Electrics and gas
Should an immersion switch, seen beside no visible bonding, be treated as a verdict on a test that still was not done?
No. An immersion switch seen beside an absence of visible bonding is not a verdict on a test that still was not done. The switch is a local control for the cylinder heater. Not seeing a bonding conductor nearby is a visual limit, not a continuity result. The survey did not test the circuit, did not measure bonding and did not certificate the electrics. Hardware and a missing view are not the electrical test the instruction did not include.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Immersion heaters are a common place for local wiring, isolators and, where pipes are metal, bonding links. A switch on the wall can look ordinary while the flex, the thermostat and any link to the pipes stay unchecked. No visible bonding means none was seen in the view available. Conductors can be hidden, absent or disconnected, and those three are not separated without a test. The test was not done. The switch therefore proves nothing about continuity.
Ask the solicitor for an EICR, and point the electrician at the immersion circuit and at bonding to the cylinder pipework if metal pipes are present. That is their test, not a rereading of this note. Tell a lender the switch was seen, bonding was not visible and no electrical test was carried out. Do not write that the cylinder lacks bonding as a measured fact, or that it is fine because a switch clicked.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the immersion switch only seen, not electrically tested?
- Does no visible bonding mean unseen, rather than a continuity result?
- Has the test the note refers to remained undone?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the switch and the missing view of bonding as visual only.
- Ask the solicitor for an electrical condition report.
- Do not tell a lender bonding was tested at the cylinder.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a new immersion switch mean the heater circuit was rewired?
Not by itself. Switches are replaced on old cables. The survey saw a switch and did not see bonding, and it still did not test the circuit. Ask the solicitor if an electrician's certificate covers the cylinder. A new faceplate is not that certificate and is not a bonding test.
If the pipes under the cylinder are plastic, is bonding irrelevant?
The survey has not decided that. Plastic pipework can change what needs a link, but mix of old metal and new plastic is common, and no test was done. No visible bonding is still only a visual note. An electrician has to see the pipes and test. This report did not convert the switch into that decision.