Breaking Down A Bad EICR

[@michael-gary-scott]

New Zealand has that exact license system you talk about. When filling out paperwork workers need to supply their license number, which can then be used to trace work back to who did it. If you come across dodgy work you can report the license number and the worker will get a phone call. We even name and shame particularly awful/dangerous electrical work

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Knowing NZ, the license is competently administered via the government?

[@mikeZL3XD7029]

Michael Scott, Yes we do!!

[@markrowland5393]

David Savery issued a video recently about a little boy who was killed by electric shock in a pub garden. There are numerous fires caused by electrical faults every year. But you still see poor electrical work by some sparks and they're getting away with it. Landlords now have to have eicr's, but if they're not done properly...

[@timmilantrikker]

Lovely that you are coming back on track, regarding your youtube channel. I am still enjoying my new fluke testmeter.(still thx) Btw laminated your greetings and hanged it on my oilfurnace. Now I love having guests and making them believe that I know a vip... but of course... all sparkys are vip right;)

[@netpok]

Well an mcb is an mcb and it should not be vendor locked, it has a form factor for a reason, it should not matter if a board has all mcbs from a different vendor. Also I don't get UK and their fascination with the in board main disconnect, here we have an mcb before the power meter (with a seal), you turn off no power in the board, why put the first point of isolation in a place which can be accessed by everyone.

[@Quinnergy]

Completely agree with the Electrician (/Driving) Points system you mention at 7:41. Amazing idea

[@paul_smith66]

It's good you have standards. I live in rented accomodation and the guys who came to do the EICR and remedial work were excellent. Really thorough. Glad my landlord realises it's important to have a decent job done. My house is really simple. 4 circuits, 2 rings, 2 radials. Needed a fusebox change as it was old and no protection. Now have RCBO protected circuits and they let me look at the board when they'd done it before they put the cover on. Keep up the good work.

[@Oli_Hudson]

Good to have you back doing weekly videos. Cheers Tom

[@samuelfielder]

What's wrong with mixing manufacturers of MCBs and consumer units?

[@paraicheneghan8934]

In USA you have to have license in most states all work inspect by electrical inspector

[@blastspark580]

The board with no blanks in and mounted sideways was for the voltage drop to escape 😂😂

[@leebutterworth7465]

probably to stop earth leakage from out the non glanded meter tails holes

[@bobander]

Haha mini Nagy popping up on your shoulder gave me a good chuckle.

[@DoctorElectricYouTube]

Good video Tom @8:40 great idea mate, really annoys me too Great to see you back Tom, my first Sparky KZbin subscription, so much so that I started my own channel now.

[@132Fonseca]

Finally a new video. Thanks for posting. Just a suggestion for the next one, could you give an update regarding your company/business?

[@andrewpowellnz]

Nice to see you out & about & Greetings from New Zealand

[@justinhowell555]

Hello, I'm sure you have heard this before, but there are quite a few things in the us, electrical wise, that require a permit and subsequent inspection from the city, township, county, etc. By far not a perfect system either as the good old boys will overlook problems sometimes. Glad to see new videos, long time watcher from the US. Keep grinding!

[@boredwithusernames]

I totally agree about the licensing topic that you raised. This is an industry that needs regulating and the inherent dangers of unregulated shoddy workmanship is just as serious as a non-licensed car driver joy-riding all over the roads. Both can result in serious injury or death to individuals other than the driver or the electrician. Bravo for raising this issue and I hope that somebody out there listens and, more importantly, acts on it.

[@tww5719]

Have used them slim fittings in a flat that had concrete floors and only had a batten depth for the gap in the ceiling 👍

[@stevenbell6510]

On the observations page of the eicr is “ccu” not mean cooker control unit.

[@samplumbe3288]

Omg spot on with the licence concept but not just with sparkies the whole construction industry.

[@kennyrowat9838]

Maximum size hole in a fire rated plasterboard ceiling 90mm?

[@CrashUK28]

Our buyer had a EICR and told them buyer needed £350 of working doing and said a wire was the wrong in our bed room but when I checked he never removed the light switch from the wall how would know? I know he never removed the light switch as I try to remove it but the paint was holding it on after I removed the screws. Buyer was happy to pay him £350 on top of the £150 for EICR. Everything in my house has been done by a fully qualified electrician?

[@JimWhitaker]

Does the fitment of that consumer unit on its side meet the regs? And if DIN rail can be universal for mounting MCB's, RCBO's etc., why can't all these be required to fit with, and play nicely with other items from any manufacturer?

[@JonnyFive4321]

Just about to begin my Domestic Installers course. Keep up the great work Tom 🙌🏻

[@mychannel0743]

Been binge watching your videos all day. Love the content 👍

[@seanporter9311]

Tom, you can get the thin led round flat 12.5mm lights that look great to fit in that kitchen

[@jamescorrigan1002]

Hi I'm using 5 X 25mm swa what type breaker and size would I use. I'm discriminating down from 400amp mccb feeding a sub distribution panel. And what size breaker will I use in sub distribution panel. Sorry.. I'm used to domestic.. Just starting out as a spark

[@tomorichard]

Think you might be asking the wrong person 👍

[@sandwellpanel5546]

No sign of Naomi take it she’s loved on to bigger and better things.

[@markpunt9638]

Thank goodness

[@samjustice5026]

Does the cooker panel with socket above cooker comply?

[@effervescence5664]

Points is daft for electricians license. However a card with all your qualifications on the back like GasSafe and a register of actually qualified engineers so if you work without being registered/qualified on systems you can be jailed I agree with. Also as long as those Hager breakers sit on the bus bar securely without causing undue strain on the main switch, same with the volex/wylex - most of these are default designed to the DIN standard and if they're from the same manufacturer group what's the harm in same standard different brand name slapped on the front.

[@ojwetc]

Those boards with mixed breakers and cutting corners is the epitome of our industry and everything that fucks me off with it!

[@FireAngelOfLondon]

A simpler way of dealing with the falsification of EICR work would be to make it a criminal offense to falsify any of the data and then put in a proper reporting system so you could report it when you find something like this. Penalties would start with hefty fines for minor offenses and end with a long prison term if there was a fire or if you had created a serious fire hazard. Anyone with such a conviction would be automatically banned from doing electrical work for a period from five years up to life. A license requirement means that the bureaucracy would start to see electricians as a source of income and before you knew it the license costs would be making life difficult for electricians for no good reason.

[@county582]

Here in Ireland you have to be a qualified spark in order to sign certs do periodic inspections/eicr tests. It takes 4 years to do the apprenticeship, testing is a lot more serious than it was during the boom of early 2000's. Still far from perfect as a lot of apprentices will tell you.

[@12000gp]

I pulled a van out of mud when it got stuck once using 10mm earth, glad it wasn’t just me.

[@bluebenjamin874]

Is it compliant to Mount a board sideways like that?

[@ady8077]

Hi, isn't the cooker switch too close to the hob?

[@mikeselectricstuff]

What's wrong with different makes of breakers? They're all made to the same standards and fit the same DIN rail.

[@Blitterbug]

I think Tom's a wee bit OCD...

[@AllStarNES]

Compatibility Issues. Its on inspections checklist. Problems arise when the busbar terminals are at slightly different depths. The cage clamps may not be entirely clamped to the front which can leave you with a loose connection/gap on supply side even when it feels tight. Arcing ensues.

[@edc1569]

something about type approval, makes little sense to me, as you state they all meet the same BS standards. I suspect it's a bit of nonsense promoted by the NICEIC. Could you imagine the commercial world if you had to bin everything in an enclosure to change a power supply.

[@user-fw5tr8ht1e]

Manufacturers guidance. I believe it's voids warranties especially in new installations. I was always taught to use the breakers for the board. I've seen people adapt breakers to fit the wrong board.... But that's up to them if something happened.

[@bigjd2k]

The terminal holes vary in size and position so if you try and use a busbar to link different makes together they end up misaligned, wonky and with loose connections. And if there’s a problem the consumer unit manufacturer can say it’s not my fault it was someone else’s breakers what did it!

[@mowcius]

Totally with you on the license/card, sounds like a great idea. It wouldn't be all that hard to have an easy to understand system for what you're legally permitted to do as well, that the customer could understand - like the vehicles you're allowed to drive.

[@shanetobin270]

that story about towing the van.i once jumpstarted a car with 16sq earth.two of us just held the cable against the battery terminals and it worked a treat.

[@ValdoxGaming]

bit of 2.5mm2 and a makita battery does the trick too

[@ediijay9897]

Always a pleasure to watch and quite inspiring. Cheers Buddy.

[@andywalsh30]

What lights are you using at the start of this video?

[@ckm-mkc]

For your phone, look at UAG cases, specifically the Monarch. Had one on my last 3 phones and have dropped them countless times and they are still fine.... They are one of the few cases tested to a defined standard.

[@Chris_In_Texas]

1:54 As I am a US citizen, I have been in Reading a few times working there. Right off the M4 & A33. Great place, except everyone is crazy and drives on the wrong side of the road! 😲👍

[@125sm3]

Good to see your busy Tom

[@stevendouglas3860]

Great channel Thomas . Very thorough and neat 👍

[@1990Cookie]

We have that here in Germany. In some trades, you need a master's degree to open and run a company. German Wikipedia on the master craftsman requirement: Meisterzwang or Meisterpflicht is a legal regulation in Germany (§ 1 para. 1 in conjunction with § 7 Handwerksordnung (HwO)), Austria (until 1999[1]), Luxembourg and South Tyrol (German-speaking part of Italy, until 1987[2]) that only allows master craftsmen and their equals to run craft businesses. The acquisition of the master craftsman's certificate is subject to a fee and usually takes two to three years on a part-time basis, four months to two years on a full-time basis. In addition to the master craftsman's certificate, registration in the register of skilled crafts and thus the independent practice of a craft is also possible on the basis of an exemption permit (§§ 8 or 9 HwO) or a former journeyman's regulation (authorisation to practice according to § 7b HwO). Furthermore, industrial foremen, state-certified technicians and university graduates (of the corresponding disciplines) have the possibility to independently practice a craft in a standing trade. Non-essential activities (within the meaning of section 1(2) HwO) - in particular activities that can be learned in a period of up to three months - may be carried out without the restrictions of the master craftsman requirement. In itinerant trades and in insignificant ancillary craft enterprises, essential activities may also be carried out without registration in the register of skilled crafts, i.e. without a master craftsman's certificate. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[@christianolvera3134]

Is there no sort of inspecting authority? In Washington State every electrician needs a license to practice and each license has an endorsement for the type of work that can be done (Commercial, Residential, Low Volt etc). Permits must be pulled with the authority having jurisdiction and then an inspector (employee of the county/city) will come and review the work to either give it a passing or failing grade.

[@Randrew18]

Thank you for the video and content, always very enjoyable

[@MrSmeagolsGhost]

Interesting you didn’t go for a 314 (inline socket outlet) for the down lights. I suppose it gives you a call out when the led’s die. You would need inspectors and enforcement to make your plan work. At least here in Aus if you fuck up earthing (leaving out a MEN typically) you get a suspended license, an enforcement action noted and you forced back to do more training before you can legally work in the trade again. Depending on the state, there is still independent inspections of electrical work, if you fail, the inspector will tell the client exactly why the work failed and if it was the sparks fault/incompetence.

[@mattmanslim]

Serious question - what’s the issue with mixing brands within a CCU?

[@AllStarNES]

Compatibility Issues. Its on inspections checklist. Problems arise when the busbar terminals are at slightly different depths. The cage clamps may not be entirely clamped to the front which can leave you with a loose connection/gap on supply side even when it feels tight. Arcing ensues.

[@jonasgeist7779]

Really interesting point mate, could you talk about how to find a good sparkie for jobs? What should you look out for to avoid cowboys like that?

[@chris-w4n9w]

Wheres Nom Nom?

[@zumber2811]

Pumped perhaps?

[@coyote5735]

@@zumber2811 I hear Tom is fitting revolving doors to his vans.

[@paulteasdale7112]

Gone somewhere that can pay her maybe....

[@benjaminrakota1495]

In my country to become electrician you need to have apprenticeship certificate which you can get after two years of scholing or graduation from electrical school whit takes up to 4 to 5 years. whit first mention than you can be 21§ when at least two year you shold be working undre some body whit higer clas than after two yers you can become 22§ and two yers 23§ the are things you can do whit each class byt to becom 24§ you need nother two yers (whnw vorkong over 1000V +1 yer for each calss) and graduation and only when you 24§ you can do EICR on property you get your stamp whit information on sheet you ar giving customer and when something goes wrong you can end up in prision (and for each level every two yers when you want stay that class you need retraining normaly 1 or 2 day course and when you didnt go to it you will be restor basicli to 20§ which need to be every person operating any electrical machine in work which you can get after two hours course)

[@andreaslarsen2446]

Here in Denmark You have to take another 2 year education to become a licensed "Master Electrician", after your 4 year education/Apprenticeship to start your own business, and your licens can be taken away, if you violate safety bad enough, or breaking too many laws/rules

[@frrag001]

Don't you need any type of license/certification to work as a electrician in the UK? If you do need one, can't it be revoked if you repeatedly make unsafe installations?

[@jamesmclennan6436]

What's the issue with different brands of breakers to the board they go in? Same brand obviously looks a lot better but surely as long as it's to spec it's all good? Not being shirty, just genuinely interested in your answer!

[@AllStarNES]

Compatibility Issues. Its on inspections checklist. Problems arise when the busbar terminals are at slightly different depths. The cage clamps may not all be entirely clamped to the front which can leave you with a loose connection/gap on supply side even when it feels tight.

[@bourneelectricalable]

Is the bucket truck going to be driven by you mostly or have you got someone lined up to work from it.

[@mattpickford6872]

Good to see you back Tom.

[@altypeRR]

I think like any profession there are the top 10%era who really care about the job and it shows. Then there are the middle 60%era who go by the rules and are okay but nothing special. Then there is the bottom feeders. The bottom 30%. Those that are cheap, in and out as quick as poss and don’t give a fuck about the job as long as they get their money. Even in tightly regulated industries you still get that bottom lot. The major problem is sadly the landlords. These days they just see the property as an investment. A way of making money and having a pension. They don’t see it as someone else’s home that they have responsibility for.

[@ryangreening7652]

Always enjoy the video’s, but the sound volume killed me today when the ads came in versus nominal volume of the video.

[@vwegert]

9:38 What is the actual issue with the mix&match setup? Assuming the components are good, why would different vendors be a problem?

[@guffermeister]

Bus bars can be different sizes/thicnkesses or location makign it more difficult to get the bottom of the breaker to sit on it properly. Not then tightened causing arcing. Or sit at an angle reducing the contact surface area. The breaker might not sit properly on the DIN rail allowing for movement and other potential issues. There can also be physical breaker dimension differences meaning that the cover doesn't fit or the lid close. Heat might not dissipate from one breaker the same way as with another and cause hot spots if run on their limits. For main switches, cable entry/exit might not line up causing more stress on internal cables. Its in the regs as not permitted.

[@ssmedia]

Ive added a breaker to a board which was a different make to the rest. Whats wrong with that?.. Is there something im missing?

[@havoctrousers]

When you mix and match, the busbar can sometimes not fit very well or they might not quite line up properly with the board cover. Don't think there's a specific reg against it, but BS7671 says we should comply with all manufacturers instructions on CUs and manufacturers will always tell you to only fit their gear!

[@tomorichard]

Non type tested devices are against manufactures instructions thus do not meet current regulations. C3 in EICR terms

[@dragade101]

I think to realistically certify work, is a way for electricians to anonymously report shotty work while having audits. Like theoretically an inspector checks a new building / project rewiring but in the instances that cannot happen, a sometimes inspection should be conducted. Of course I'm all in favour of doing things by yourself, for yourself (say in the middle of no where) but when you live less than 5m away from someone, those reckless choices means they also can go up in flames.

[@tncorgi92]

We had similar certificates and licenses for network engineers until Microsoft got in a row with a bunch of companies over how to administer it, then everyone just did their own.

[@Dave0Star]

would you code the DB on its side ?

[@jamesbrett6518]

What's the sin in mixing modules from different makers within a CU? Surely they're made to certain standards, same physical sizes? (Not an electrician, not got OCD either)

[@MrZOMBIE170]

7:43 CSCS cards?

[@acb2040]

That's fine as long as the fire rating of that ceiling isn't required?...

[@MikeSmith-mj8tp]

In the states. You must have a Journeyman for the state you work in. You can learn the trade as an apprentice/ electrical trainee tell you have the required 8000 hour of training to apply for the test.

[@kodessa]

i have nothing constructive to add other than that ending shot was quite lovely.

[@MultiMetalGaming]

Is nomnom no longer with you?

[@londontrada]

There is accountability for an EICR as the business and testers details and signature should be on the certificate although I have seen them without. The problem with the system you suggest is that the cowboys won't do it anyway and it's very difficult to educate homeowners as to what licence the contractor should have and a lot of people don't care anyway.

[@gregorythomas333]

It amazes me how much...or in this case how little...accountability there is for such an important job...I mean people can DIE if it is not done correctly.

[@quimninja]

Wait why didn't you fit fire rated fitting? My understanding was that they have to be fitted to maintain the fire barrier, please correct me as it will save me money lol

[@CuffyFPS]

Keep the videos coming! Love it mate

[@Ryan-pt8mm]

You still need a fire hood for led discs...

[@chris35667]

in austria for example you need to make some sort "master training" with a tuff exam at the end... without it you are not allowed to found a company... isn't there anything in the uk? because you said something about " electrians drivers license"

[@adamdavis2068]

Regulations never change until the horse has bolted

[@callumwilson8344]

Would the license not be like gassafe

[@neiltrevatt]

I know the disc you mean but a bit bigger than 70mm

[@S.ASmith]

Automotive industry has been struggling to produce ECUs due to a global silicon shortage. It's impacted mobile phones and consumer electronics (like processors, graphics cards, RAM etc) too.

[@nuttytechy]

Brings a new meaning to Drive by EICR. Complete the test while driving to the next job. So-called electricians like them are the ones who give genuine sparks a bad name, cause issues to the customer and possibly harm to the landlord or homeowner.

[@smartchip]

I have also a mate (when it's a medium or large job) with me when I do a eicr, as its quicker, a junior electrician also gets paid and also makes a good job, yeah I know, customers say they can get it done for less, well, that's the cost of quality, treat the eicr like your best friend's house, someone you want to be safe and well, a few bad apples....

[@brianhewitt8618]

i totally agree with the licensing thing idea and instead of points maybe temporary suspensions

[@RabM1990]

In from work doing this to watch someone else do it 😁

[@webluke]

Interesting how more than one UK electrician on YT this week has shown "professional electricians" doing shotty work. All the talk of how DIY is so bad, but now it's looking more like lazy electricians or incompetent electricians more often than not. I see people get ripped off in my field of IT and Software all the time by people just out to make a quick buck selling crap or bad equipment and services. In bigger cities, that type of scamming just gets exponentially worse though.

[@stefanmeier6763]

Nothing about NomNom again?!? Did she die? :-(

[@adamsmithelec]

Loving the sideways consumer unit!

[@___AD]

You're right about the license and it should be law that you put your license number on all your Certs. Then there should be an actual independent governing body over seeing it all and if you find dangerous work or a customer thinks the work is that bad, you can contact that body with the license number and an inspector can come look at that work. If the inspector isn't happy they'll contact the license holder and the inspector picks 2/3 of their jobs from random certs and check the work. Depending how bad it is you get a fine and warning, re-training or banned. Also on the governing bodies site you should be able to put in someone license number and check they are who they say they are, show their qualifications and that they aren't banned. This would also help customers check they aren't hiring cowboys.

[@paulmerchant9015]

in Scotland we are going through the process to protect the title of electrician but I think the same as you Tom we need a electrical contractors licence that we pay for and the money goes to a non profit organisation that is ran by the government and not by these so called approved contractor scheme that are really only in it for the money to stop things like this happening it will be more profound down south because you have the 5 week wonder courses that people go on then go do the 2391 and hey presto they can test houses, it's a bit harder to do that in Scotland but it also doesn't help that you have companies that are saying you need to do 8 flats a day for 45 quid a go.

[@benwatson6432]

I did a EICR because the customer didn't trust the management companies electrican. Tennent said he was there 40mins and put £900 in for remedial that didn't need doing.

[@Duncan_Campbell]

once you get a regulated industry than when someone finds something bad, instead of fixing it, it becomes a blame game and finger pointing. I am in Australia where we have more regulation when it comes to cabling, nearly 15 years ago I did a course for phone/network/coax cabling, and the guy giving us the instruction gave the example of he put in a run a phone cable in a building from the basement to the 4th floor, 3 years later he was pulled up because someone had a network cable for the second to the third floors, and the cable was too close to the power cables in the riser. The regulator was going though everyone who they had records for doing work in the building, over 2 weeks they hadn't fixed the issue, nor could they find the person to blame. and for the Americans watching, no we can't do our own electrical work, we need someone with a licence.

[@TYLERCONSTRUCTION]

Brilliant video mate 👍👍👍👍

[@ivanpelser5516]

Greetings from South Africa. Keep up the great work

[@berry120]

I've always wondered whether EICRs should have to contain a smattering of photos from around the place. Not saying that every plug socket and test result needs to be photographed at all, that'd be ridiculous, but at least some photographic evidence (of perhaps the CU, one test result, one socket) wouldn't be hard to do, and would at least prove they've bothered to actually enter the property.

[@callumrowley2203]

I've started using vespula to do my eicrs as you can add pictures at the observation pages. It's a win win for me. As 1. It shows the client the defect rather than just spouting a load of regs that the installation doesn't meet. 2. Proves you've actually done a through inspection and not just bs.

[@stgp16]

Most EICRs I see as a designer are wrong. Recently had one where the contractor selected it as a TT system.....I queried as Zs readings were very low..........they dug their heels in and wrote back (inc the client) with the tone that I didnt know what i was talking about.....sadly for them i had also spotted the neutral earth link on THEIR as built drawing*. I explained factually why it was a TNS system and they reverted to......"it was a typo"a * Sidenote they are now moving the neutral earth link as they had put it in the wrong place 🙄 I'm not perfect but I do use care and attention to detail. This should be the norm!

[@nrg-5003]

Definitely agree with the licence system that will hopefully take care of some people in the profession. As for diyers and non trade, consumer units,wiring ect should be removed from all diy stores and sold only at electrical wholesalers and to purchase such items should require some form of id proving you are a fully qualified electrician and if you are not then no sale, this should ideally happen online as well such as Ebay but i imagine this will be very difficult and time consuming. The line needs to be drawn, electrical work is no joke and can be very unforgiving its needs to be done correctly and you can't do that then don't touch it!

[@l31fos15]

Tom, wheres nomnom?

[@roydowling2542]

Thought I was seeing things when I first seen the board mounted sideways

[@Beastriderpav]

Good to see you enjoying EICR’s

[@philipshanahan4228]

Great vid Tom 👍