Electrical diagnostics

 

Electrical diagnosis: the 1st step against electrical insecurity

Since January 1, 2009, the Electrical Diagnosis is mandatory when selling a home whose electrical installation is over 15 years old.

Of the 30 million housing units in France, 7 million no longer meet safety regulations and 2.3 million present a real danger linked to the dilapidated state of their electrical installations, such as the risk of fire, electrification, electrocution, which are underestimated, if not ignored, by occupants.

To remedy this situation, the legislator instituted the Electrical Diagnosis, the first step towards the treatment of electrical insecurity.

1 diagnosis, 4 key areas

Since January 1, 2009, this diagnosis has applied to all sales of homes with electrical installations over 15 years old.

It covers 4 key areas:

   The power supply,
   The electrical panel,
   Earthing,
   Installation in the different rooms.

A warning signal
Although mandatory, this diagnosis, carried out by a qualified and certified diagnostician, is primarily intended as an alert.

At the end of his intervention, the diagnostician must:

   Inform the owner of the installation, specifying the type of anomalies and their location,
   Alert him of the risks incurred when using the installation,
   Advise him to have the necessary safety work carried out as soon as possible by a qualified electrician.

On the other hand, it does not impose anything, leaving the choice to the owner to have the necessary work carried out or not.

Restrictions
Limited to the private installation, that is to say to housing, its cellar, its garage or even its swimming pool when they exist, the Electrical Diagnosis therefore does not concern the common areas of a building.

Another restriction is that it is done using tests and measurements "on sight": the texts specify that the diagnostician does not have to move the furniture or dismantle the installation. Only the visible and visitable parts of these are therefore checked.

To anticipate
In the case of home improvement work, the electrician can request a Consuel certificate.
This has an electrical diagnostic value for three years, and saves the cost of providing the diagnostician.

Voluntary diagnoses
Outside the regulatory field, voluntary diagnostics can also be offered by energy distributors or regulatory bodies.