Where are these guidelines? I haven't seen them. After all, it is for the Inspector to determine when the next periodic inspection should be having regard for the condition of the electrical installation. Indeed, the Inspector may state that the installation should be re-inspected in six months time - and indeed this is something I have done on occasion.
This is why, where practicable, I always conduct a global test of insulation resistance. In fact RECI (the Regulatory Body in the south of Ireland) insist on the test being carried out this way when inspecting contractors' work, and rightly so as this is the rule in ET101 - however, as pointed out, it is also the requirement in BS7671.
Global IR test can be a bit of a waste of space if you have things in board that can distort the readings..
e.g. some of those RCBO's with the white earth fly-lead can give readings less than 0.5 Meg between N and E @ 500v!! :angry: :shakehead
Plus on an existing installation more often than not, one or more circuits have something connected that lowers the IR value..
So you end up having to test each circuit in turn to find out that something is still plugged in or the shed PIR & security light is a bit damp inside!!!
The majority of the time the quickest overall method timewise is to check each circuit individually from the start, so if you encounter low readings you know where to start looking.
Domestic EICR guideline interval is 10 years, ergo if a system passes test it's good for another 10 years . It's also in an NICEIC document somewhere that I read many years ago. 1 Meg is pretty low in my opinion - anything barely passing test at this level I wouldn't give 10 years.
Interesting view of global testing - I've always regarded this as short cut to save time and not a true representation of the state of the cabling. Given the amount of hard wired equipment in todays houses such as LED drivers, it hardly ever works anyway, so I very rarely use it.
GN3 actually says "The Initial inspection interval" i.e after a new installation is 10 years before re-inspect & test.....
But if an installtion is still testing as good as new..
Then its reasonably safe to assume another 10 years is good...
But to be strictly to the letter...
There is NO fixed guidance for next inspection following EICR of and older installation..
It is down to the judgement of the inspector.
Sorry mate but I HAVE to disagree with you on that point.
The EICR retest date is stipulated by the tester and can be any duration they deem.
Shortest re-test I've given was 1 year - based on very low IR and very poor state of the property ........ and a tight fisted landlord .......... unsurprisingly I wasn't invited back the following year to do the next test!
I think we all actually knew what Binky means with his 10 year figure...
But to the wording of the Big Book you are correct.. :Salute
I have done a few 6month, 1 year and 2 years...
But the majority do tend to be either 5 or 10 years..
Guinness