Bonding on metal stopcock?

[xd400]

Hi All,
Had an EICR test done. Few things failed which I understand fine. However, the guy inspecting also said I need to make an earth bonding to a metal stopcock that has plastic pipe either side. This is the mains water stopcock coming from a mains plastic pipe.

Is this the case? Thanks.

 

[flameport]

Total nonsense.

Extraneous conductive parts require bonding - plastic isn't conductive and a metal stopcock on it's own isn't extraneous.
There is nothing to bond.

 

[xd400]

Thanks. Also he said the fused switches in the property were too old and need to be updated. They are MK fused ones probably circa early 1970s. I've no real issue with changing them but imo they seem to work pretty well and otherwise look intact. Is this down to the issue of plastic ageing?

 

[333rocky333]

Thanks. Also he said the fused switches in the property were too old and need to be updated. They are MK fused ones probably circa early 1970s. I've no real issue with changing them but imo they seem to work pretty well and otherwise look intact. Is this down to the issue of plastic ageing?

I have seen older ones still in use with no issues, the ones with lights on, some people think there dodgy as the light flickers, but that was normal as it was a Neon lamp

 

[flameport]

Is this down to the issue of plastic ageing?

Unlikely. Some types of plastic can become brittle with age, but switches / sockets are typically made from UF or other 'bakelite' type materials which will last pretty much forever.

Things being 'old' isn't a defect.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yet another one doing EICRs who should not be.

 

[xd400]

I did wonder that he was kind of making stuff up. These 'old' switches work perfectly and to the touch have a more positive feel than many modern ones.

Which then gets me onto a 3rd point of failure he said, that I'm now concerned about. That the consumer unit didn't have an RCD so it was a fail. It is an old metal Wylex board but uses the retro fitted MCBs.

Is this also true or also another fib? He did then ask if I had someone to do the work.

I'm going to get it changed anyway just for the safety aspect.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[ericmark]

This is from the electrical safety council best practice guide. Using plug in RCD's will clearly not stop some one getting a nasty shock if they drill into a cable concealed in a wall, but in real terms the only case where lack of RCD should be a fail is with 701.415.2 Supplementary equipotential bonding were at the end of the regulation it says

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.

Can't have both missing, either it needs bonding or it needs RCD protection if both are missing it is a fail.

The other is where a manufacturer recommends RCD protection, one has to assume the manufacturer has good reason to say this shower/boiler or other item, must have RCD protection. Where that protection can be given by the use of a plug in RCD then hard to justify a consumer unit change, as to if you can rely on people using plug in devices can't really see that is for the inspector to decide. The MOT inspector does not know if the people using the car actually wear the seat belts, as long as they are there it's a pass. OK today the seat belts which could be unhooked are no longer used, but you can see my point I am sure.

The inspector can award a code C2 or a code C3 to many items, the idea is if everything gets a C3 the owner does not know which items to correct first, so having a C2 and C3 allowed the owner to prioritise his upgrades, yes we gave the label of "potentially dangerous" to code C2, but 230 volt is always potentially dangerous, I have asked in another post, if an inspector decided he would not award and C2 codes could he really be brought to task over it? Code C1 dangerous, and code C3 recommend improvement could be used for all faults.

So maybe the codes should be renamed.
C1 = dangerous
C2 = something which is wrong and I fancy fixing
C3 = something which is wrong but I don't fancy fixing

I do question even awarding a C1, as if dangerous the inspector should make it safe before leaving, and if made safe i.e. isolated, then no longer dangerous.

 

[flameport]

That the consumer unit didn't have an RCD

No RCDs at all is a fail, and has been for a few decades.

Post of copy of the EICR here with names/addresses covered if you want further info on whether it's correct or not.

He did then ask if I had someone to do the work.

Does this mean they didn't want to do the work themselves, or were not capable of doing it?

 

[winston1]

I did wonder that he was kind of making stuff up. These 'old' switches work perfectly and to the touch have a more positive feel than many modern ones.

Which then gets me onto a 3rd point of failure he said, that I'm now concerned about. That the consumer unit didn't have an RCD so it was a fail. It is an old metal Wylex board but uses the retro fitted MCBs.

Is this also true or also another fib? He did then ask if I had someone to do the work.

I'm going to get it changed anyway just for the safety aspect.

Thanks for the feedback.

You could fit an upfront RCD before the board.

 

[BS3036]

You could fit an upfront RCD before the board.

Not really.

 

[xd400]

Does this mean they didn't want to do the work themselves, or were not capable of doing it?

No, it was said in a 'polite' I can do it for you if you don't have someone way. I suppose it sounds less pushy and make customers less suspicious.

 

[xd400]

You could fit an upfront RCD before the board.

Given the cost of a complete change and having two RCDs best to just change the whole thing I think.

 

[TimboTwo]

Thanks. Also he said the fused switches in the property were too old and need to be updated. They are MK fused ones probably circa early 1970s. I've no real issue with changing them but imo they seem to work pretty well and otherwise look intact. Is this down to the issue of plastic ageing?

Bull****. I've got (MK) switches and fused connection units and sockets from 1960's still working perfectly. Slowly going round upgrading.