Whatever the age of your electrical installation is, it is likely to suffer some damage or wear and tear. This means you are in serious need of an EICR. Braided flex hanging from ceiling fixtures.Īll of these features indicate that the electrics in question were created before or during the 1960’s.Old-fashioned round pin sockets (or light switches).A fuse box with a wooden back, cast iron switches, or a mixture of fuse boxes.Fixed cables which are coated in lead or fabric.Fixed cables which are coated in black rubber.There are some obvious signs that will tell you if you have old equipment that needs replacing. You should first look for clear signs that the electrics in your home are outdated before deciding if you need an EICR. You can reduce the risk of a fire by regularly checking your cables, switches and sockets, to see that they are in good condition.ĭo I need an EICR? How old are my Electrical Installations?Īs stated above, it is recommended you have an EICR every decade for your home. It is unsurprising that we often forget to check the condition of our electrical installations for damage or signs of wear and tear.įaulty and old wiring is one of the main causes of electrical fires in the home. Cables are often hidden inside walls, and consumer units are located in cupboards, where they are not immediately visible. You cannot see electricity and, in many cases, you cannot view the conduits or cables that use electricity. The main purpose of an EICR is to guarantee the safety of the residents and to ensure they are not susceptible to electrical shocks and/or fires. It is highly recommended you have an EICR inspection carried out every 10 years for your home.įor rental properties, one should be carried out every 5 years or if there is a change of tenancy. The tests are conducted by qualified electricians. This report has also been labelled as the ‘Landlord Safety Test’ or ‘Homebuyers Test’. If a high touch voltage is suspected between two metallic points in close proximity, it can be measured using a meter with an AC voltage measurement option.An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), is a periodic inspection report on a property's safety relating to its fixed wiring. This is a very good test to use for spot checks on touch voltage as you can just wander around an installation, touching a probe briefly on the metal surfaces to look for hazardous voltages.įigure 2 – Checking for touch voltage on earthed surfaces A touch contact enables the user to simply touch their finger on the contact while a single test lead is applied to the metalwork under question with the meter warning of any significant voltage, as shown in figure 2. If a high touch voltage is suspected between a metallic surface and the ground, it can be checked using a meter with a touch voltage contact, such as the MFT1700 series. If the test current is expected to produce a dangerous voltage, the tester should inhibit the test and show a warning, such as >50 V. This will apply to earth loop impedance testing and RCD testing since these tests involve producing a current on the earth. Test instruments meeting the requirements of BS EN 61557 must perform a pre-check when testing to ensure that the earth potential does not rise to a dangerous level during the test. Some special locations, such as swimming pools, require that the touch voltage does not exceed 25 V. Requirements for touch voltageĪccording to section 411.5.3 of BS7671:2008 Amendment 3, touch voltage must not exceed 50 V at any location on an installation. This could be the taps in a kitchen or bathroom, metallic light switches, radiators or the casing of an appliance. Touch voltage is tested to ensure that people cannot get an electric shock from simply touching a metallic surface or two metallic surfaces simultaneously. On other types of earthing systems, an earth resistance this high would indicate a fault.įigure 1 - Hazardous touch voltages between different earthed surfaces Why test for touch voltage? Section 411.5.3 of BS7671:2008 Amendment 3 notes that RA can be as high as 200 Ω. It is common to see a significant touch voltage on TT earth systems where the earth resistance (RA) can be quite high. The touch voltage (V) results from the current flow to earth (I Δn) multiplied by the resistance of the earth (R A), so that the touch voltage is found by: The voltage exists if there is a higher resistance earth path to the exposed metalwork than to the ground beneath your feet or another piece of exposed metalwork in close proximity, as shown in figures 1a & 1b. The term touch voltage refers to the shock hazard present on any exposed metalwork or protective conductor.
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