Q & A of the Day - Is this house's lighting wiring a Code 2 condition?

Question: When inspecting a domestic dwelling on a PIR for letting purposes, if the lighting is wired to the fourteenth and has no earthing, but is wired in pvc/pvc, would this be able to be left in a unsatisfactory condition (Code 2)?

Alternatively, should it be re-wired before letting the property out, or is it possible just to change the consumer unit and put the circuit on an RCD protected circuit?

Answer: For the PIR, please see the extract below from the Electrical Safety Council's Best Practice Guide (4) for Periodic Inspections:

• Absence for a circuit protective conductor for a lighting circuit supplying one or more Class I equipment would attract a Code 2.
• Absence of circuit protective conductors circuits only having Class II (or all insulated) luminaries or switches would attract a Code 4.

For further information, see the link below to the Best Practice Guide for replacement of consumer units with lighting circuits that has no circuit protective conductor - www.esc.org.uk/business-and-community/electrical-industry/best-practice-guides.html

Note that the 17th Edition has just had its frist amendment. One result of this is seen in Appendix 6 - New model forms for certification and reporting. This covers the new Electrical Installation condition Report (EICR), which supersedes the Periodic Inspection Report (PIR). Also note that the Codes have changed:

• C1 - Danger present, risk of injury, immediate remedial action required.
• C2 - Potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action required.
• C3 - Improvement recommended.

These will come into force in January 2012. Added by James Hunt.

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