What is an EICR in Nottingham?
As your local ELECTRICIAN IN NOTTINGHAM, we regularly produce EICR documents and have written this article to help you better understand the process and paperwork.
An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is a document that is produced following a ‘Periodic Electrical Inspection.’ The report will contain various components such as electrical test results, information about the installation, observations, and recommendations.
The report will detail the findings of the inspection and will allow you to see if there are any dangerous situations or potential dangers that need your attention. Also detailed in the report will be any non-compliances with the wiring regulations.
What do the codes mean in the report?
The report contains an ‘observations’ section that will list anything that the inspector has noted. Each of the observations will be allocated a code depending upon the level of danger that has been observed by the inspector.
These codes are as follows:
- C1 – The most dangerous situation, immediate remedial action required. Typical situations could include access to live parts, covers missing off a consumer unit, pipework has become live due to an electrical fault, wiring badly damaged revealing live copper conductors.
- C2 – Potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action required. Typical situations could include evidence of thermal damage to wiring or components, missing earths from metal fittings, no earthing for the installation, no RCD (electric shock protection device) for socket outlets.
- C3 – Improvement Recommended, it is recommended that these observations are resolved. Typical situation could include RCD type is slightly older and may not afford the right protection, cables are under mechanical strain, cannot access the safety earthing connections for pipework, PVC cables are installed externally and exposed but there are no current signs of damage.
What is involved in the inspection?
A thorough electrical inspection in a domestic home takes time. The more electrical circuits that are present, the longer the inspection could take but you should expect at least a couple of hours on site for a small property up to a full day on site for larger homes.
The inspector will need good access to the consumer unit / fuse board and all electrical points throughout the home to test. A great deal of electrical testing and inspection is carried out at the consumer unit with specialised electrical test equipment.
The inspector will remove various electrical accessories to check behind and for testing purposes and the power will need to be turned off and remain off for the duration of the inspection in most cases.
How much is tested?
Every electrical circuit will be tested unless there is good reason not to. Every plug socket should be tested where possible and every lighting point. Not every switch and socket will be removed and this is normal. Dismantling an electrical installation is not necessary or recommended during an inspection but if the inspection shows that there are electrical faults in the installation, later dismantling during remedial works may be necessary.
What are limitations?
Limitations are agreed beforehand with the customer. They generally state that floor cavities, walls and other difficult to reach areas will not be inspected. There may also be operational limitations on the day which mean that various aspects of the electrics are unable to be checked. Such limitations could be rooms where access to electrical points is not possible, faults with electrical circuits preventing further tests, hidden points in kitchens and garages with lots of personal possessions preventing access.
If you would like more information on EICR then do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We are your local ELECTRICIAN IN NOTTINGHAM and can carry out all electrical services for you.
