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Did you know that it is recommended that your electrics are tested once every 10 years? But how long does an electrical safety check take?
At Bright Spark Electrical Services, safety checks are a speciality of ours and this article in our Knowledge Centre is designed to help you, and explain more about them.
Why should I get an Electrical Safety Check?
For a Car you get an MOT for your car.
For a Gas boiler you get it serviced, along with a Gas Safety Check.
It is also important to remember to get your electrics checked, just because you cannot see the wires going to your sockets & lights, you cannot see the condition of the cables.
For homeowners, these tests determine the safety and conditioning of the wiring within your home.
For a home owner there is a 10 year rule for a retest, however if you find your home electrics are showing signs of wear and tear you should consider having an electrical test. The potential signs could include burning smells, sparking, flickering lights or irregularities with sockets. If this is the case, you should have a test done, just don’t leave it too late when there is burning, or more serious issues.
Perhaps you own a business or you’re a landlord, subsequently you have a legal (& moral) obligation to have your electrics checked & maintained.
In more serious faults & issues, if you fail to comply, insurance companies could use this as a reason to refuse any claims.
In 2020, the legal requirements changed for landlords where they must get a new electrical safety report every 5 years or sooner, or at change of occupancy / tenancy.
It’s essential to stay safe when using electricity and safety checks are very important.
From the visit, from the electrical inspector, and subsequent verification by our NICEIC Registered Electrical Qualified Supervisor, along with our NICEIC Registered Designated Duty Holder, the time period between inspections can be less, should it be found that there are issues found with the state / condition of the wiring along with accessories / Fuse boards / Consumer Units.
We are legally obliged to put shorter time periods, we can reduce the period down to Days / Weeks / Months & reduction of years. (It is our name & verification on the Certificate, should there be a problem.
If you decide to get the Electrical Safety test done, there are a few ways you can help by preparing your property before an electrician arrives.
An EICR / Electrical Installation Condition report, is an electrical safety check takes between 2-4 hours to complete. But this does depend on the size of the property and the number of circuits that need testing. We recently were advised about a 4-bedroomed property, which was actually one of the largest properties locally, we had 3x electricians in for around 1 ½ days testing over 90 circuits.
If you own a business it is YOUR responsibility to ensure that the electrical system is constructed in such a way that prevents danger, whether the EICR / Electrical Installation Condition report is via your Landlord / Freeholder or from yourself It is equally important is to ensure that the electrical systems are maintained. This includes a fixed inspection every five years.
Failure to comply with this legislation could lead to a prosecution, imprisonment or a hefty fine. Therefore it is in your best interest to get a safety check completed, please there is no need to advise our qualified electrician which parts to not look at / glance over / ignore, as they wont. There is likely to be an issue & risk, which needs to be noted.
Our Bright Spark Electrical Services electrical tester working on your safety test produces a report known as the Electrical Installation Condition Report or EICR
The Electrical Safety Test, (EICR) has been known over the years, separately under Different Names:
Home Buyers Report
Periodic Inspection
Landlords Certificate
These were all similar tests, producing very much the same Certificates, and were amalgamated under the Electrical Safety Test, (EICR)
The Electrical Safety Test, (EICR), report identifies any damage, deterioration, defects or conditions which may be dangerous. It determines whether or not the electrics comply with the current British Standard for Electrical Safety, under the British Standard BS7671:2018 amendment 2, under the IET Wiring Regulatins “Requirements for Electrical Installations”
The Electrical Safety Test, (EICR), will also include recommendations for improvements.
The purpose of a report is to determine whether the installation is safe to continue using. An electrician checks the wiring, the fuse board, earth bonding and all the other parts that you can’t see. It’s not just about whether your lights come on or not.
Once the EICR is complete, Bright Spark Electrical Services provides you with a certificate outlining the overall condition of the electrical installation. This Certificate is a Pass – SATISFACTORY, or a Fail - UNSATISFACTORY.
Homeowners may request a condition report as part of a house sale. It’s always worthwhile having a check done if you are moving into a new home, to see if any work needs to be done.
Landlords need to get homes regularly tested to comply with the law.
The Electrical Installation Condition Report breaks down the severity of issues in the forms of Codes.
If a switch or socket is found to be an immediate danger, this is classed as a ‘Code 1’ problem. The Bright Spark Electrical Services Electrician must fix it there and then, or at least make it safe before returning. This could result in some parts of your electrical system not working.
Parts & labour are charged as an additional.
The Bright Spark Electrical Services Electrician will also note, and confirm ‘Code 2” problems which are potentially dangerous, where it is noted for fairly urgent remedial repairs are required. A quotation for these remedial repairs, and explanation are sent to customers after the Electrical Safety Test, EICR has been produced.
“Code 3” problems are recommendations for improvements to the electrical system & potentially to appliances not deemed unsafe. As a customer, you will already know about any dangerous electrics on the very first visit. Dependent on the severity of “Code 1”, & “Code 2” issues, some of the “Code 3” issues may be included within the remedial works, as they are integral to the repairs / upgrade.
“Further Investigation”, at times during the inspection there may be at times, access to parts of an electrical system, circuits which need to be kept on, or after serious investigation at the testing stage, faults cannot be found, so a revisit may have to be made to get to the root of the problem.
For futher information with regards to Inspection Coding with Electrical Inspections please click here
Visual inspections can be carried out by your Bright Spark Electrical Services approved electrician, who will visit your property and make a visual inspection. They will then carry out a series of checks on your electrical systems.
If a switch or socket is found to be an immediate danger, that’s a \"Code 1\" problem. The electrician must fix it there and then or at least make it safe before returning.
‘Code 2’ problems are potentially dangerous and ‘Code 3’ problems are recommendations for improvements to appliances not deemed unsafe. Essentially, you will know about any dangerous electrics on the very first visit.
There are many things you can do to make your home or business safer. These include:
So, in answer to this question, how long does an electrical safety check take; it’s between 2-4 hours. For some customers / tenants this may be an inconvenience you for a short time as you will need to unplug various appliances before the electrician arrives. However, the few hours it takes to complete a test far outweighs any risks to your property and the people inside.
Even with all these safety methods in place, it is still important to get a complete Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) electrical safety check carried out on your property therefore giving you peace of mind. If you’re a landlord it’s a legal requirement to have it tested every 5 years, but already explained above the timings could be shorter.
If you are the homeowner, it’s in your best interest to have a regular electrical safety check.
At Bright Spark Electrical Services we have many years actual experience in the world of Electrical Testing amongst our other electrical works which we. For more information on how we can help, please feel free to contact us.
For futher information with regards to Inspection Coding with Electrical Inspections please click here
You just saved us the biggest headache ever; after months of electrical problems ( now resolved), we had a ‘no power situation’. After checking circuit boards, switches etc we were at a complete loss. Read your piece above (after Googling ‘circuit board switches up, but no power‘) about RCD switch and resetting (didn’t know what an RCD was), and after 8 hours sleep dreaming of circuit boards and 2 minutes of contemplation, and re-reading your advice,I totally nailed it. Brilliant tutorial, many thanks. Susanne (I am neither young nor savvy with anything technical)
I’d like to say a huge thank you Karen, to you & your team for providing the excellent service you do. Always there when we have an issue or just routine work needs to be carried out. It’s so reassuring that we can rely on you at any time, even for advice. Always professional, knowledgeable & particularly personable Superb…
Thank you for sending us Phil to restore light to all corners of our home. Most agreeable and efficient gentleman who didn't flinch visibly at the dusty mysterious corners where ancient wires lay in ceiling space and appliances wired from the dark ages.
After moving house I had a lot of electrical work needed doing. Bright Sparks made a very good job of it all and has left me confident in the electrics in the house. The work consisted of a new fuse box, new lights, switches and plugs etc. The work was carried out in a clean, pleasant manner. I would definitely recommend this company. Margaret C
I had a number of light fittings that weren't working and, on a recommendation from a friend, called Bright Spark. Karen called in to evaluate and price the work the same day and sent one of her colleagues, to carry it out before the end of the week. It was a very impressive response and the work was done to an excellent standard. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Bright Spark, and it's reassuring to know such a reliable firm exists the next time I need an electrician.
