After an unsatisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) at a property in Hampton, Bring it Ohm Electrical Solutions carried out remedial work to investigate a high resistance fault on the downstairs socket circuit.
The fault was on the live conductor. My testing gave an initial resistance reading of 37.6 ohms, so I needed to investigate further to find and correct the poor connections.
What an Unsatisfactory EICR Means
An EICR records the condition of a property’s fixed electrical installation after it has been inspected and tested against BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations. The electrician gives each defect a code. C1 means danger is present, C2 means the defect is potentially dangerous, C3 means an improvement is recommended and FI means further investigation is needed.
A report is unsatisfactory when it records any C1, C2 or FI observation. The defects listed then need remedial work to put them right. Landlords in England must have the electrics in their rented properties checked at least every five years. Homeowners are generally recommended to arrange an EICR every 10 years or when the occupancy changes, and my guide on how to improve electrical safety at home covers other checks you can make.
Safely Isolating and Testing the Circuit
I started at the consumer unit. I safely isolated the circuit, then disconnected its conductors so I could test them.
Once I had confirmed the high resistance reading, I worked around the downstairs socket outlets in turn. At each one, I inspected the terminations and tested again to narrow down where the fault was.
Identifying Loose Connections
Several socket outlets had loose connections. At one, the live conductor was so poorly secured that it came out of its terminal as I withdrew the socket from the wall.
I re-terminated and tightened the connection correctly, then tested the circuit again. The resistance reading dropped to approximately 19.3 ohms.
This was an improvement, but the reading showed that the circuit still needed further investigation.
Tracing the Remaining Faults
I carried on inspecting and testing the circuit. I checked a further three to four socket outlets and corrected more loose terminations along the way.
After these repairs, the resistance reading fell to 0.58 ohms. This is consistent with the expected result for this circuit and confirmed that the high resistance fault had been resolved.
| Stage of investigation | Resistance reading |
|---|---|
| Initial test | 37.6 Ω |
| After correcting the loose live connection at one socket | Approximately 19.3 Ω |
| After correcting the remaining loose connections | 0.58 Ω |
The Result
Tracing the fault methodically allowed me to find and correct several poor connections on the downstairs socket circuit.
The final test confirmed that this EICR defect had been put right. The job also showed why I test again after each repair. Correcting one loose connection lowered the reading, but there were still other faults on the circuit to find.
This job was in Hampton, and if you live nearby on the Surrey side of the river, you can read more about my work as an electrician in Thames Ditton. I’m Paul, an electrician from Weybridge, and I also carry out EICR remedial work in Walton-on-Thames and Esher.
Need the Defects on Your EICR Put Right?
Bring it Ohm Electrical Solutions can investigate the defects recorded on your EICR, carry out the remedial work and test the circuits again once the repairs are complete.