Topic: 🛡️ Safety & testing
Safety & testing - how-to guides
Safe isolation, initial verification, insulation resistance, earth-fault loop, continuity, bonding.
18 guides in this topic
Written specifically for UK domestic wiring - BS 7671, TN-C-S / TT earthing, and the fittings you actually find in a British consumer unit.
Bathroom supplementary bonding
When is supplementary bonding required in a UK bathroom? The BS 7671 rules explained - RCBO protection, what must be bonded, and why most modern bathrooms can omit it.
Read the guideHow to carry out initial verification on a new electrical installation
The full sequence of dead and live tests required by BS 7671 Chapter 61 before energising any new circuit or consumer unit in the UK, from visual inspection to loop impedance and RCD trip times.
Read the guideHow to carry out safe isolation before electrical work
The correct BS 7671 safe isolation procedure for a single-phase circuit: identify the circuit, switch off, lock out, prove dead with a voltage indicator, and only then begin work.
Read the guideHow to check your main bonding conductors
A plain-English UK guide to main protective bonding. What the green and yellow cables on your gas and water pipes do, what to look for during a visual check, and when to call a qualified electrician.
Read the guideHow to PAT test appliances in the UK
A plain UK guide to portable appliance testing: Class 1 vs Class 2, visual inspection, earth continuity, insulation resistance and record-keeping. Honest on what a landlord or Airbnb host can do themselves.
Read the guideMain protective bonding: what it is and why it matters
What main protective bonding is, which services need bonding under BS 7671, what conductor size is required, and what happens to bonding during a consumer unit upgrade.
Read the guideHow to test a ring final circuit (UK)
What an electrician checks when testing a UK ring final circuit - continuity of live, neutral and CPC, polarity at each socket, and insulation resistance. Understand the tests before an EICR or new installation work.
Read the guideHow to test an immersion heater
No hot water? This UK guide explains how an immersion heater works, how to test the element and thermostat with a multimeter, and when to call an electrician rather than replacing parts yourself.
Read the guideHow to test the RCD in your consumer unit
A quick UK guide to using the test button on an RCD to make sure your home's trip protection is working. Do it every three months. Includes what to do if it does not trip.
Read the guideHow to test circuit polarity on a UK socket circuit
A UK guide to circuit polarity testing: what reversed polarity means, the dead continuity method, the live voltage check, and when a homeowner should simply use a socket tester instead.
Read the guideHow to test continuity of a circuit
UK guide to R1+R2 protective conductor continuity testing under BS 7671 - the link method, nulling test leads, recording values and what an open-circuit reading means.
Read the guideHow to test earth fault loop impedance (Zs)
A UK guide to earth fault loop impedance testing: what Zs means, how to measure it with a multifunction tester, the BS 7671 maximum values to check against, and when to use live versus dead methods.
Read the guideHow to test insulation resistance on a domestic circuit
A plain-English UK guide to insulation resistance testing: what it is, what equipment you need, the step-by-step test procedure, minimum pass readings under BS 7671, and when to call a qualified electrician.
Read the guideHow to use a clamp meter at home
A practical guide to using a clamp meter in a UK home: selecting AC current mode, clamping a single conductor, reading the display and spotting overloaded circuits. Includes when to stop and call an electrician.
Read the guideHow to use a multifunction tester
A UK guide to using a multifunction tester (MFT) for domestic electrical testing - continuity, insulation resistance, earth fault loop impedance and RCD trip time, with recording guidance for EIC and EICR forms.
Read the guideHow to use a multimeter for electrical testing
A UK guide to using a digital multimeter for domestic electrical testing - choosing the right safety category, measuring mains voltage, checking continuity and resistance, and when to stop and call an electrician.
Read the guideHow to use a non-contact voltage tester (volt stick)
How to use a non-contact voltage tester (volt stick) correctly: testing the tester itself, reading the signal, understanding its limitations, and when to use a two-pole voltage tester instead.
Read the guideHow to use a plug-in socket tester
A UK guide to testing your socket outlets with a plug-in socket tester -- choosing the right tester, reading the indicator lights, understanding each fault pattern, and when to call an electrician.
Read the guideOther topics
🔧 Installation & wiring
Wire, fit and install - cable runs, sockets, switches, consumer units, cookers, showers, outdoor circuits.
🔍 Fault finding
Diagnosing tripping MCBs, flickering lights, dead sockets, buzzing switches and other common faults.
🔁 Replace & upgrade
Swapping old kit for new - light switches, sockets, fusewire, fuse boxes, consumer units, luminaires.
📖 Understand & explain
How your home electrics actually work - cable colours, ring vs radial, MCB vs RCD, live vs neutral, current vs voltage.
📋 Planning & regulations
What is notifiable, when to call an electrician, choosing consumer units and EV chargers, BS 7671 basics.
⚡ General guides
Working with cable, wiring accessories and everyday tools around the home.