Codebreakers #23

Need help with cracking those EICR codes? The technical team at NAPIT, with the help of the 18th Edition Codebreakers publication, answer your latest coding queries. Click on the photos for a closer look!

FREDERICK HAGAN: I found this heat damage when carrying out an EICR. What would you code this?

This is just the sort of thing that can be uncovered with the correct sampling of an installation. An inspector should always use their judgement to decide how much of an electrical installation to check or sample. The most experienced inspectors always look for the items that have historically caused issues, e.g., fixed loads, high current loads, and supplies to appliances that are in high use, etc. In this case, we can see that at least one Line conductor is showing signs of thermal damage. A second Line conductor, slightly obscured by the accessory in this photo, also looks to be damaged/degraded, as the sheath appears bared off way too much; this could be thermal damage but it is unclear from the photo. BS 7671 requires that an electrical installation is periodically inspected to confirm, among other things, the installation provides protection against damage to the property by fire or heat, and that it isn’t deteriorated to the extent that it could impair the safety of its users. As thermal damage is present here, we can only ever give a C2/FI Code. If left, there could well be an escalation from the cause of the damage, which could result in a serious outcome. The cause of the thermal damage may also need to be investigated – it may be a loose connection, or it could be that the load is higher than the circuit or accessory can safely handle. Only rectifying the cable damage may not cure the issue, and the thermal damage could re-occur. If there are similar loads in the installation, it may be that these will need to be checked for thermal damage, which may not be a part of the agreed inspection and testing and may need further investigation. I’ve split the observations into two distinct outcomes and possible codes, however, they could easily be combined and given an FI as an overarching code. Either way, an unsatisfactory outcome on the EICR is a given outcome here.