Inspection and Testing

There are a few objectives for fixed wire testing. An EICR is a thorough inspection covering all electrical characteristics of a premises. It goes beyond simply inspecting and testing electrical wiring. An EICR looks for wear and tear or damage that could endanger people inside the building, as well as any components that don’t adhere to professional writing standards, and fixes or replaces them as necessary. Any dangerous items or appliances, such as those that could shock users with electricity or those that operate at high temperatures, will also be highlighted.

Everything found as part of fixed wire testing is detailed and reported, so the information can be used for future inspections. There is a lot of work that goes into carrying out an EICR, which is why it’s important to enlist the help of a trained electrician. With a trained electrician, there’s peace of mind knowing that everything has been completed correctly and to a high standard.

It’s recommended that fixed wire testing is carried out every three years for commercial premises and every twelve months for industrial premises. It’s not always obvious that electrical wiring needs replacing or if wear and tear is taking a toll, which is why keeping up with periodic fixed wire testing is key. If there are any signs that the electrics are outdated or damaged, an EICR should be carried out sooner.

Regardless of how old an electrical installation is, it is still subject to damage over time. As is the case with anything in a premise, wear and tear eventually makes an impact. If electrical wiring hasn’t been checked within the last three years for commercial premises and the last year for industrial premises, or if you have moved into a new premise, an EICR is vital. It’s not a stressful or time consuming task if you have a professional electrician taking care of everything.

All our operatives are fully City & Guilds level 3 & 3931 Inspection and testing qualified.

Regulations require and EICR should only be carried out by a competent electrician with the necessary experience and in depth knowledge of the type of installation he or she is testing.

During the test the electrical supply to the installation will need to be turned off. This will only be done with the permission of the client , in commercial & industrial premises this my need to be done after hours by arrangement with the client.

In domestic properties our operatives will need full access to plus sockets and outlets which will all need to be removed. Any essential circuits ie. alarms , fridge freezer etc will be double checked and re energised.

The power will only be off for part of the testing process.

Whilst an EICR is not legally required in a domestic property BS7671 recommends a safety electrical test is carried out every 10 years as a minimum. Also solicitors and estate agents will require an EICR be carried out if you are selling your property. An EICR will also keep your property up to date with modern electrical requirements such as RCD protection.

For rented properties it is a legal requirement in some areas and most letting agents will require copies of an up to date EICR before a tenant moves in.

You can be held legally liable if you rent out an electrically unsafe property and there is resulting injury.

House of Multiple Occupancy (hmo’s) have a statutory requirement to be electrically tested at least every 5 years.

It is a statutory requirement that commercial properties and properties where the public have access; are regularly checked and that an EICR is perform on the electrical services. The period between inspections is determined by the function and the use of the building.

Commercial Industrial building should usually be tested every five years although this can be shorter depending on use.

Most insurers now require industrial building to be tested every three years.

Firstly a visual inspection will be carried out before the start of any testing. The visual inspection will highlight broken or cracked devices, if devices may have been installed in the wrong location, or if there has been any overloading or overheating of circuits of fixed equipment.

Live testing

• Earth fault loop impedance testing: this test is to check that if a fault did occur, that the system meets requirements to cause a disconnection of the supply within the time limit specified
• RCD testing: on modern electrical systems RCD’s and RCBOs are regularly fitted, these devices react to electricity leaking from the circuit or installation ie.when a person is receiving an electric shock as the electricity passes through his body to the ground (earth) or current is being lost due to a fault

Dead testing

• Continuity testing: this checks if there are any poorly connected or broken conductors 
• Insulation resistance testing: this test ensures that the electrical insulation material surrounding the conductors is in good condition 
• Polarity: this test checks that that live and neutral conductors are connected in the correct order
• Correct earthing testing: this check is to make sure that the earthing arrangement complies with regulations and that all connections are present and in good condition.

The codes used to determine whether there are non-compliances or issue with the electrical installation and are numbered C1 to C3. These codes will be entered on the Electrical Installation Condition Report, along with a description of the nature of the fault.

Nature and number of these codes will decide whether the installation can be passed as `satisfactory.

Codes are as follows:

• Code C1 ‘Danger present’: There is a risk of injury and that immediate remedial action is required to remove the dangerous condition.

• Code C2 ‘Potentially dangerous condition’: Urgent remedial action required, this should declare the nature of the problem, not the remedial actions required.

• Code C3 ‘Improvement recommended’ This code more often than not implies that while the installation may not comply with the current set of regulations, complies with a previous set of regulations and so is deemed to be safe although this safety can be improved upon.

Codes C1 and C2 are classed as fails! C3 can be allowed on a ‘satisfactory’ certificate.

Reports can be issued quickly be arrangement, but typically your hard copy and PDF certificates will be sent to you within 2 days for domestic and 7 days for commercial and industrial tests.

If your report indicates an unsatisfactory conclusion our team can discuss the cost of any remedial works, you are under no requirement to have the work carried out by us.

We will resend your amended ‘satisfactory’ report once any essential remedial work has been done at no extra cost to you.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information.