Electrical Report

If something is found in the property not to comply with the wiring regulations, a description of the nature of the fault will be recorded on the Electrical Installation Condition Report and given a code for the level of danger it represents. 

The codes used to determine whether there are non-compliances or issues with the electrical installation are numbered C1, C2 and C3. These codes will ultimately determine whether a ‘Satisfactory’ or ‘Unsatisfactory’ report will be applied to the installation.

Code C1 ‘Danger present’: There is a risk of injury and immediate remedial action is required to remove the dangerous condition.

Code C2 ‘Potentially dangerous condition’: Urgent remedial action required - this should declare the nature of the problem, not the remedial actions required.

Code C3 ‘Improvement recommended’: This code more often than not implies that while the installation may not comply with the current set of regulations, it complies with a previous set of regulations and so is deemed to be safe although this safety can be improved upon.

Inspection:

This is where the electrician will survey the electrical installation before commencing with the electrical testing. The visual inspection will highlight broken or cracked devices, where devices may have been installed in the wrong location, or if there have been overloading or overheating problems.

Testing:

Dead Testing

Continuity testing: a test to check if there are any badly connected conductors (wires).

Insulation resistance testing: this test is to make sure that the electrical insulation material surrounding the conductors is intact.

Polarity: this test is to check that the connections are connected in the right sequence.

Earthing arrangement testing: this check is to make sure that the earthing arrangement complies with regulations and that all connections are sound.

Live Testing

Earth fault loop impedance testing: this test is to check that if a fault did occur, that the system meets requirements to cause a disconnection of the supply within the time limit specified.

RCD testing: on modern electrical systems RCD’s and RCBO’s are regularly fitted - these devices react to electricity missing from the circuit or installation such as when a person is receiving an electric shock as the electricity passes through his body to the ground (earth).