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Electrical Testing and Inspection
As safety standards have risen and legislation has become more complex, electrical testing has become essential for ensuring that the electrical installation of your property is safe and compliant with current laws and regulations.
Cables are usually hidden inside our properties walls and consumer units are often hidden in cupboards. Therefore it is not surprising that we forget to check the condition of our electrical installation for damage or wear and tear.
Faulty and old wiring is one of the main causes or electrical fires in the home. You can reduce the risk of a fire by checking the condition of your cables, switches, sockets and other accessories with regular testing.
At M H Gorman Electrical Ltd., we provide Electrical Inspection Condition Reports, Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and Electrical Inspection for the Domestic, Commercial, Rental, Education and Leisure markets.
We have a team that embodies friendliness and professionalism, and we can provide you with an affordable Electrical Installation Condition Report – giving you peace of mind and protection from potential dangers.
Testing services we provide include:
Electrical Inspection Condition Reports (EICR)
Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
If you would like a quotation for any of our testing services, please contact us or call us and we can discuss your exact requirements.
General Electrical Testing and Inspection
The IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) recommend having general electrical testing and inspection carried out at the following frequencies:
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Domestic Installations – Once every 10 years (or at change of occupancy)
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Domestic Rental Property – Once every 5 years (or at change of occupancy)
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Commercial Installations – Once every 5 years (or at change of occupancy)
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Industrial Installations – Once every 3 years
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Residential Accommodation – Once every 5 years (or at change of occupancy)
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Buildings Open to the Public – Once every 3 to 5 years
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Educational Establishments – Once every 5 years
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Offices, shops & Restaurants & Hotels – Once every 5 years
Please contact us for details on special installations and buildings open to the public, such as: cinemas, swimming pools and caravan parks and any other information that you may require. M H Gorman Electrical Ltd. will be pleased to advise you of the appropriate testing schedule and supply a free quotation based on your requirements. Testing will be carried out in accordance with regulations set by the IET Wiring Regulations (BS 7671).
By ensuring that regular electrical testing and inspection plays an essential role in the operation of your business or property, it is highly likely that by pre-empting electrical issues, it will save you money and potentially prevent costly accidents and repairs in the long run.
It is worth remembering that you may be required to have an Electrical Installation Condition Report for insurance and licensing purposes. Some Insurers apply electrical inspection conditions within their commercial property and business interruption covers and therefore it is important that these are checked and complied with in full.
Your Duties as a Landlord
As a landlord, it is your legal duty to ensure all electrical equipment in your property is safe and maintained throughout the whole tenancy. This responsibility covers light fixtures and plugs, as well as internal wiring. An electrical installation includes all fixed electrical equipment that is supplied through your property’s electricity meter. Just like other features of your property, electrical installations deteriorate and face wear and tear, so need to be properly maintained.
Failure to do so can lead to prosecution and also invalidates most landlord insurance policies. For the safety of your tenants and your business, it is important to get regularly electrical safety certification. Some companies offer an inspection that lasts less than an hour, however these are not worth the paper they are written on and will not, if the worst should happen, stand up in court.
We can provide a complete Landlord testing service covering EICR, Portable Appliance |Testing and Fixed Appliance Testing.
Electrical Inspection Condition Reports (EICR)
Sometimes referred to as landlord tests, periodic inspections or home buyers surveys, an EICR is a full inspection of the electrical installation of your premises. Throughout the course of an EICR, the consumer unit (fuseboard), wiring and electrical fittings within the property are inspected and tested.
The purpose of an electrical installation condition report is to provide a report on the safety condition of the electrical installations. Like most things in life, electrical installations will deteriorate over time, broken sockets and damage to infrastructure and cables are common problems with electrical installations which have been left unmanaged or were poorly installed.
An Electrical Installation Condition Report is one of the best and fastest ways to get to the bottom of any electrical issues. Our in-depth inspection will record observations of dangerous deterioration, defects and damages, and suggest necessary changes to correct the problems in the report.
Our electrical testing service will test for:
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Any circuits or equipment that has been overloaded
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Any deviations from current electrical regulations
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Safety concerns such as loose or damaged cables
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Any defective electrical work and any health and safety risks such as potential shock or fire hazards
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Any lack of, or inadequate, earth bonding that should be present on water and gas main supplies
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Any equipment that has been damaged or deteriorated
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Any missing or inadequate safety devices that should be present on electrical circuits
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Suitability of the fuse board and whether it complies with current regulations
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Condition, suitability and compliance with current safety standards of switches, sockets and light fittings
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Deterioration to the electrical installation and the type of wiring system and its condition: cables coated in black rubber were phased out in the 1960s, cables coated in lead or fabric are even older
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Sockets that may be used to supply electricity to portable electrical equipment for use outdoors, ensuring that they are protected by a suitable residual current device (RCD)
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Presence of adequate identification and notices where required
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Wiring of any fixed electrical equipment (for example oven’s & boilers) to check that they are safe
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Changes in the use of the property that have led to, or may lead to, unsafe conditions
The Importance of an Electrical Installation Condition Report
All electrical installations degrade over time; for example, switches and sockets can sustain damage, cables deteriorate, infrastructure and connections can also become loose. The severity of degradation is even more marked in installations where adverse elements are involved (corrosive chemicals, construction waste, extreme temperatures or poor maintenance). To maximise the safety of the user(s), it is imperative that every installation is periodically inspected and tested as recommended by BS7671:2018 (18th Edition Wiring Regulations). The Electricity at Work Regulation (1989) Regulation 4 (2) states: “As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent danger, so far as reasonably practicable.”
What is an Electrical Installation Condition Report?
As its name suggests, it is a report not a certificate. It relates to an assessment of the in-service condition of an electrical installation against the requirements of the issue of current BS7671:2018 (18th Edition Wiring Regulations) at the time of the inspection, irrespective of the age of the installation. An Electrical Installation Condition Report differs greatly from PAT Testing and Fixed Appliance Testing because it is an in-depth inspection on the internal wiring of the building not appliances.
The results, measurements and values taken during the Electrical Installation Condition Reports are clearly recorded in a report and appropriate recommendations, if applicable, are made for any damage, deterioration or defects observed that may give rise to danger. This report will specify what has been tested and categorise each element as “safe”, “at risk” or “unsafe”. It will also indicate if the installation is overall in a satisfactory or unsatisfactory condition. If anything is categorised as unsafe or potentially unsafe the overall condition of the electrical installation will be declared to be ‘unsatisfactory’. This means that remedial action will be required to remove the risks to those in the property/premises.
What do the terms Periodic Inspection Report (PIR), Fixed Wiring, Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) mean?
The terms ‘Fixed Wiring Testing’ and ‘Periodic Inspection Reports’ are used interchangeably and, to add confusion to the mix, these aforementioned terms are now replaced by the more recent term ‘Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)’ but all three terms essentially mean the same thing.
Thermographic Testing
Thermographic testing (also referred to as thermal imaging) is now widely used in commercial and industrial premises as part of preventative electrical maintenance. It is not intended to replace conventional periodic inspection and testing, but it is very useful as an additional activity with the objective of identifying electrical faults at an early stage.
Why undertake a thermographic survey?
The objective of a thermographic survey is to identify abnormally high temperatures within electrical distribution systems. Any high temperatures within electrical components are often indicative of imminent or possible problems. Early identification of these faults is essential in order that corrective action can be undertaken before the problem escalates. Electrical circuits and components often fail because of fatigue, defective components, contamination, or just loose connections due to poor workmanship, but all failing components have one thing in common, they will always have a rise in temperature or ‘hot spot’ prior to failure.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) recognise the benefits of performing thermographic surveys of an electrical distribution system, as a supplement to a periodic inspection and test. It is not however, a substitute for an inspection and test programme or documented routine maintenance programme.
Thermography can detect the following in electrical systems before they cause a problem:
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Loose connections
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Overloads
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Phase imbalances
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Corrosion
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High resistance in fuses and switch gear
