Swalec want cert????

[Rossi74]

Hi guys, I'm an NIC DI, I've been asked for a safety certificate by a customer. He has bought a house which was built in 2007 but never been lived in and there is no lecky to the property, the supplier has told him he must get an electrician to make sure everything is ok and safe I suppose, before they turn on. Do you think they want an EIC? Obviously dead testing only!

Thanks

 

[Sidewinder]

Rossi74,

Welcome to the forum.

A quick few questions.

Did you do the install?

IS this all the info you have?

Is this the supplier or DNO?

Who are the supplier & DNO?

If this was a new build, where is the original paperwork from the new build?

If you did not do the original install I can't see how you can provide an EIC mate.

 

[Rossi74]

Hi sidewinder, thanks for the welcome, I did not do the install. All the info I have is the house has never been lived in and this chap has just bought the place. It was built in 2007 and has told me that swalec can not turn the power on until an electrician has checked the place out. I asked what certificate they wanted and he said a safety certificate. I'm not sure if swalec is the supplier or the dno, at a guess I'd say the dno, but it's a bit further north than I work and is in a different county!

Swalec is the supplier

 

[Sidewinder]

IF it is in South or South Mid Wales the DNO will be WPD, the supplier will be whom ever your client selects.

If in North or North Mid Wales it will be Scottish Power Energy Networks.

All bar a few possible exceptions I gather.

 

[Rossi74]

Yep swalec is the supplier and DNO IS WPD, any thoughts on what they are asking for off me the electrician?

 

[Sidewinder]

His Solicitor should then have all the original install certs from the new build, these should give the supplier all they need.

Just get your client to ask his solicitor for copies of the certs.

 

[ProDave]

Sounds fishy.

Was it a repossession?

Built in 2007, no leccy connected. What about a building control completion certificate? That could be another issue waiting for him if it hasn't been signed off by building control.

I think all you can do is a PIR and if that says it all checks out okay, then you should be good for connection.

In a case like this, I would NOT try an initiate the connection with your energy supplier being other than the DNO, that just introduces another level of paperwork and confusion and might well be the reason for this "safety certificate" being requested, to cover someone's rse.

Tell the customer to sign up with the local DNO as the supplier as a new supply. Then once it's all connected he can switch to another supplier if he wishes.

 

[Sidewinder]

ProDave,

IF the DNO is WPD as he states, they are not an energy supplier so the client has no choice!

 

[Rossi74]

Yeah thanks guys, gonna chat with him tmrw ; -)

 

[paul b b]

I got asked to do a pir on a house as the guy wanted his overhead cables put underground. The dno would not re- energies the house unless he had certs stating it was safe.

 

[Evans Electric]

I can take a guess on this one .

The builder cannot be traced.

The electrician cannot be traced.

If Building Control had any certs , they won't be able to find them now.

All you can do is a PIR , very thorough ,none of yer visuals stuff, and as you say , dead tests only. And state on the cert that you accept no responsibility until you have returned to carry out the live tests.

After all how can you know that an RCD will actually trip in the recommended time (or if at all) . All the calcs in the world won't trip it out .

 

[kme]

DNO will also request load data forms, before they just "chuck a supply" at the premises. Available from local DNO office.

 

[Evans Electric]

On the subject of Building Control storing elect. notifications , some six years ago when I became ELECSA'd , we were told by a building inspector that B,ham deleted them all from the computer as they did not have the staff or facilities to deal with Part P.

 

[kme]

I`ve heard that from down here, too bud. How true it is - ????

 

[Evans Electric]

I don't know if its still true but at the start of Part P the inspectors didn't want to know . They just saw extra work heading their way.

In Birmingham now the inspector,s ask for a photocopy of the cert , so they must be filing them .

I was also told that Building Control dump any paperwork for an extension ,say, after so many years.

 

[lilman]

I've had to do this several times when a property has been empty for a long while - I just send a copy of EIC (dead testing ONLY) to the contact at Western Power.

 

[sellers]

I've had to do this for a property I was re-wiring that had its supply cut due to a fire.

All I gave was a covering letter and a consumer unit with no MCB's just a main switch with 1 meter of tails coming off it. I suppose it may be different if you have circuits connected.

 

[ProDave]

I've had to do this for a property I was re-wiring that had its supply cut due to a fire.All I gave was a covering letter and a consumer unit with no MCB's just a main switch with 1 meter of tails coming off it. I suppose it may be different if you have circuits connected.

On a new build up here the DNO expect a CU with at least one tested and certified circuit. So I install the CU with one radial circuit to one double socket, and with that they are happy to connect and energise. That gives power for the builders as well.

I guess in this case they want all of the connected circuits certified.

 

[Rossi74]

Thanks guys, I'm just gonna do a visual inspection and dead test and issue an EIC!

 

[Zeespark]

An EIC implies that you have done the install as well as the T&I Rossi, a PIR would say you have T&I the install.

AndyGuinness