Is your house safe from electrical hazards? To ensure that your property is free from electrical hazards you must do electrical inspections in Geelong.
Electrical hazards can lead to severe damages including house fires, electrocutions and even death. Therefore it is crucial to ensure that your property is up to the recommended electrical standards and free from electrical threats.
What is an electrical inspection? How important is it to do an electrical inspection? Keep reading this article to get a brief insight into electrical inspections and learn more about electrical inspections.
What is an electrical inspection?
As you know, identifying and fixing shortcomings in your property’s electrical system is crucial to ensure your safety. This is where the electrical inspections come into play.
Electrical inspections will provide a comprehensive checkup and review of your property’s electrical installations and wiring. Electrical inspections will help to ensure that the wiring and the electrical systems are up to legal safety standards.
What is done in an electrical inspection?
Now you know what an electrical inspection is, but do you know what is done in an electrical inspection? Once a registered electrical contractor or an electrician performs a job, they should issue a certificate.
This certificate is a proof that the electrical installation is done by a licensed electrician. It also ensures that the inspection is up to the specified standards. This certificate is known as the Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES).
Your licensed electrician will fill out the COES, and a licensed inspector should sign it after an inspection. An inspector will visit the premises and check whether the new electrical installation meets legal standards.
During the inspection, the inspector will check for insecure wiring, test power points and lights. They will also check smoke alarms, safety switches, inspect switchboard and electrical equipment, etc. The inspector will detect these errors and inform you or the electrician to take corrective actions.
The inspector will not sign the COES until the corrective actions are taken, and the installation is up to legal standards.
When do you need an electrical inspection?
The need for an inspection will depend on the nature of the electrical work. According to Energy Safe Victoria, there are two types ofelectrical works. They are commonly known as prescribed and non-prescribed electrical works.
Prescribed electrical work
These are the electrical work which should be performed under low voltages such as wiring and changing the switch panel etc. To get a clear picture of the prescribed electrical work, consider the following situations:
Changing and installing the mains and earthing the system.
Installing a new switchboard or changing the old one.
Electrical wiring.
Motor generator installations.
Changing or installing a new renewable energy generation system (solar systems).
A licensed inspector should do the electrical inspections for these electrical works. They should also confirm that it is up to the state’s legal standards. You cannot switch on or send power to these installations until an inspector approves it.
Non-prescribed electrical work
These are the non-risky electrical installations that do not fall into the category of prescribed electrical works. The non-prescribed electrical works include installations such as lighting, air conditioning, plug points, hot water service, etc.
A licensed electrician will fill out the COES for these installations. However, you don’t have to get the approval of an electrical inspector. You can switch on or send power to these installations without the approval of an inspector.
Inspections without electrical installations
Further, you can do an electrical inspection in the following situations to ensure that your electrical system is safe:
If you live in a very old house – The switches, plug sockets, and earthing could be outdated in an old house. These outdated units could lead to electrical hazards. Therefore it is better to inspect these once in a while to ensure your safety.
If the wiring in your home is old – Old wiring could also lead to electrical hazards. Therefore if the wiring is more than 25 years old, you should probably do an inspection.
Before renting or buying a house – It is mandatory to do an electrical inspection within two years before renting a house.
Before or after a storm – Storms could damage the wiring in your house. Therefore inspections after a storm can save you from electrical hazards. Further, inspections before a storm can help to ensure that your electrical system is safe to face a storm.
As a regular electrical maintenance and inspection routine.
Who can do electrical inspections
Now you know how important it is to do an electrical inspection. But can anyone do an electrical inspection in Geelong?
The main authority governing and regulating electrical safety in Victoria is Energy Safe. Energy Safe Victoria is issuing various licenses to ensure that only skilled and qualified individuals will engage in electrical work.
Likewise, Energy Safe Victoria will also issue licenses to qualified electrical inspectors. This is commonly known asElectrical Inspectors License. There are various categories or classes of inspector licenses, each specifying different areas of inspection.
These license categories are:
Class G – Low-voltage installations.
Class H – Installations of electrical equipment in hazardous zones.
Class M – Fixed electrical equipment in patient areas.
Class V – High voltage installations.
Your licensed electrician will introduce a suitable licensed inspector for the inspections. Therefore you don’t need to worry about finding an inspector with a suitable license to attend to your needs. However, you can request to see their licenses before attending to your electrical installations.
Some people might confuse independent electrical inspections with the ESV audit. The licensed inspectors are independent parties who are qualified to check an installation. However, ESV will visit the place and audit the electrical work once they receive a copy of the COES.
Once the job is complete, a copy of the COES will be submitted to the ESV by the electrician.
How much does an electrical inspection cost
An electrical inspector would charge by the hour, typically around $50 to $100 per hour. Therefore, the cost of an electrical inspection will be different from one job to another.
A normal inspection would go on for two to four hours. The total inspector’s fee would be around $100 to $500. These values are rough estimates and could differ from time to time. The best way to find your inspection cost is to get quotations from several inspectors for the job.
Once your electrician completes the job, seek their advice to find an affordable inspector for the job. They have been in the market for a long time, and therefore they know the best available inspectors.
Is an electrical inspection a legal requirement for landlords
The landlords or the rental providers should ensure that their property is safe from electrical hazards. This is a legal requirement in the state of Victoria.
Therefore, the rental providers should ensure that all the electrical installations in the property are checked by a licensed electrician. This needs to be done every two years. The rental provider is bound to assure the tenant in writing that the electrical inspections were done, not exceeding two years.
If the rental provider rents a place that has not been inspected for two years, an electrical inspection is warranted. Therefore electrical inspections are a legal requirement for landlords.
Electrical inspections are crucial to ensure electrical safety. Independent but ESV-licensed inspectors will do the electrical inspections in Geelong.
The need for electrical inspections will depend on the nature of the electrical installation. However, you still can arrange an inspection without an installation to ensure the safety of your home. Further, if you are a rental provider, you should do electrical inspections every two years.
The cost of electrical inspections will differ from one job to another. So the best way to determine the cost would be to obtain several quotations from electrical inspectors.
Are you planning to do an electrical inspection in Geelong? If yes, then Mr. Electric can help you.
We have served the Geelong community for over three decades. We also hold the necessary licenses and certificates to help you with theinspections. Feel free to contact us for a free in-house quotation.
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