EICR
What is an EICR?
Electrical Installation Condition Report
An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is the Inspection and testing of the current electrical installation. This involves:
- Visually inspecting the installation.
- Switchgear and accessories.
- Testing the electrical circuits
- Inspecting the workmanship and more.
An EICR is carried out to prove the electrical installation is safe for continued use.
How does an EICR work?
An EICR is a
Pass / Fail Inspection
Within the EICR, we code anything found that is either unsafe, breaks electrical regulations and / or is deemed as improvement needed. The codes are as follows.
C1
Danger Present. E.g.: Exposed ‘live’ core of a cable.
C2
Potentially dangerous. E.g.: Exposed single insulated cable with no exposed ‘live’ core.
C3
Improvement recommended. E.g.: Complied with regulation at some point, but not current regulations.
FI
Further investigation required. E.g.: Cannot find the gas main bonding clamp but have seen the cable.
Lim
Limitation. E.g.: A circuit cannot be fully tested as it is in continue use during the EICR.
If any EICR shows a C1, C2 or FI code, it will fail the inspection.
- A C1 observation must be rectified without delay
- A C2 observation must be rectified as a matter of urgency
- An FI observation must be investigated as a matter of urgency.
- If the EICR only shows C3 or Lim codes, the installation will pass. There is not a maximum amount of C3 codes needed before it could fail.
FAQs
Do you have the authority to condemn an installation
Unlike Gas Engineers, Electricians do not have the authority to condemn an installation. Instead, we must report any codes that will make the installation unsafe to the client and await approval for the issues to be fixed.
If you found the issue, are you the only one who can rectify it?
The electrician that carries out the EICR, does not have to be the electrician to rectify any issues that may arise. This can be given out to another contractor.
Do EICR's vary depending on the property?
EICR’s do vary depending on the property. Rented/residential accommodation have certain regulations attached to them, whereas a domestic property will have slightly less regulations attached to them.
How often do you need to get an EICR Inspection?
EICR’s for the different sectors also have different expiry times before another EICR is needed.
- Rented/residential accommodation needs as EICR by Law at either every 5 years, or every change of occupancy depending on what comes first.
- Domestic property should have an EICR every 10 years
- Educational establishments EICR every 5 years
- Hospital/medical general area EICR every 5 years
- Hospital/medical clinic, medical area EICR every 1 year
- Cinema EICR every 3 years
- Caravan park EICR every 1 year
- Construction site installation EICR every 3 months
And so on!
Do you need to keep the certificate?
It is important when having an EICR, that the certificate is kept for records as this will then help with the next EICR.
It will show how the cable and circuits are performing and will show if there are signs of degrading or additions.
A hidden note that is not spoken about is that electrical installations should realistically be rewired every 25-30 years!
What the Regulations say
The regulations apply to the design, erection and verification of electrical installations. Also, additions and alterations to existing installations. Existing installations that have been installed in accordance with earlier editions of the Regulations may not comply with this edition in every respect. This does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe for continued use or require upgrading.
Page 4. IET Wiring Regulations: Eighteenth Edition
Common Issues
Unfortunately, regulation breaking is very common when it comes to EICR’s. This is mainly from the DIY community! A lot of the population think they can work with electrics because it is ‘wiring 3 wires in!’ or ‘it’s ok, it works!’.
Electrics and electricians are heavily regulated, and it is important to make sure a qualified electrician undertakes all electrical work. In the case of something going wrong, if a keen DIYer has completed the works, insurances are null, and void and you can be subject to a £10,000 fine to add insult to injury!
Common issues we find:
- Earth sleeving not used, no grommet used in the metal back box
- Ring main (socket circuits) not completed to a ring
- Spur off a spur within a ring main
- Undersized cable for the circuit
- No earth used in the circuit (it has been law since 1966 that a CPC should be installed in all circuits!)
- Wrong conductors used in the wrong terminal
- Gaps around accessories and switchgear allowing access to live parts
- Broken surface back box’s
- Wrong IP rating for accessories to the location they are used in
- And once again, many more!