard side of the appliances.

Are the appliances fixed or movable? Is there a separate isolation switch for the socket?

Some of the socket outlets are mounted directly above the skirting, this can cause problems for appliances that have moulded plug tops not sitting into the sockets correctly when plugged in.Also some of the socket outlets have not been earthed to there metal back box.

Seems reasonable re the issue of a plug not seating correctly, as long as one of the lugs on the backbox is fixed there is no need to connect a loop from the socket to the backbox tho it is imo a good idea.

It would appear that there could be more socket outlet spurs,than there is socket outlets connected to the ring final circuit, this could result in over loading the circuit.

Not great, not sure on the overloading side of things but there should be at least the same number of points on a ring final circuit as there are unfused spurs.

No identification sleeving as been used to identify switched lives at light switches.

Not a massive problem to resolve

A green yellow core of a flexible cable as been used as a link across the rear of the switch for a common live link, this requires removing and an appropriate coloured conductor used

Seems reasonable

The earth electrode resistance measured at 158 Ohms, the required resistance should be a Max of 100 Ohms for a TT System. I would recommend connection to the TNCS connection on the incoming supply.

For a TT system the Ze for reliability should not exceed 200 ohms. (NICEIC use the 100 ohm figure iirc). However if you already have a TN-CS earth already then it will be a better idea to scupper the TT idea altogether and have your system connect to that, will also affect the issue of what type new CU to install.

 

[Adam_151]

Ah, free checks, the point to bear in mind that the cost has to be re-couped from somewhere

Hi all,
Replace with new split load consumer unit, including RCD’s and MCB’s

Thats an instruction, not an observation, interesting thing to note is that if the consumer unit was replaced a split load board, then in four months time it might no longer comply with the current standard for electrical installations

Conduit to earth electrode broken below decking, earth electrode no longer accessible for inspection

Fair comment

There is no supplementary earthing between exposed conductive parts and the circuit protective conductors within the bathroom

Supplimentary Equipotential bonding, I presume he meant, and extranous conductive parts (the exposed conductive parts are already connected to the cpcs), fair comment even if he does need to proof read his reports

Kitchen light hit by cupboard doors, would recommend repositioning or fitting recessed light fitments.

Fair comment if there is a risk (and sounds like there is) of impact damage to the light fixture, I'd go for moving it though

The socket outlet for the oven & hob would appear to be behind the appliances , so access for isolation is impossible, I would recommend repositioning socket outlet into cupboard side of the appliances.

Gas hob, I trust? Fair comment I guess, for a cooker (FingRinal may disagree )

Some of the socket outlets are mounted directly above the skirting, this can cause problems for appliances that have moulded plug tops not sitting into the sockets correctly when plugged in.Also some of the socket outlets have not been earthed to there metal back box.

Fair comment about the positioning, but it sounds like hes muddled his words again, saying "earthed to the patress", implies the earth comes from the patress through the wiring system (I.e. if it was wired in steel conduit, MI or SWA) and a flylead is required, if its wired in T+E so the earth goes to the S/O, then a flylead, while good practice is only required if the patress has no fixed lugs

It would appear that there could be more socket outlet spurs,than there is socket outlets connected to the ring final circuit, this could result in over loading the circuit.

An excess number of spurs, each taken directly from the ring final, while a deviation from the standard circuit for a ring final is not likely to cause overloading unless unequally distrubuted around the circuit. If we are talking about spurs from spurs, then its a different situation

(oh, we could 'fix' the former by merely installing more sockets directly on the ring final )

No identification sleeving as been used to identify switched lives at light switches.

Fair comment, but not a big issue and easy to fix

A green yellow core of a flexible cable as been used as a link across the rear of the switch for a common live link, this requires removing and an appropriate coloured conductor used

Not good, but easy to fix, I'm supprised he didn't do it while he had the switch open.... actually, I'm not...

The earth electrode resistance measured at 158 Ohms, the required resistance should be a Max of 100 Ohms for a TT System. I would recommend connection to the TNCS connection on the incoming supply.

Actually, max of 100ohms is quite misleading, the allowable value depends on the RCD(s) used, but the NICEIC regard anything over 100 as unstable, the IEE recommend a figure of 200 for the boundry of unstable

Oh, and TNCS is a good idea if you've got a nicely labeled terminal provided by the DNO and PME stickers slapped on it, as long as you don't have any pools, stables, metal framed sheds, etc on your garden

 

[comms]

Replace with new split load consumer unit, including RCD’s and MCB’s

It's not a requirement.
(having got to the 2nd & last question my reply needs correcting & so does his corrective action. Seen as the supply is TT you will need a split load cu but the main switch will need to be an S type rcd & the split side a 30 mA rcd)

Conduit to earth electrode broken below decking, earth electrode no longer accessible for inspection

The broken conduit isnt a problem. cut an inspection hatch in the decking for access to the rod.

There is no supplementary earthing between exposed conductive parts and the circuit protective conductors within the bathroom

Will need doing if they ask for it.

Kitchen light hit by cupboard doors, would recommend repositioning or fitting recessed light fitments.

Not a major issue, move fitting or reccess light as said.

The socket outlet for the oven & hob would appear to be behind the appliances , so access for isolation is impossible, I would recommend repositioning socket outlet into cupboard side of the appliances.

Agree with this one but would use an isolation switch above worktop & not fix to inside of cupboard.

Some of the socket outlets are mounted directly above the skirting, this can cause problems for appliances that have moulded plug tops not sitting into the sockets correctly when plugged in.Also some of the socket outlets have not been earthed to there metal back box.

The earthing to back box isnt a requirement so long as one of the screw lugs is static.
The moulded plugs yes it can be a problem.

It would appear that there could be more socket outlet spurs,than there is socket outlets connected to the ring final circuit, this could result in over loading the circuit.

Change a few to fused spurs.

No identification sleeving as been used to identify switched lives at light switches.

No great shakes & easily corrected.

A green yellow core of a flexible cable as been used as a link across the rear of the switch for a common live link, this requires removing and an appropriate coloured conductor used

Agree (personaly I'd have done it while there a 2 min job)

The earth electrode resistance measured at 158 Ohms, the required resistance should be a Max of 100 Ohms for a TT System. I would recommend connection to the TNCS connection on the incoming supply.

You could get the supply converted to pme. Or condition the soil around the rod prior to testing.
You might be lucky & have corrosion on the earth rod & clamp, but you wont know untill you can get to it.


EDITED TO SAY: if i didnt keep stopping to watch road wars i'd have posted quicker

 

[RF Lighting]

EDITED TO SAY: if i didnt keep stopping to watch road wars i'd have posted quicker

Thought it was just me

 

[cottontop]

At the moment there are 4 re-wired fuses and one of these;

Some of it I don't quite get, for example the earth electrode is accessible, you just have to get on your hands and knees

Also I swear the bathroom earthing was done when we had the bathroom fitted 3 years ago...

Although the cupboard door does hit the light, its a heavy duty strip light and it hits the metal casing and not the light itself.

The frustrating thing is that the kitchen (where a lot of the issues are) was going to be the next area of the house to be done.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

At the moment there are 4 re-wired fuses and one of these;

That's an old voltage operated ELCB? Unreliable and no longer acceptable.

 

[FingRinal]

A Visual Report is not defined in BS7671 so it does not comply with BS7671. Therefore the whole thing is meaningless from any official point of view.

Good try from them though if they are trying to squeeze more money from you.

If they want to do things properly, ask them to have a full Periodic Inspection Report done - one which is defined in BS7671.

Be wary of wording such as 'It would appear'...hardly factual.

 

[Spark123]

At the moment there are 4 re-wired fuses and one of these;

That's an old voltage operated ELCB? Unreliable and no longer acceptable.

Looks like a wylex RCD (or current operated ELCB) to me?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

OK

 

[Spark123]

Still not a good idea to have everything fed from the same RCD.