It’s that time again when you know that your property needs to be inspected for electrical issues. For this, you’ll need to have an EICR or Electrical Installation Condition Report, which highlights any potential problems.
But let’s face it, we all lead busy lives and most of us don’t want to have to sacrifice our time to be at home while an electrician carries out this test.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of it all, I think it’s important to point out that an EICR is one of the most important things you can do to ensure the safety of your property. Moreover, if you’re a landlord, you’re required to have this test by law.
An EICR only needs to be carried out once every five years so it’s not something that’s going to take much time in the grand scheme of things.
What Happens During An EICR?
An EICR is a test that is designed to check the condition of your property’s electrical installations. By doing this, your electrician will be able to identify any problems and provide you with advice on what remedial work, if any, needs to be carried out.
To begin with, your electrician will visually inspect all components of your electrical installation. This can include things like wiring, sockets, switches and your consumer unit. They’ll be looking at the build quality of the equipment, its overall safety and how well it performs. Through visual checks, they will be able to identify if there is any obvious damage or defects with the equipment such as signs of overheating, cracks or outdated materials.
After this, your electrician will switch off the power and perform dead tests on different circuits within your installation. This will highlight whether there are any faulty connections. Once this has taken place, your electrician will go on to perform live tests which show whether or not the components of the installation are in good condition and can be used for the foreseeable future.
Other parts of the test include looking at the earthing of the installation to ensure it is of a reasonable quality and that the protection is sufficient.
So, How Long Will The Electrician Be At My Property?
When your electrician arrives to perform your EICR you can expect him/her to be at your property for anywhere between one and four hours.
How long the test takes may be affected by several factors including how easy it is to access the various components of the installation and the size of the property.
The good news is that many electricians don’t require you to be at the property while the test takes place.
If you are comfortable with your electrician gaining access without you being present then this is perfectly feasible.
Of course, you may wish to be at the property while the inspection takes place and this is usually the best course of action as your electrician will be able to talk you through the results of the test and offer advice on what to do next.
When Will I Receive The Results?
Once the test is complete, your electrician will talk you through the results and you will receive a document containing their findings.
The components of your electrical installation are assessed and given a code. Code one means that the component is in urgent need of repair whereas code two states that there is potential danger and you’ll be advised to have this seen to in the near future. A code three tells you that some improvements are needed but they are not urgent and won’t affect the immediate safety of the equipment. Finally, you may receive test results that refer to further investigation. This means that a closer inspection needs to take place and should be done so urgently.
How Long Do I Have To Have Any Remedial Work Taken Care Of?
If you live in the property you own then you are under no legal obligation to have remedial work carried out. Of course, if serious problems have been highlighted then it’s a wise idea to get them sorted for your own safety.
Your electrician will tell you how urgent the work is and I’d always advise going with their professional opinion. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with getting a second opinion if you want to be doubly sure.
In the case of rented properties, UK landlords are legally obligated to have any remedial work carried out within a 28 day period. It’s also worth noting that there may be situations where a shorter time frame is given if the damage or fault is considered to be extremely dangerous.
Finding The Best Time To Have An EICR
With the fast pace of modern life it isn’t always easy to find the time to fit your EICR in. But I cannot stress enough the importance of clearing a few hours to get this essential test done. What’s more, since it’s only once every five years, it isn’t a huge amount of time to give up.
I would recommend planning your EICR well in advance so that you are prepared for the test. Throughout the test, your electrician will need to switch the power off so you’ll be without electricity for this time.
If you work from home, have medical equipment or any other needs that require ongoing electricity, you should make arrangements for this before the test begins.
For many people, weekdays are taken up by work and it’s not always possible to take time off. However, many electricians offer weekend appointments so there’s still the opportunity to have your EICR carried out in good time.
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