My electrician last did the electrical inspection on our bungalow which is let out to tenants in 2018. His son came to do the new inspection. The meter tail currently runs from the external meter box to the internal consumer unit through the cavity wall (about 2.5m). He explained the new regulations state the tail can no longer run through the cavity wall but must run externally outside the house and then only enter the house by the consumer unit. He has just arranged a time with the tenants to do the work. He has told the tenants it will take two full days and the electricity will need to be switched off for two whole days. His son told me it would take a couple of hours to do, when he visited to do the inspection. I've used this electrician for 15 years on three different properties. Does this sound correct?
No it doesn't, the regs are not retroactive except some that are safety specific, but should be complied with in tenanted properties eg, rcd protection, change plastic cu to non flammable. Meter tails through a cavity are not safety specific, and in any case he's talking nonsense because however the cable are run they must cross the cavity at some point to enter the house.
Rubbish. The existing route will be as good as it gets. The DNO will set the maximum length of meter tails, usually 2.5m.
OK. When my electrician's son did the inspection he explained the tenants could hammer something into the wall cavity, hit the wire and be electrocuted (although their tenancy agreement prevents them from doing this without permission first and they are sensible tenants and would check with me). Therefore the property can not pass the EICR unless this is done. He said this is not the case for our house, but is the case for tenanted properties.
That's what I had looked up and found. Running the tail externally will extend it longer than 3m I think.
Thank you. I'll discuss it further with my electrician, as is very inconvenient for tenants and will obviously be expensive for two day's work.
“Through the cavity wall” Does that mean the meter tails are running up through the cavity between the inner and outer leaves of the cavity wall or are the cables chased into the inner leaf of the wall and concealed under the plaster? If the cables are running up the cavity, is that cavity insulated?
It is an old property and the tails are running up through the cavity between the inner and outer leaves of the cavity wall.
And it's not insulated, as in the cavity because we were warned there could be probems with moisture ingress (this was when we acquired it about 10 years ago) because of the nature of the cavity
What a lot of tosh, it would be a long something to go through one skin of brick into the cavity, and unless they have a maintaining lease they shouldn't be hammering in anything more than a picture pin. Chuck him asunder and get the EICR done by a competent person, also upfront be clear that any remediations will be done by another contractor. I do EICRs for the council, they strictly forbid the inspecting firm to tender for the repairs, keeps it clean, if you see what I mean.
Even if the work needs doing, 2 days?? Could do with a bit of that work. What's he gonna do for the other day and a half.
Ah, I see he's getting the DNO to pull the fuse, and 2 days is when they will come back, if he had a clue he would get an isolator mounted next to the meter and get the DNO engineer to connect it to that all in one move, no need for them to return.
I think the law is wrong, but it does state all in control of DNO is outside the EICR as far as the landlord law goes.