An EICR is two jobs done in one visit. First a visual inspection, which finds most of what is wrong: damaged accessories, signs of overheating, missing covers, unsuitable equipment in a bathroom, alterations nobody recorded. Then dead and live testing, circuit by circuit, which measures what the eye cannot see. The power goes off for the testing, which is why access and occupancy matter so much to how long it takes.
The visual inspection
The inspector works through the installation looking at what is visible and accessible: the consumer unit and its protective devices, sockets and switches, lighting points, the earthing and bonding arrangements, cables where they can be seen, and the suitability of equipment for the room it is in. Scorch marks, cracked accessories, taped joints and missing blanks are all found here rather than by an instrument.
The dead tests
With the circuit isolated and proved dead, the inspector measures continuity of protective conductors, continuity of ring final circuits, insulation resistance between conductors and to earth, and polarity. These say whether the wiring is intact, whether the insulation has degraded, and whether anything has been connected the wrong way round somewhere along the circuit.
The live tests
With the supply restored the inspector measures earth fault loop impedance and tests the operation of residual current devices. Together these say whether a fault would be cleared quickly enough by the protective device, which is the whole point of the exercise, and whether the RCD protection actually works rather than merely being present.
What gets written down
Every circuit gets a line on the schedule of test results, with its protective device, cable sizes and measured values. Anything that falls short gets an observation with a classification code. Limitations get recorded too: parts of the installation that could not be inspected, and why. A report with no limitations on a furnished occupied property is a report worth asking about.
Why access decides the length of the visit
Circuits have to be dead to be tested, sockets have to be reachable, and the consumer unit has to be got at. A cluttered, furnished, occupied property with a board in a cupboard behind coats takes longer than an empty one, and the same inspection on the same installation can differ by hours because of it.
Questions people ask about eicr inspection
Does the power have to be off for an EICR?
For the testing, yes, circuit by circuit. The visual inspection is done live, and a good inspector will phase the isolation so the disruption is manageable.
What does the inspector check on an EICR?
The consumer unit and protective devices, the earthing and bonding, the circuits and their accessories, RCD operation, and whether the installation is suitable for its use, backed by measured tests on each circuit.
Is fixed wire testing the same as an EICR?
Yes. Fixed wire testing is the commercial trade's name for the same periodic inspection and test of the fixed installation.
What are limitations on a report?
Parts of the installation the inspector could not reach or could not safely isolate, recorded on the report with the reason. They tell the reader what the report does not cover.