Category: Electrics

What to Do if My Electrics are Unsatisfactory?

It’s a fact that over time, all electrical systems deteriorate because they’re used so often. This is natural. But what happens if your electrics are unsatisfactory? That’s how an electrician might describe the result of a safety test on your electrical installations.

Obviously, it is important that your electrics are safe in your home. One way to achieve this is through an electrical safety test. This is an easy process whereby a registered electrician visits your home to carry out an inspection.

At IPF Electrical we recommend this takes place at least every 10 years for homeowners. However, for landlords, it should be every 5 years or between tenants.

The electrician produces an EICR report for you to look at. This highlights any problems with the electrics. If the report shows your electrics are unsatisfactory then ultimately, you need repairs done as soon as possible.

Getting an Electrical Safety Check

With this in mind, you may already be thinking of booking an electrical safety check. Perhaps you are moving house. Or maybe you are a landlord and it’s time for a regular check for the new tenants.

If in doubt about your electrics, here are some visual signs to look for;

Light bulbs not working or blinking frequently
Switches that don’t work or make weak contact
Power sockets that spark when you plug something in
Dark yellow/brown marks around power outlets or light switches
Tripped fuses in the fuse box
Frequent power jumps or failure.

Indeed, if you’ve noticed any of these, it’s important to call a registered electrician.

At IPF Electrical, our electricians can have vast up to date knowledge of current wiring regulations. Moreover, we can ensure your electrical safety and compliance.

What Does It Mean when my Electrics are Unsatisfactory?

In the first place, an electrician checks all the electrical installations in your property for any faults. In reality, some faults can lead to electric shocks or even a fire. Therefore it is important to make sure you are safe.

To complete an EICR report, your electrician will detail any damage, deterioration or dangerous conditions. These are the following codes to look out for.

C1 means that danger is present and immediate action is required, there could be a risk of injury. A C2 code means the situation is potentially dangerous and remedial action is urgently required. With a C3 code, the electrician will recommend improvements to the electrical installation. An FI code means that further investigation is required without delay.

To put it another way, any C1, C2, or F1 observation leads to an ‘unsatisfactory’ verdict. Moreover, you will not receive a safety certificate until the work has been completed.

A C3 code is the only one that can appear on your EICR report and still pass the test.

What Happens When Your Electrics Are Unsatisfactory?

If you are a Tenant?

As a tenant, it is the responsibility of the council, housing association or private landlord to make sure your home is safe to live in. This includes the wiring and electrical installations.

It’s worth emphasising that responsibility for ensuring all electrical installations are tested lies with private landlords. With this in mind, an EICR report should arrive with the tenant within 28 days.

An unsatisfactory report means the landlord must get repair work started within 28 days. New legal advice came into play after 1 June 2020. Now the first check on the electrics must take place before a new tenancy begins.

However, It’s important to realise that as a tenant, you are responsible for:

Reporting electrical faults to your landlord as soon as you spot a problem
Allowing access to your home for inspections
The safety of your own electrical appliances.

Tenants can carry out visual checks on the electrical installations. But never try to carry out repairs.

If you are a Homeowner?

For homeowners, it’s a good rule of thumb to get an EICR report every 10 years at least.

You may put your insurance at risk if you fail to check and maintain your electrical systems. If there is a fire or accident as a result of an electrical fault, some insurance companies may refuse claims.

With this in mind, it is wise to get the remedial work carried out as soon as possible. Ultimately, as the homeowner, you are responsible for the safety of anyone else in your home.

Find an Electrician to Rewire the Electrics in Your House

Another key point is don’t try to carry out major repairs by yourself!

That is to say, it’s important to find a registered electrician to do the job.

By all means, you can choose a different electrician to the one who tested your electrics. However, if you do choose a different company, you will probably be charged for the second test.

At IPF Electrical, we operate an honest and transparent fixed pricing model so that we can present you with a costing for the work prior to commencing.

All our electricians are accredited with the Registered Competent Person Electrical search facility. This is a list of electricians registered to work safely in households. It also lists electrical inspectors registered to undertake electrical safety reports.

To Conclude: What Happens If My Electrics are Unsatisfactory?

To sum up, if your electrics are unsatisfactory, it’s essential that you carry out improvements as soon as possible.

For landlords, it’s worth repeating that there’s a legal requirement to get the work done. Tenants are entitled to receive the EICR report. With any dangerous situations, the responsibility lies with the landlord or building owner. Furthermore, a tragic fire or accident could lead to prosecution.

With homeowners, the current recommendation is to get safety tests done once every 10 years. However, it is always worthwhile booking this in early if you think that work is needed. The tests help to determine the safety and conditioning of the wiring in your home. Thus ensuring the safety of your family.

What to Do if Your Electricity Stops Working

If your electricity stops working, you need to initially try to diagnose the problem before calling out an electrician.

Sometimes the reason your electricity stops working can be very simple and you can fix it yourself. However, at other times the reasons may be more complex and you will have to call in electrical experts for some help.

Establishing the Cause

If your electricity stops working, the first thing you need to do is to determine if the electricity has gone out in one part of your home or throughout your home. If your whole home has no electricity, you need to make sure whether the problem is coming from within your home or your electricity supplier.

Find out from your neighbours if they have electricity. If they don’t, then the problem is from the utility company and you should call them to report it. However, if your neighbours do have electricity and you don’t, then the problem is coming from your home.

Check your whole home to establish whether the whole home is affected, or if the problem is just in one area.

Usual Causes of Lost Power

There are usually three reasons why your electricity has stopped working partially or in your whole home. These are an overloaded circuit, a short circuit, or loose wiring.

If the problem was caused by an overloaded circuit, you would know that the electricity would have stopped while you were using an appliance that draws a lot of electrical current. These appliances include an electric oven, electric heater, blow dryer, or any other appliance that heats up.

Checking for a Tripped Circuit Breaker

If you have had a temporary overload in the electric circuit of your home, you are likely to have a tripped circuit breaker on your home’s electric panel. Usually, the tripped circuit breaker will be in the off position. This shut down ensures the circuit doesn’t receive any electrical flow that can cause a fire or further damage. However, a circuit breaker can also trip if there is a loose wire in the electric panel.

Sometimes, a tripped circuit breaker may not be in the off position and may just feel a bit slack. It could also be halfway between off and on.

Before turning the circuit breaker on, first, make sure that everything connected to it is turned off or is unplugged. You can now reset the breaker by turning it off and then on.

If you Have a Fuse Box

Some homes have fuse boxes instead of circuit breakers. A blown fuse usually has a broken element beneath the fuse’s glass. If you do know how to replace this, you can do it with a fuse puller, but be careful not to touch any metal parts with your fingers.

If you have reset the breaker or changed a fuse and the circuit blows immediately again, you will need to call an electrician. They will assess if the problem is coming from the wiring or a defective device.

If the electricity stays on, then you can start turning on the lights and plugging in appliances. Do this one at a time, to check if any of these caused the overload to the circuit.

To Conclude: What to Do if Your Electricity Stops Working

Our guide on what to do if your electricity stops working should help you in times of need. Having no electricity can inconvenience you, but in some cases it is easily fixable.

Always remember to contact a qualified electrician if there is a major issue with your electrics.

Our team at IPF Electrical can help you. We have a number of years of experience in the electrical industry and fixing electrics. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or queries.

Can I Hire an Electrician During Lockdown?

Many of us have noticed the amount of jobs that need doing at home lately, and this could mean you need to hire an electrician during lockdown.

But is this still possible?

Perhaps you work from home or your business has an electrical emergency. Or maybe you are in the middle of home improvements and you need more help.

Despite all the ongoing changes, current rules mean that you are allowed to invite tradespeople into your home to carry out improvements.

Thinking about safety is essential at this time. How will you get the work done? Will you discuss the job in person with the electrician or over the phone or email? Now more than ever, we all need peace of mind when letting people into our homes.

Do You Need to Hire An Electrician?

Let’s begin with asking if you need to hire an electrician.

At IPF Electrical our services include:

PAT testing
Fixed wire testing
Thermal imaging
Emergency lighting
Smoke and fire alarms
Heating and ventilation systems
Security and CCTV systems among other services
We can also carry out work on new builds, extensions and refurbishments.

We are a team of experienced electrical professionals with a focus on delivering honest, professional and premium service to our customers.

For example, if you need an electrical test, you may be concerned about what an engineer could find and how much it will cost to fix it. We have created a schedule of rates with a list of fixed prices.

The prices are built around the most common problematic areas that we have come across in our experience. This enables us to provide complete transparency during the quotation stage.

We will photograph any electrical equipment that may be faulty or have issues. This is then sent to the customer along with a report. Once the work is completed, we then photograph the equipment again so you can see the progress made.

Have Clear Communication

So you have decided to hire an electrician during lockdown therefore it’s essential that you both have clear communication. You need some ground rules and health and safety rules in advance.

For example, what parts of your home can they walk through? Can they use your bathroom? Is there anywhere you would prefer them not to go? Will your initial meeting be on the phone or in an open space such as your garden or driveway?

You can discuss the initial job over the phone, but if you would like them to see the work in advance, you may consider a video call. This will enable our electricians to see and identify the work along with how long it will take to do. Most tradespeople will be comfortable doing video calls, you just need to make sure you have a good internet connection and that your camera and microphone are working. A video tour of your home is a great way to show a tradesperson your home before they visit to give them an idea of space and what needs doing.

At IPF Electrical, we will clearly communicate our plans on working safely with you. This allows you to be confident in the work we do. It will also help to eliminate any confusion over safety measures that our electricians need to take. Any companies you use in lockdown should be following Government guidelines. They will need to carry out a comprehensive health and safety risk assessment.

Remember to Maintain Distance

A key part of any contractor entering your home is to remember to maintain distance, both for your safety and theirs. A customer must stay at least 2 metres apart from the electrician. Also, it is preferable to be in a separate room if possible when the work is carried out.

Your electrician will arrive with suitable PPE gear and maintain distance throughout the job. They will eat and drink away from the property, in their own van for example. Remember to try not to offer any refreshments (as kind as this is!).

Maintain Good Hygiene

Good hygiene is essential to everyone during this time. At IPF, our electricians will wash their hands before, during and after they carry out their work. Please don’t offer them a towel, they will use their own hand towels. Our electricians will thoroughly wipe down all tools and instruments and safely get rid of any wipes and gloves.

Customers can help by making sure the work area is well ventilated, for example with an open window or door. You may also wish to provide some anti-bacterial wipes or hand sanitiser in the room they are working in. However, the electrician will bring their own cleaning products and clean down any surfaces they have touched.

Try to use electronic equipment like your iPad or phone for signatures, documents and payment. This means there is less chance of paper, pens and cash changing hands. If you can’t do this, just communicate that clearly with your electrician on how payment will be made.

Make Sure No-one has COVID-19

Before any work starts, it is essential to make sure that no one has Covid-19. The first step with this is basically to ask your electrician over the phone when arranging the work. It may seem awkward, but it’s the right thing to do.

Equally, our contractors will ask you if anyone in your family has recently had symptoms. We must keep everyone safe. If anyone in your household has the virus or is currently isolating, the work must be rescheduled.

To Conclude: Can I Hire An Electrician During Lockdown?

In conclusion, you can hire an electrician during lockdown although you must ensure safety measures are in place for you and them. Clearly communicate with each other on the phone or via email before the work begins. Make sure you feel confident that the electrician has taken the appropriate safety measures before they enter your home.

Ventilate the area where the electrician will be working and maintain your distance. Try to keep all documents and payment in electronic format if possible.

If the project takes a long time and requires a bigger team, such as with renovations and extensions, you may even want to ask the company to hire a portable chemical toilet. These can be hired from around £50 a week and it could save you a problem if your bathroom is off limits.

If you need emergency electrical work or any of the services mentioned above, you can still hire an electrician during lockdown and at IPF Electrical, we’re here to help.

Who Can Check My Electrics?

Choosing an approved registered contractor to check your electrics is as important as choosing an approved mechanic to carry out an MOT on your car. It is however, something that is never thought about, and is very rarely kept on top of by homeowners around the country.

People can easily get confused when learning what needs to be checked, when they need to be checked and who can check your electrics.

This is why we’ve put together a “how to” guide for home owners to take a look at. Hopefully this can answer any questions that may be lingering.

So Who Can Actually Check my Electrics?

This must seem like such an obvious answer at the outset. But when it comes to electricians, some are more qualified than others. Some specialise in domestic properties only. Some specialise in Commercial properties only. And some might say they specialise in both.

Unfortunately, some aren’t electricians at all and are referred to as “cowboy electricians”. We set ourselves apart from that crowd at IPF Electrical, as we’re proud of every installation and service that we complete.

It is important to make sure you are not duped in to hiring someone who seemingly is an electrician. Not only will it be unlikely that they’re qualified, it’s highly likely that you’ll be underquoted but then overcharged.

Cowboys – what to look out for

No contract
Don’t discuss business details
Wanting full payment upfront
Unprofessional
Seems too good to be true – it normally is
Have immediate availability

There are several things you can do when looking for someone to check your electrics, from checking they’re registered down to checking reviews from other people.

Using websites such as Check a Trader can help when trying to find a genuine electrician. There are normally an array of reviews with each electrician. And registered electricians are normally registered here also.

At IPF Electrical, we have a team of experienced electrical professionals who provide a professional service to all our customers. We have a range of skills, paired with our industry level training and experience.

How Often Should I Check my Electrics?

Electrical installations in the home can deteriorate just like everything else. General wear and tear, ageing, all factor in to the deterioration, which is why electrical tests should be carried out regularly. If you’d like to know, in more detail, how often you should check your electrics, just click the highlighted link on this line.

For domestic properties, it is highly recommended to have your electrics checked at least once every 10 years.

If you are a landlord of a property, you should look to have your electrics checked every 5 years. If a tenancy comes to an end before this 5 year period, you this should carry this out before new tenants occupy the residence.

All businesses should have their electrics checked every 5 years.

These guidelines are advised by British Standard BS 76719 (IET Wiring Regulations).

What’s Involved in Having my Electrics Checked?

The basic explanation, is that an electrician will check all electrical installations for any faults.

There are several faults that can occur such as electrical circuits becoming overloading during usage or if a circuit has not been installed correctly. These faults can lead to electric shocks or even a fire, which is why it is so important to have your electrics tested.

Once you have chosen your electrician, be sure to discuss in depth with your electrician what they will do. So you are informed exactly what is and isn’t included.

The inspection itself should include the following:

Earthing and Bonding
Switchgear and Control gear suitability – as an example old wooden fuse boxes that may need replacing
Sockets, switches and light fittings that may need replacing due to cracks in plastic fixtures or old fixtures that are no longer in use
Age of wiring and type/condition – as an example pre 19060’s cabling coating was black & red, this has been replaced for Blue, Brown and green/yellow.
Wear and Tear, damage and any other deterioration
Changes to the property since the last inspection, that may lead to unsafe conditions

Once your electrician has completed the investigation, you will be issued with an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report). This report will detail and damage, deterioration or dangerous conditions. It will also include anything non-compliant with current safety standard that could lead to dangerous conditions putting people at risk.

If your test comes back negative, this will lead to a record of “unsatisfactory”. This indicated that immediate work is required to cease risk to anyone living or working in the property.

There should also be details regarding which electrical system or systems failed the test. The following codes are assigned to the work required:

C1 – Danger is present, immediate action is required, there is likely risk of injury
C2 – Potentially dangerous, remedial action urgently needed
C3 – Improvements to the electrical system are recommended (This is the only code that can appear on an EICR and still pass the test)

Once your system has passed the inspection, whether that be immediately or following any C1 or C2 work completed, you will be issued an EICR Certificate of Safety. You can relax knowing your home is safe and your electrics are fully compliant.

To Conclude: Who can Check my Electrics?

It is important that you have the best experience possible having an inspection carried out in your home. In order for this, you should feel comfortable with your electrician.

Be sure to make sure you’re fully informed of what is going to happen during your electrical inspection. Feeling confident about having your electrics checked is exactly how you should feel. Your electrician should be able to provide you with everything necessary to make this happen.

Our engineers at IPF Electrical can help you with your journey to your certificate of Safety. Feel free to give us a call and we can help. We want to ensure that all of our customers have the best experience possible, and we are here to do that.

How Often Should Electrics Be Checked in a Rented Home?

Electrical Safety Rules for All Tenancies

Councils, housing associations and private landlords must make sure the electrics in a property are safe and legal. This is for the whole lifetime of an official tenancy.

All wiring and electrical installations must be kept in safe working order. Installations can include appliances and fittings such as:

Electric water heaters
Heating systems
Plug sockets
Fuse boxes
Light fittings

This applies to almost all tenancies even if it is not directly mentioned in your agreement.

Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into force on 1 June 2020. It applies to all tenancies that are created on or after such date in England from 1 July 2020.

These new regulations require all landlords to have any electrical installations in their rented properties inspected at least every 5 years. They must also be tested by a person who is qualified, registered and competent.

Landlords also have to provide an official copy of the electrical safety report to their tenants and to the local authority if requested.

Your Electrics Should Be Checked Every 5 Years

Due to the above legislation, from 1st June 2020, private landlords in England are required to have electrics and electrical installations checked every 5 years in their rental properties.

Checks must be carried out by a fully qualified electrician to ensure that they meet safety standards.

What Does This Mean For You?

From 1st July 2020, electrical installations must be inspected and tested prior to the start of any new tenancy. All checks must be carried out on any existing tenancies by 1st April 2021. Moving forward, these checks must then be carried out on a five yearly basis.

A copy of the most recent electrical safety condition report (EICR) must legally be provided to both new and current tenants.

Who’s Responsible for Checking My Electrics?

The landlord of the property is responsible for making sure that any selected electrician who completes the check is suitably qualified and registered.

The best way to ensure you’re working with a professional electrical contractor is to check whether they’re a member of an accredited registration scheme. These are often operated by a recognized body and will give you the confidence that this has been achieved.

Do I need To Check My Electrical Appliances?

As a landlord, if you are supplying electrical appliances as a part of the signed rental agreement, you need to make sure that you register the appliances with the manufacturer.

As a tenant, your landlord may ask a qualified electrician to carry out portable appliance testing (PAT) on all electrical equipment they have supplied you with the tenancy. For example: TVs, white goods, kettles or toasters.

This means that in the event of a fault or electrical problem, the manufacturer can contact and guide you. It is also advised to ask your tenants to register any electrical products that they bring into the rental property.

Find out more about registering your electrical appliances here.

You can also use Electrical Safety First’s product checker to find out if any of the appliances that you and your tenants own have been subject to a recall or safety notice.

My EICR is Less Than 5 years Old, Do I Have to Get Another One Done?

No, not necessarily, although it is best to consult a professional electrician on this. You should make sure to review your report and see what was recommended on it. And consider the state of your property and how it has been let since it was carried out.

If there are big differences that have occurred to the property, e.g. high turnover of tenants, flood damage, DIY work found, then it would be essential to get another electrical safety report done. If no changes have been made, then your report will remain valid for the full 5 years. And until the next inspection date specified on the previous report.

How IPF Electrical Can Help

Contact us today to discuss how we can help with your Electrical Checks & Reports. We offer a wide range of services, including Fixed Wire Testing and PAT Testing.

What is an Electrician?

When ensuring that the electrics are safe in your home or workplace, you will want to hire someone that knows how to fix them. An electrician is a tradesman or tradeswoman who is qualified to carry out work on your electrics. They will be able to fix and install electrical appliances. In this article, we take an in-depth looking into what is an electrician. As well as what they do.

What Does an Electrician Do?

An electrician is a tradesman or tradeswoman whose responsibilities is to design, install, maintain and troubleshoot electrical systems. The systems that they look after can either be located in your home or at a place of work in commercial and industrial buildings. They can also be machines and larger pieces of equipment.

An electrician will work both inside and outside. They will ensure that you can use lights, televisions, work equipment and other appliances essential in your daily life. Some of these appliances include:

Computers
Cookers
Lights
Toasters
Fridge

What Can an Electrician Do in My Home?

An electrician can carry out a variety of electrical tests and installing electrical appliances in your home. You would want to hire an electrician if you need an electrical issue fixing. Or if you are wanting an electrical appliance installed.

It is important that the electrics in your home are safe. And that they are performing they way they should be. The main things that our electricians at IPF Electrical do in your home are:

Fixed Wire Test

The fixed wire test is also commonly known as the EICR (electrical installation condition report). It is an electrical inspection and fixed wire test that will assess the condition and compliance of the wiring withing your propery.

An EICR is the best way to check for any electrical faults. When doing this test they will be able to identify any issues. And then rectify them to prevent causing problems in the future.

Thermal Imaging

Thermal imaging is great for understanding what is going on in our electrical systems. Specific equipment must be used for this, so it is not something you can do yourself.

By carrying out thermal imaging of your systems, it will pick up any parts that are overheating. This will help decrease the risk of failure and a fire of the electrics.

Electric Heating

An electrician will be able to install electric heating systems in your home. These systems heat up your home, normally in winter when it is colder, so you can keep your house warm.

There are different types of electric heating. And these include:

Night Storage Heaters
Modern Storage Heaters
Electric Radiators
Smart Thermostats

At UPF Electrical we have many years of experience in installing electric heating. This includes our best selling storage heater, the Dimplex Quantum Storage Heater.

Consumer Unit Upgrades

The consumer unit within your home is also known as a fuse box. It is used to distribute power throughout your property. It will provide electricity to all your rooms and appliances in your house.

By ensuring that the consumer unit is working well overall is important to the safety of your home. If there is to be a power surge, the unit will act like a safety device and prevent any damage to your electrics.

What Can an Electrician Do in The Workplace?

As well as an electrician carrying out electrical tests and installing appliances in your home, it can be done in the workplace too. There are some things that will be carried out in the workplace that you won’t have at home. The main things that our electricians at IPF Electrical do in the workplace are:

PAT Testing

PAT Testing is also known as portable appliance testing. It is the process of testing electrical appliances used within the workplace. The test will limit any accidents that may occure in the future. And the appliances are either deemed safe or not safe.

Some appliances will require to be PAT tested more than others. The more you use an appliance, the more you will need to get it tested. You can read more about the frequency of PAT testing here.

Emergency Lighting Test

Emergency Lighting Test is used in a variety of business and commercial settings. We must ensure that the emergency lighting is working correctly. This enables you to be complaint with the regulations.

By carrying out tests on the emergency lighting, we can ensure that it is working the way it should be. If there are any issues, it can be fixed right away.

Where Can I Hire an Electrician?

Having electrical work carried out should not be left to unqualified or inexperienced people. It is vital you hire an experienced electrician. You may also refer to them as an electrical engineer.

There are four important steps to hiring an electrician for the work you need doing. Whether you are hiring for the work in your home or the workplace, you should follow these steps.

1. Find a Local Electrical Engineer

When looking for someone to carry out your electrical work, you want to find someone local. And someone that is recommended or well known in the area for their good work.

All electrical engineers will need to have the correct qualifications. If you are having work carried out at your home, this falls under the Part P building regulations. This means the engineer must be certified by their local authority building control. It is important they are qualified and certified correctly.

At IPF Electrical, we City & Guilds Qualified and approved by the NICEIC. You can view all of our accreditations here.

2. Get Three Quotes

As with most things, you will want to shop around. We recommend getting three quotes, no matter how small the job is. Depending on the electrical work that needs to be carried out, detetermines if a survey is needed. In some cases the engineer will be able to give you the quote over the phone.

However, you should be wary of getting a quote over the phone. This can sometimes be an estimate. And when the job is completed, they might charge you more than agreed.

3. Organise Surveys with Them

Once you have got your three quotations arranged, they will carry out a survey. This involves them coming to your property and assessing the work that needs to be done.

They should provide you with a detailed written quote. This will help you make the decision of which company to go with. As well as things like:

Did they turn up on time?
Were they presentable?
Were they friendly?
Do they have the correct qualifications and certification?

However, remember that the cheapest quote isn’t the best. You should listen to the recommendations of the electrical engineers. And how professional they are in your home.

4. Check Their Knowledge

Although you might not have the electrical knowledge to understand what needs doing, your electrical engineer should explain. If you have hire a good electrician, they will be able to explain how they will:

Check your electrics
Repair your electrics
Or install a new electrical applaince

This should be done before they start work at your home. Afterwards, they will show you the work that they have completed. Make sure that everything is working as expected. As well as you understand how to use any new appliances.

To Conclude: What is an Electrician?

Now you understand what an electrician is and how they operate, you can decide on the best company or person for the job. They will look after the electrical systems located in your home or at a place of work. And ensure that they are safe for you and your family.

At IPF Electrical we are here to help with any of your electrical needs. All of electricians are qualified and we have local certification. Feel free to Contact Us if you have any questions. Or would like a quote for a job.