New Consumer Unit

[Murdochcat]

For my CPS assessment this year I took my assessor to a CU change , signed off and complete with a N-E fault on the upstairs socket circuit which can’t be fixed.

He was happy with my logic, the way it was discussed with the customer AND documented on my EIC.

 

[SUNRAY]

So you 100 % inspect all circuits AND accessories when you do an EICR

I simply don’t believe you

What do you deliberately avoid looking at then and how did you arrive at decision?

 

[Murdochcat]

What do you deliberately avoid looking at then and how did you arrive at decision?

I use GN3 3.8.2

The sampling will be based on the age and visual inspection of the installation - and of course my judgement BUT I never price EICR's low to get them as I'd rather not do them

 

[ebee]

Yes I do not like doing EICRs, I am not the slickest either.
I do a visual to try and get an impression of what is needed by way of inspection and to decide an appropriate sampling rate.
It might be 100% or 50% or 25% minimum (and an absolute min of two points per circuit) and what I see as I go along might drive that figure up towards 100% .

By visual I mean just about everything.
By inspection I mean opening stuff up to take a look and a tug etc.
I might give up part way thru and decide it is so unsatisfactory that a rewire is the only viable option.

Then testing.

Then remedials take place after the customer accepts the estimate.

Then retesting .

Only then would a consumer unit change be considered.

It is not foolproof, I do not have xray vision, but I do observe due diligence.

No one would expect a mechanic to put a new engine in a car without first kicking the tyres to see if the wheels are about to drop off.

 

[SUNRAY]

No one would expect a mechanic to put a new engine in a car without first kicking the tyres to see if the wheels are about to drop off.

Sadly there are far too many who do, particularly 30-50 years ago into the real rust buckets that used to be made.

Just like some Youtube botchers electricians and by the sound of it on here too.

 

[ebee]

LOL

 

[EFLImpudence]

No one would expect a mechanic to put a new engine in a car without first kicking the tyres to see if the wheels are about to drop off.

What mechanic would refuse if that is what you are paying him to do?

So - inappropriate example.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I feel there must be some misunderstanding of the language used in this thread.


Please humour me and answer this regarding a normal, say, 60s or 80s house; not a decrepit stately home.

Do you, when asked to replace the CU, arrange a day prior to CU change and go and carry out a complete EICR, involving disconnecting all the circuits and necessary accessories for all testing required to (attempt to) ensure no problems and then reconnect everything hoping you have not made a mistake, fill out EICR forms and give to customer with bill for ~£250.

 

[Murdochcat]

^^

That rather depends on a quick visual when quoting.

I’ll only insist on an EICR if things look bad

Otherwise I don’t but do include a caveat on my quote about unexpected issues

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yes, exactly. So in most cases; not.

 

[ebee]

I feel there must be some misunderstanding of the language used in this thread.


Please humour me and answer this regarding a normal, say, 60s or 80s house; not a decrepit stately home.

Do you, when asked to replace the CU, arrange a day prior to CU change and go and carry out a complete EICR, involving disconnecting all the circuits and necessary accessories for all testing required to (attempt to) ensure no problems and then reconnect everything hoping you have not made a mistake, fill out EICR forms and give to customer with bill for ~£250.

yes, if I & T refused I will not changed CU, it is that simple

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yes, this is difficult.

It's not whether I&T is done - but WHEN.


I do not see the point of taking up another day disconnecting and reconnecting all the circuits only to have to do it all again on the day of the CU change.

Reminder - I am not talking about Bleak House but normal sized houses.

 

[ebee]

It's not whether I&T is done - but WHEN.

OK good. I`m glad you said that, I had thought you were against the I & T.
So.
The problem is, with the best intention in the world, things might conspire against us to prevent the I & T being done.
In an ideal world it would be done beforehand and we then know the installation is likely to be safe.
Any delay would compromise that even for a few hours/days/weeks.
If the customer changes his mind/goes into hospital/succumbs to illness or say his family take over and decide not to let you back in then that period becomes longer and longer or even never.
So, despite your best intentions, a potentially unfit installation gets energised.
It might actually be ten times better than you found it but you have still energised a possible defected installation.
How can you prevent it ever happening? do the I & T first, decide which corrections (if any) needs addressing, undertake them, then put in the new CU. I can`t see any other way

 

[crystal ball]

Yes I do not like doing EICRs, I am not the slickest either.
I do a visual to try and get an impression of what is needed by way of inspection and to decide an appropriate sampling rate.
It might be 100% or 50% or 25% minimum (and an absolute min of two points per circuit) and what I see as I go along might drive that figure up towards 100% .

By visual I mean just about everything.
By inspection I mean opening stuff up to take a look and a tug etc.
I might give up part way thru and decide it is so unsatisfactory that a rewire is the only viable option.

Then testing.

Then remedials take place after the customer accepts the estimate.

Then retesting .

Only then would a consumer unit change be considered.

It is not foolproof, I do not have xray vision, but I do observe due diligence.

No one would expect a mechanic to put a new engine in a car without first kicking the tyres to see if the wheels are about to drop off.

A better comparison would be comparing a CU with brakes / airbag, would a mechanic refuse to fix the brakes on a jalopy that was still being driven daily

 

[Murdochcat]

yes, if I & T refused I will not changed CU, it is that simple

Odd strategy when I find that its the odd exception that need any remedial work