Electrical Safety Inspection- EICR

Burnt shower switch
Exposed live wires
Poorly installed downlighter
Thermal damage to circuit breaker
Melted cable in loft
Overloaded cable
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Electrical Installation Condition Reports

(also known as Electrical Safety Inspections / Periodic Inspection Reports)
  
The purpose of the domestic electrical installation condition reports is:- 

To determine that the electrical installation is in a satisfactory conditio for continued service so far as is reasonably practicable

The report used to known as a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) but following the latest amendment to the wiring regulations (BS7671) it has been superseded by a new report – the Domestic Electrical Installation Condition Report.
 

Why do I need an electrical installation condition  report?

You may need a condition report for a number of reasons, such as when selling or buying a property. Or, you may need a report to find out the condition of an installation after a flood or fire, or at the end of the period recommended in a previous electrical certificate or report. If you are a prviate landlord there will be statutory requirement to have your rental properties inspected at least every 5 years 

The five main aims of a condition report are to:*

1.  Record the results of the inspection and testing to make sure the electrical installation is safe to be used until the next inspection (following any work needed to make it safe);
2. Find any damage and wear and tear that might affect safety, and report it;
3. Find any parts of the electrical installation that do not meet the IEE Wiring Regulations;
4. Help find anything that may cause electric shocks and high temperatures, which can lead to deaths, burns, fires and other injuries;
5. Provide an important record of the installation at the time of the inspection, and for inspection and testing in the future.
What is involved

For a typical 3 bedroom house it will take half a day in the home to carry out the necessary inspection & testing. For much of that time all the power to the house will be switched off & at times a long lead will be run around the house. There is an element of “dead” testing with the power off & an element of “live” testing with the power switched on. However a lot of the work is about inspecting the electrical installation. For this a sample of sockets, lights & switches will be removed and inspected for correct wiring, signs of damge, overheating etc. The consumer unit/fusebox will be througly inspected to see that the correct circuit protection is in place for the circuits used.
 
What is in the report
 
The electrical installation is inspected against the current version of BS7671 & any observations from this are given a code as indicate below.
 
  • Code C1 – Danger Present (risk of injury & immediate remdial action is required
  • Code C2 – Potentially Dangerous (urgent remedial action required)
  • Code C3 Improvement Recommended (whilst there is no immediate or potential danger there is room for improvement to make the installation safer)
  • Code FI Further Investigation required without delay

There will be an overall summary for the report & if any Code C1 or C2’s are reported then the electrical installation will be deemed unsatisfactory.

Testing of electrical equipment

Inspection and testing of electrical appliances, known as Inspection & Testing of Electrical Equipment (formerly PAT testing) is not included in this report however this service can be provided by CPJ Electrics Limited (please click here for further info)