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Electrical Testing & Inspection
What Is Electrical Testing & Inspection?
Electrical appliances deteriorate over time – they gain some wear and tear and don’t function as well as they did when new. The purpose of electrical inspection and testing is to identify electrical appliances that aren’t functioning efficiently and eradicate any potential danger.
Quite often, potentially dangerous situations aren’t noticeable. By scheduling electrical testing and inspection, you can discover hidden threats that installations and appliances may pose.
This is formally known as an Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR). For your domestic property, arranging EICRs for every ten years is the recommended timeframe. For landlords and owners of other properties, these are mandatory every five years.
Electrical testing and inspection must be carried out by experienced, knowledgeable professionals. By taking advantage of our experts, you can guarantee thorough, accurate results. We use the correct equipment, follow the right procedures and apply extensive amounts of knowledge to your electrical installations and appliance to prioritise keeping you safe.
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Why Is Electrical testing & Inspection Important?
The foundation of electrical inspection and testing is ensuring that installations and appliances are safe. By inspecting each element, it is easier to identify where any damage or wear could be present, isolating the need for electrical repair. This is crucial, as it can isolate what electrical elements are most likely to overheat and possibly cause an electrical fire.
By completing inspections and delivering EICRs, this can help categorise threats. Your electrical appliances and installations will be analysed, attributing labels to the severity of risks that they pose. This will outline an order of importance in terms of replacing or upgrading electrical elements to keep your property safe.
Another purpose of regular electrical testing and inspection is the records that are provided. By receiving detailed reports on the condition of your electrical installations and appliances, this fulfils criteria to meet safety requirements. By acknowledging the condition of your electrical installations and keeping a thorough report of their efficiency to function, this assists landlords to meet the necessary safety regulations.
What Can You Expect from an EICR?
Electrical Installation Condition Reports are vital in identifying critical issues compromising safety in your electrical installations, highlighting any necessary changes that need to be made to maintain the safety of your electrical systems.
Our qualified electricians will visit your property to carry out a full inspection of your electrical systems. All electrical aspects such as sockets, switches and wiring will be checked to determine their condition. Factors affecting the condition of electrical equipment includes any general wear, damage, or any safety risks that may have emerged. After the initial inspection, all circuits will be tested to make sure they’re working safely and are meeting current regulations.
Whilst the inspection is taking place, any issues are recorded and are given a classification code to explain the level of risk that is present, and if any further action is required. Examples of classification codes that you may see include:
C1 – Danger Present: These issues present an immediate risk of injury. Any risks with a C1 code must be actioned immediately.
C2 – Potentially Dangerous: Urgent action is required for C2 issues, requiring resolutions as fast as possible.
C3 – Improvement Recommended: C3 issues are less immediate and dangerous but are advised to be improved in the interest of safety and complying with electrical guidance.
FI – Further Investigation Required: These issues are less clear and require further investigation to determine if a decision needs to be made.
What Happens After Your EICR Inspection
Once the EICR is complete and any issues are given appropriate codes, you’ll receive a certificate. If no C1, C2 or FI codes are present, you’ll be presented with a Satisfactory EICR Certificate. However, if any C1, C2, or FI codes are identified, you’ll be given an EICR Certificate that will be marked as Unsatisfactory. These certificates present you a clear description of what elements of your electrical systems are safe, and what requires urgent action.
After you have been awarded with your certificate, Satisfactory EICRs can be used to demonstrate your compliance with regulations and guidance. This comes in useful when demonstrating to landlords, businesses and insurers, for example. Unsatisfactory EICRs will provide you with a clear breakdown of the required work to be completed. We’ll help you understand exactly what needs to be done and will guide you through the process of solving any immediate or urgent problems.
Once you resolve any issues presented by an Unsatisfactory EICR, you will have to retest your electrical installation to be issued with a new EICR to help you achieve a Satisfactory rating as quick as possible.