At Precision Electrical Services Ltd, We understand that having an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) carried out on your Walton-on-Thames property can be daunting if you’ve never had one carried out before. To help you feel more at ease, we’ve put together this guide to explain what to expect during an Electrical Installation Condition Report.
Before Your EICR Visit
Once your booking is confirmed and it has been scheduled in our diary, our team will arrive on-site, at the agreed time ready to carry out the inspection and testing of your property in Walton-on-Thames.
To help us conduct a smooth and efficient inspection, we kindly ask that you:
- Ensure clear access to the fusebox (consumer unit).
- Remove as many plugged-in items as possible from sockets. Faulty or old appliances can sometimes interfere with our testing, giving inaccurate readings.
- Remove surge-protected extension leads, as these can affect certain tests.
- Don't worry if you forget our team will do a quick walkthrough to ensure everything is in place before we begin with the testing.
Additionally, if you work from home, we recommend fully charging your laptop and preparing to use a mobile hotspot, as there will be power interruptions throughout the inspection to enable us to carry out our works safely.
Our EICR Testing Process
1. Initial Setup
Upon arrival, we will set up our tablet device and input all your property details, along with client information. We will then record the incoming supply parameters and begin filling out the fusebox circuit schedule in our report.
2. Supply & Earthing checks
Before inspecting the circuits within your property, we conduct checks at the main incoming supply and Earthing arrangements, including:
- Isolating the main fusebox.
- Disconnecting the main earth to carry out an external earth fault loop test and measure prospective fault current (PFC). This ensures the supply readings meet required safety standards.
- Locating the main protective bonding conductors to the main incoming water and gas supply to ensure they are properly connected to Earth and comply with safety standards.
3. Fusebox Testing (Dead Testing)
Next, we focus on the internal wiring within your property. This phase includes:
- Earth continuity tests to ensure all circuits have a proper earth connection and it is continuous throughout the circuit.
- Ring circuit continuity tests on sockets to check for any breaks in the power circuits.
- Insulation resistance tests which would identify any damage or poor connections within the wiring.
4. Live Testing
Once dead tests are complete, we re-energise the circuits and conduct our live tests, including:
- Earth fault loop impedance tests, where we perform tests on the circuit and note the highest readings to confirm whether protective devices will operate in the event of a fault.
- RCD (Residual Current Device) trip-time tests to ensure these safety devices operate correctly in the event of a fault and within the required time.
During the inspection, we will also visually assess the condition of the installation, pulling sockets and switches forward, removing light fittings where necessary, and inspecting wiring as best as practically possible during our visit.
Finalising the Electrical Installation Condition Report
Once all tests and inspections are completed, we will document our findings in a detailed report, including:
- Test readings recorded during the inspection.
Observations and classifications:
C1 – Immediate danger, requiring urgent action.
C2 – Potential danger, needing rectification.
C3 – Improvement recommended but not unsafe.
FI – Further investigation required.
After our invoice has been settled, We will then issue a full PDF report, including images taken during our visit. The report will state whether your installation is satisfactory or unsatisfactory based on our findings.
If remedial work is required to bring your electrical installation up to a satisfactory standard, we will provide a separate quote outlining the necessary work to ensure compliance and safety.
We hope this blog post has been a useful guide into understanding what we would do during an EICR visit.
Need an EICR? Contact Us Today!
If you are considering having the electrics at your property checked, Precision Electrical Services Ltd is here to help.
We are your local NICEIC registered electricians, serving Walton-on-Thames and all the surrounding areas.
Give us a call today to book your EICR inspection and ensure your electrical system is safe and compliant!
