Electrical Testing on the Wirral
This week we carried out routine electrical testing of a nursing home in West Kirby. The testing is required every 5 year for a residential home. The inspection date was close to expiring so we were called in to complete it.
The inspection involves checking all of the fuse boards and the circuit.
The first picture is of our test engineer completing a ring continuity test of a socket circuit in the lounge. The second picture is of the basement before the lights where tested.
The testing procedure
During the inspection there is usally some inconvenience to the customer. The electric needs to be turned of at different times during the testing. Firstly there are tests that are carried out where the circuits need to be turned off. Secondly there are tests that need to be done with the electric turned on.
We had to time the testing to suit the daily routine of the home. The residents have breakfast until 10.00am then they go back to there rooms to get dressed. Up until lunch time we tested the communal areas and bathrooms etc. Whilst the residents where having lunch we could test there bedrooms.
Time frame for the electrical testing
In this residential home there is over 100 circuits so the testing will take four days. The test engineer does the testing with another electrician. This is so one person can turn the electric on and off whilst the other tests the circuits. Because of the nature of the building and the layout is is very time consuming walking back and forth.
A pair of walkie talkies comes in handy for communication around the building.
Here is one of the fuse boards that was tested
The supply to the residential home is 3-phase. The meters and the 1st fuseboard is located in this cupboard in a hallway.
More care needs to taken when testing a 3-Phase electrical installation. This is due to the increased voltage.
There are several fuseboards in the home and all of them need testing. Not all of the fuseboards where this modern. Some are out dated with ‘fuse wire’. These fuse boards will need to be replaced.
This fuseboard is quite modern and has mcbs inside to protect the final circuits. Some of the labels identifying the circuits are incorrect, so they will be replaced.
As you can see at the bottom of this cupboard are the 3 meters for the 3-Phase supply
Completing the electrical testing
To complete the testing all the power is re-instated and everything is left in a safe condition.
All of our test results are filled out on paper then transferred to testing software on a laptop. This method ensures that no results are lost and it provides the customer with a nice looking certificate at the end. When the certificate has been filled in it will be given to the customer in a folder with the next test date on.
Call Now