What does an overloaded circuit mean on an EICR?

There is no universal EICR classification for the words overloaded circuit. The code is the inspector's judgement of the condition that was found. C2 means potentially dangerous, with urgent remedial action required. That sentence applies when the inspector has judged the condition potentially dangerous. It is not attached to the phrase in advance.

Two reports can use similar words and still describe different conditions. One may be a cable that cannot carry the current the device will allow. Another may be equipment plugged in beyond what the circuit was arranged for, with no damage found. The code follows the condition, not the heading.

Overload, in ordinary language, means the circuit is being asked to carry more current than it was arranged to carry. On a report the inspector may be pointing at the design, the protective device, the cable, the things connected to it, or damage that has already appeared. Those are not interchangeable.

• Design load. The circuit was planned for a smaller load than it now serves.
• Protective device. A fuse or circuit-breaker is there to open when current is too high for what it protects. A protective device that is rated above the cable can allow the cable to overheat before the device opens.
• Cable. The conductors have a limit to the current they can carry in the way they are installed. A sound-looking cable can still be the wrong size for the device in front of it.
• Connected equipment. The appliances or heaters on the circuit may be more than the circuit was arranged for, even when the cable itself has not been damaged.
• Circuit arrangement. Extra sockets or a later addition can leave one device feeding more of the installation than it did.
• Heat or damage. Discoloured accessories, brittle insulation, or a device that is warm in normal use are signs the inspector may record. Heat damage is a separate observation from a calculation that only says the load is high.

A useful investigation names the circuit, reads the protective device, and compares that device with the cable and with what is connected. It looks for heat damage rather than assuming it. It also says whether part of the circuit could not be seen.

That work may show a device that needs to match the cable, a circuit that needs to be split or reduced, or only a load that should not keep being added to. It may also show that the original note cannot be confirmed until a locked cupboard or a buried joint is opened. The investigation has to identify the circuit before anyone prices a repair.

Resetting a device that keeps opening is not the repair. Adding another adaptor is not the repair. A consumer-unit change is not the automatic answer to the heading.

• Read the observation line, the circuit number, and any photograph or limitation.
• Ask which of the conditions above the wording describes. Do not accept a quote that only repeats the heading.
• If the report asks for further investigation, arrange that before you agree a fixed repair.
• Keep the report with the request, so the next person is not starting from the word overloaded alone.

To book the inspection, use EICR testing in London. If the report already asks for work, use remedial work after an EICR.