Clarity on who is responsible to testing of earth leakage unit

[Tshepo Mokoena]

Morning All

A client went away from home for a couple of days ,during which and earth leakage tripped because it was faulty .This resulted in a lot of damage to the food in his fridges .Now he called me

to check .The earth leakage just tripped because it was faulty and was replaced .Now when it comes to him claiming the damages to his insurance (The insurance wants the electrician to write a report on this ) , the question arises .Who is legally responsible for making sure the earth leakage is tested every 3 months ? Obviously , A lot of home owners lack knowledge about how to test and cannot afford to hire an electrician just to test it every 3 months .


Kind regards

[Blurock]

First time I have heard of this requirement to test the earth leakage every 3 months. Maybe just a bulls#!t reason for the insurance company not to pay. It is important to check the history and rating of an insurance company. Cheap always fail!

[Isetech]

It is standard for the insurance company to request a report from the electrician.

I have done many reports for insurance companies ranging from R5k to R500k.

Most customers dont read the policy, they rely on the broker, if you dont know the right questions to ask, then there is a good chance you are gonna get the short end of the stick.

A faulty ELU while the customer is away, I can understand why the insurance company has requested a report.

I have learnt to say as little as possible while dealing with assessors, the less you say the better chance you have of getting the claim settled. The insurance company is in the businesses of collecting premiums, not paying out claims.

Simple things like surge and lightning cover, we have discussed in the past, just to remind everyone, you need to make sure there a clause in your policy which indicates that the policy will cover "surges" and lightning, not the same thing. If not, check the weather before you claim, rather put the device aside for a day when there is lightning.

Done rush out and call your broker to submit a claim, rather call the broker to see if you are covered and how you are covered, then submit the claim once you are aware of the cover you pay every month.

[Derlyn]

.Who is legally responsible for making sure the earth leakage is tested every 3 months ? Obviously , A lot of home owners lack knowledge about how to test and cannot afford to hire an electrician just to test it every 3 months .

The user or lessor is responsible for the electrical installation.

Most earth leakage relays have the following words printed in close proximity to the test button on the unit. " Push monthly " or "Test monthly".
This recommendation surely is intended for the user.

That said, how does an electrician prove the cause of the units failure ?

[AndyD]

Yes the user of the installation would be responsible for periodically testing the earth leakage breaker but everyone knows that in 99.9% of cases this is never going to happen. Having a test button on the earth leakage breaker is just a classic case of an ass covering / pass the buck exercise. There's no instructions for a (electrically) non-competant person on what's classed as a pass and a fail when the button is pressed. How are they supposed to know that an immediate trip is a pass when in every other circumstance any breaker tripping wounld indicate something is a fail. How are they supposed to know what condition the earth leakage is in if it takes two or three test button presses before it trips or if it only trips after a few seconds of holding the button. How are they supposed to know the test button doesn't work during load shedding or if they've run out of prre-paid units?

[Derlyn]

I can just imagine what my clients will tell me to do with myself if I suggest to them that I need to come back monthly to test their earth leakage.

[Thys LOW Elektries]

Even worse when you trip a cbi earth leakage and switch it on it doesn't work! They will call an electrician and complain that the power is not working. You drive out, switch the earth leakage off and switch it on and everything works 100%Rememeber a CBI earth leakage have a on, trip and off position. Had already had a couple of them, do you look at the car in the driveway and then decide if you will charge for the call out or not.

[Isetech]

I charge according to the entrance. If a customer treats me like any other person who would enter the house, the bill is the standard rate. If I get offered coffee and scones with fresh cream and strawberry jam, I probably wouldnt even charge for such a simple thing.

If I use a contractors entrance they pay a contractors fee plus the callout fee plus travelling and they get labelled "AH" not SW or CWA on the job card. If I have to take me shoes off and work with socks on or cover my shoes there is a safety risk fee

Even worse when you trip a cbi earth leakage and switch it on it doesn't work! They will call an electrician and complain that the power is not working. You drive out, switch the earth leakage off and switch it on and everything works 100%Rememeber a CBI earth leakage have a on, trip and off position. Had already had a couple of them, do you look at the car in the driveway and then decide if you will charge for the call out or not.

[Derlyn]

I sort those out over the phone. It just prevents an embarrasing situation later.

I dont use electrical terminology on the phone. " Push the lever down then up again" usually works and if it does, I've saved some time to attend to more important matters and secondly, but most importantly, gained a new client for when they really need my services.

[Isetech]

This is why we dont have sports cars in the garage, or a fleet of new 4x4 Toyota double cab bakkies and go on holiday 4 times a year .

I sort those out over the phone. It just prevents an embarrasing situation later.

I dont use electrical terminology on the phone. " Push the lever down then up again" usually works and if it does, I've saved some time to attend to more important matters and secondly, but most importantly, gained a new client for when they really need my services.

[Derlyn]

This is why we dont have sports cars in the garage, or a fleet of new 4x4 Toyota double cab bakkies and go on holiday 4 times a year .

I always try and give some info that might be of benefit to others.

In my opinion, driving somewhere to reset an earth leakage is a waste of my time. That's why I always try and sort it out telephonically first.
It's different if you sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring and you trying to scrape together a couple of pennies to pay the lights and water account. That's when you go as quickly as possible and also charge as much as you can possibly squeeze out of the client, never to see them or any of their friends again in the future.

Fortunately I'm not in that position.

I think long term.

Most of the more lucrative contracts I've been involved in have found their way to me from potential clients whom I have assisted with minor things telephonically in the past.
They never forget that you are not a money grabber and when the bigger one's come along, you are approached and in most cases are successful.

Giving a little does work for me.

I'm past the stage of wanting sports cars, boats and lengthy holidays. Been there, done that. Our longest holiday was 4 years. Eventually you get tired of it.

So Thys, there you have my outlook. It has served me well.

Peace out .. Derek

[Thys LOW Elektries]

Just for the record I only give invoices or bills when I work. Resetting a tripped breaker or earth leakage is not worth the time to invoice a client. Frequently my time s rewarded with a coffee and a nice chat then I don't invoice. Yes these clients always give good referrals and bring in good paying clients.
At the end of the day, educate the client, be friendly and invoice when you feal the client deserve it or just walk away with a smile.

[Thys LOW Elektries]

Oh yes I nearly forgot. If I have to invoice based on what is parked in the driveway I will never or very seldom give an invoice that is worth my time.