Electrical Testing in London

Checking the electrics are safe in your premises is something that should be carried out on a regular basis.

So what is electrical testing and who should be doing it?
Electrical testing is an inspection carried out on either domestic or business premises on wiring, installations or appliances. Some of the testing is a legal requirement and other testing is optional.
Electrical testing at your home or in the workplace in London ensures the safety of you and your family, your employees, and tenants. It can be a tricky business to work out what you need and don't need doing and who can you call upon to offer sound advice and thorough testing?

Here at Fulcher Edwards, we offer a different approach to electrical testing in London. We believe in doing a job properly so when you choose us for your electrical testing needs, we will where possible test 100% of the electrical installation - beware, most electricans only test 10%!
Furthermore all our inspections meet the BS 7671 requirements for electrical installations (17th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations) All testing is done to British Standards.

Before you part with your cash, make sure that you are going to be getting value for money.
So now you have found an electrican in London what type of electrical testing needs to be carried out?

We will break the testing down into bite size pieces so you know what testing might apply to you. If you are still unsure, feel free to give us a call, we are always happy to provide FREE initial advice over the telephone.

Home Owners:
*Electrical Condition Report (ECR) - Carried out every 10 years
*PAT Testing - This is optional but recommended for appliances used often in your home such as kettles, hairdryers, coffee machines and computers.
*Pre-Purchase Electrical Certificate - If you are looking to purchase a property its a good idea to know what state the electrics are in beforehand! We carry out 100% testing (where possible) or carry out a more basic visual inspection if you feel this is sufficient for your needs.
*Periodic Inpsection - 100% electrical testing of the property you are selling. Again, we can carry out a visual inspection if this is more suitable for your requirements.

Business Owners:
*Electrical Condition Report (ECR) - Carried out every 5 years, a thorough electrical inspection of the property
*PAT Testing - This is a vital part of your health and safety requirements in the workplace and includes electrical testing of all electrical items in your workplace from kettles to fans to computers! It is recommended to have PAT testing carried out on an annual basis.

LandLords/Letting Agents:
The purpose is to find out what condition the electrical installation is in before a tenant moves in. This test should be carried out every 5 years or with every change of tenancy whichever comes sooner.
More information on each type of electrical testing can be found on our electrical testing page.

More benefits of using Fulcher Edwards for your Electrical Testing Needs:

*NICEIC certiciate issued following the test for your records
*Should anything fail, we issue a recommendation sheet and a detailed quote for your consideration
*Our qualified electricans attend your property when its convenient to you
*Special rates for landlords and letting agents for 2 or more properties
*Pre-Purchase certificate inspections can be arranged via your estate agent to safe you time.

Give us a call today - we are more than happy to discuss all of your electrical testing needs and additional benefits of using Fulcher Edwards Ltd - your London Electricians.

How to find a great electrician in London

London is a busy place, people rushing here, there and everywhere. When you have a worry about electrics and your lights go out, or your electrics seem a bit dodgy, everything grinds to a halt.

Everyone depends on electricity to live an essential life – you can't make a cup of tea without electric! So who do you depend on to come and sort out your electrics when you come home from work in an evening, on a Sunday afternoon or just in the day?

The answer is right before your eyes – At Fulcher Edwards, we are the premier electricians for London – we don't just say this lightly, here are 5 good reasons why you should consider Fulcher Edwards Electricians for your next electrical project:

1) We are here to stay – we don't disappear overnight, we are well established – 30 years experience. Therefore we know many clients extremely well – we've not just got a huge portfolio of clients – our portfolio contains clients who we've worked with for many years. This highlights our commitment to high quality workmanship, electrical services and standards.

2) London never stands still – and we don't expect you to sit around wasting valuable time whilst we carry out our work. We are available round the clock – days, evenings, weekends and nights if required – you let us know when its convenient for us to come to you, not the other way around

3) No hidden charges – We don't charge extra for call outs, parking or congestion charges. We also provide free no obligation quotations. We cover the whole of London and areas within the M25

4) We're fully qualified 17th edition electricians who all work to British standards. NICEIC registered, Safe Contractor and ISO9001 accredited

5) We undertake domestic, industrial and commercial works

So what makes Fulcher Edwards different to other London electricians?

It is our commitment to our clients – flexibility, professionalism, experience and knowledge. This is demonstrated by our proven experience and getting to know our many clients over the past 30 years.

Our work is diverse – from film locations to front rooms, student accommodation to businesses we have it covered – our high standards are consistent – and maintained – across all jobs, whether small or big.

For more information about our great team here at Fulcher Edwards, our services and rates please visit us www.fulcheredwards.co.uk

Fire Alarm Maintenance is your business!

Whether you are a business owner or a landlord it is not enough to just have a fire alarm fitted, it is your duty to make sure your fire alarm system is being maintained correctly to ensure that it works as well as can be should a fire occur.

Is it the Law that I maintain my fire alarm?

Yes, The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order which came into effect in October 2005 and applies to many factors of your fire safety requirements. It is the primary legislation for all non-domestic premises in England and Wales, including the common parts of blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Failure to comply with the FSO (Fire Safety Order) is an offence punishable by hefty fines or imprisonment.

More detailed advice and guidance on the Fire Safety Order can be found at the Department for Communities and Local Government website.

Does the fire safety law apply to me?

The law applies to you if you are:

• responsible for business premises
• an employer or self-employed with business premises
• responsible for a part of a dwelling where that part is solely used for business purposes
• a charity or voluntary organisation
• a contractor with a degree of control over any premises
• providing accommodation for paying guests

What are the duties of the Responsible Person in my Company?

The 'Responsible Person' for your premises has a duty under the Fire Safety Order to ensure that any fire alarm systems are managed efficiently and maintained in good working order by a competent person. It is important that a specialist contractor is used in the form of the ‘competent person’ as they will have fully trained and qualified engineers who will comply to British Standards, service and maintain your fire alarm, update your logbook and provide you with relevant certification for your records.

In addition to your chosen contractor carrying out your maintenance the responsible person is required to undertake periodic checks to ensure the functionality of their fire alarm system on a weekly basis. This involves checking that the control panel is on, the status is normal and that no faults are being indicated and if there is a problem contacting your chosen contractor to get the problems rectified ASAP.

How often should my fire alarm be tested?

The Fire alarm system inspection frequencies required by BS5839 are weekly, quarterly and annually. If your fire alarm system is not kept in good working order it could lead to your local fire brigade serving an enforcement notice.

How do I know if my business is complying?

If you are not sure if your business is complying with BS Standards and the FSO then your chosen contractor should be able to give you advice and provide relevant in-house training for you as well as carry out the relevant fire alarm maintenance you require.

Do you need a competent person?

If you are looking for a London based company to carry out your fire alarm maintenance then Fulcher Edwards Ltd will be happy to provide you with all the advice you need, a free quotation and most importantly make sure you comply with British standards and stay FSO compliant.

The Must Have App for 2012

The Electrical Safety Council reported towards the end of last year that a new study found that millions of people in the UK expose themselves and their families to potentially fatal accidents in the home through simple electrical blunders because of an alarming lack of knowledge about the real danger of electricity.

The ESC have since launched a free smartphone app called the Home Electrical Safety Check to help people ensure their families and homes are safe. Fulcher Edwards Ltd took a look at this app and we like it very much.

To give you an idea of how it works, there is a checklist function for each room/area of a house listed as follows;

Living room
Kitchen/utility room
Bathroom
Bedroom
Garden/shed/garage

When you click on the relevant area it brings up a list of accessories you could have in that room, for example sockets, lights and electrical appliances to name a few, so if you click on 'Bathroom' and then 'sockets' it has the following come up...

'if there are sockets in the bathroom, they must be protected by an RCD (residual current device) and a minimum of three meters away from the bath or shower to avoid water splashes'.

In each section the user gets the chance to tick the areas that may need to be resolved or get a registered electrician to look at. Each ticked item then gets put in the 'Flagged for review' section of the app for the user to return too. Anything that is highlighted with a yellow triangle advises the user to speak with a registered electrician about that particular matter.

We found the app really easy to use and informative so will be telling our domestic customers and landlord's about it. Hopefully more app's will become available in the future to help raise electrical awareness in homes and businesses as electrical safety still seems to take a back seat at times.

This free app is available for iPhone and Android phones - just go to the App Store or Android Market, search for ‘Home Electrical Safety Check’ then follow the instructions to download.

A free app that can protect you and your family? It's a no brainer really.

Don't Forget Electrical Safety at Christmas

The festive season is a pretty time of year with streets and houses decorated with twinkling lights and figurines yet electrical safety still needs to be a consideration with Christmas lighting to avoid the risk of injury caused by electric shock.

The ESC has issued the following essential safety advice to help you and your family safe this Christmas;

ALWAYS

1) Check that your Christmas lights are not damaged or broken before use and look out for loose wires
2) Ensure all outdoor lights are connected via a 30mA RCD protected socket indoors. An RCD will provide added protection against electric shock
3) Replace failed bulbs as soon as possible to prevent overheating
4) Use only replacement bulbs of the same type and rating as those originally supplied with the lights
5) Switch Christmas lights off and unplug them before you go out or go to bed

NEVER

1) Use lights outdoors unless specifically designed for such use
2) Connect different sets of lights together
3) Remove or change bulbs while the chain is connected to the electricity supply
4) Overload sockets and try to avoid the use of extension leads or adaptors
5) Use or attempt to repair lights that are damaged or faulty - replace them

Whether your Christmas decorations are up or yet to go up it’s never too late to carry out these simple precautions and checks which can be found in the ESC Christmas Lighting Quick Reference Guide.

For more electrical safety advice take a look at the Electrical Safety Council's website.

Making Your Halloween Scary But Safe

Halloween is the season to be scary and each year it is turning into a bigger event in this country, so why not get into the spirit of things by adding some spooky lighting to your own haunted house.

There is some great spooky figurines and lighting ideas to be found on the Internet in preparation for this weekend that we have shared with you below, but it is still important to consider electrical safety when purchasing and decorating your home for Halloween to keep your trick or treater safe.


Ghostly Pathways

Add some dark & spooky scenes to your pathway by using
floodlights as suggested on eHow as they cover a large area with colored light. The right color sets the mood for your display, so plan the look you want and choose accordingly. Blue floodlights add to the ghostly feel of a graveyard scene, notes Halloween Yard Haunter, while red lights enhance a naughty devil theme. Purple lights and red lights help set the mood for a vampire setting. Green lights bring a spooky-faced witch to life. Floodlights get very hot, so make sure they are set up safely away from children, pets and combustible material like dry leaves with no cables causing a trip hazard. It is important that any light you use outside are approved for outdoor use so always check before buying.

Webbed Doorways & Stairs

As recommend on lights4fun why not use novelty cobwebs to your Halloween displays, keep it safe and choose only LED, low voltage or battery powered fairy lights. Perfect around children and no re-lighting flames when the pumpkin is on the door step!


Spooky Pumpkins

Don't use candles in your pumpkin this year and put yourself at risk of a fire hazard, use battery operated tea lights instead. The beauty of battery operated LED candles is that you have the safety of no naked flame, no fire risk, but a realistic animated effect. These LED Tea Lights will never get hot and are perfect around home decorations, fabrics and furniture. We loved these at lights4fun.

No Haunting Overloads

If you need to use an extension lead when decorating your haunted house remember not to overload the circuit by plugging into many lights into it. This can cause the wiring to overheat which can be a potential fire hazard, instead spread the lighting load over different circuits or lessen the lighting load.


Frightful Extension Leads

Replace any cords that are frayed or show signs of wear and avoid a trip hazard by keeping them out of the way where people will be walking. Rain and ground moisture can affect their operation and could cause a dangerous situation as electricity and water do not mix, so keep them inside.

Always roll your extension lead completely out and never leave it partly on the coil otherwise it could suffer heat damage.


Prevent a Freakish Fire

Always turn off your lighting displays when your haunted evening is finished as a short circuit could easily cause a fire.

Always make sure that any portable eletrical equipment that is used in the garden are protected with an RCD.





Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Part P: Helping to spread the word!

We often receive calls asking us to provide a homeowner with a certificate for electrical installation work that has been completed by another electrician. It’s usually because the electrician they have employed to do the work or one that there builder has brought in, has failed to mention that firstly they require a certificate and secondly that they were not Part P registered in the first place.

Part P of the Building Regulations was introduced to stop this type of thing from happening, unfortunately due to the lack of investment from the government only a small percentage of homeowners have heard of Part P.

Now you may be thinking what is the problem with asking another electrician to provide an electrical certificate to solve the problem? Well the problem is no electrician should certify another electrician’s work as they would have no idea how good that install was, if the electrician was qualified to do the work and if it’s even safe to use. Part P is mainly concerned with the quality of the installation and most of the evidence to show that the installation is correct will be hidden within ceilings and floor voids.

Fulcher Edwards Ltd along with many other registered electrical services companies are doing there bit to help the Electrical Safety Council in spreading the word of Part P. We thought we would do a quick Q&A below to at least get you started on understanding What Part P is all about.

Q. What is Part P exactly?

Part P is the rules set out in the Building Regulations for carrying out electrical installation work in homes and gardens in England and Wales.

Q. How long has Part P been part of the Building Regulations?

In 2005 the Government introduced electrical safety rules into the Building Regulations for England and Wales. This meant that most fixed electrical installation work carried out in homes, must by Law meet the Building Regulations.

Q. Why was Part P introduced?

Part P was introduced to protect the homeowner by reducing the number of deaths, injuries and fires caused by faulty electrical installations. It was also introduced to make life harder for 'cowboys' who leave electrical installations in an unsafe condition.

Q. What does Part P state in the Building Regs?

Part P states that anyone carrying out electrical installation work in a home must make sure that the work is designed and installed to protect people from fire and electrical shocks.

Q. When does Part P apply?

Part P applies to any electrical installation work in the home, garden, conservatory or outbuilding and includes newly-built homes. It also applies to changes made to existing installations, including any parts that have been rewired.

Q. What do I need to do if I need a Part P Certificate?

You have two options;

1)Speak to someone in the Building Control Department of your local Authority before starting any installation works or

2)Employ an electrician is that registered with one of the with one of the Government-approved Part P schemes such as NICEIC, ELECSA or NAPIT

Q. Why does the electrician need to be registered?

If you use a registered electrician then you can expect a safe electrical installation and one that complies with the latest edition of the UK national standard BS7671 requirement.

Q. Who is responsible for making sure electrical work meets the requirements of Part P?

Homeowners and Landlords must be able to prove that all electrical installation work meets the requirements of Part P or they are committing a criminal offence.

Q. How can I prove I my work meets Part P requirements?

When the work has been completed by a registered electrician then you will be issued with an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Minor Works Certificate. You will also receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate which will be sent by your local Authorities.

To find out more information regarding Part P take a look at the Communities and Local Government website here and by reading the Electrical Safety Council’s useful leaflet here.