223.

59 Describe methods and equipment used for the

various electrical test
Electrical equipment and installation must be maintained so
as to prevent danger. The IEE’s Code of Practice for In-
Service Inspection and Testing recommends that
maintenance of electrical equipment and installation is carried
out in four stages: Visual inspection, Test to verify earth
continuity, Test to verify insulation, and Functional test.

Correct testing sequence

Testing can be hazardous, both to the tester and to others

who are within the area of the installation during the test. The
danger is compounded if tests are not carried out in the
correct sequence.
1
For example, it is of great importance that the continuity, and
hence the effectiveness, of protective conductors is confirmed
before the insulation resistance test is carried out. The high
voltage used for insulation testing could appear on all
extraneous metalwork associated with the installation in the
event of an open-circuit protective conductor if insulation
resistance is very low.
An earth-fault loop impedance test cannot be conducted
before an installation is connected to the supply, and the
danger associated with such a connection before verifying
polarity, protective system effectiveness and insulation
resistance will be obvious.
Any test which fails to produce an acceptable result must be
repeated after remedial action has been taken. Any other
tests, whose results may have been influenced by the fault
concerned, must also be repeated.
2
 Correct sequence for safe testing
Before connection of the supply
Continuity of protective 6 Protection by separation
1
conductors Protection by barriers and
7
Main and supplementary enclosures
2
bonding continuity Insulation of non-conducting
8
Continuity of ring final floors and walls
3
circuit conductors 9 Polarity
4 Insulation resistance Earth electrode resistance
5 Site applied insulation 10 if an earth electrode
resistance tester is used
With supply connected
Earth electrode 13 Earth-fault loop impedance
resistance if an earth- Correct operation of residual
11 fault loop tester or the 14
current devices
ammeter and voltmeter
method are used Correct operation of switches
15
and isolators 3
12 Confirm correct polarity
 Protective conductor continuity

All protective and bonding conductors must be tested to

ensure that they are electrically safe and correctly
connected. Provided that the supply is not yet connected, it
is permissible to disconnect the protective and equipotential
conductors from the main earthing terminal to carry out
testing. Where the mains supply is connected, as will be the
case for periodic testing, the protective and equipotential
conductors must not be disconnected because if a fault
occurs these conductors may rise to a high potential above
earth. In this case, an earth-fault loop tester can be used to
verify the integrity of the protective system.

There are three methods for measurement of the resistance

of the protective conductor.
4
 a. Using the neutral conductor as a return lead

A temporary link is made

at the distribution board
between neutral and
protective conductor
systems. This gives the
combined resistance of
the protective and neutral
conductors back to the
distribution board.
Rp = R  [ An / (An + Ap )]

where
Rp - is the resistance of the protective conductor
R - is the resistance reading taken
An - is the cross-sectional area of the neutral conductor
Ap - is the cross-sectional area of the protective conductor 5
 b. Using a long return lead
A long lead is used which will stretch from the main earthing
terminal to every point of the installation.
First, connect the two ends of this lead to the instrument to
measure its resistance and then connect one end of the lead
to the main earthing terminal and the other end to one of the
meter terminals.
Second, take the meter with its long lead still connected to the
point from which continuity measurement is required, and
connect the second meter’s terminal to the protective
conductor at that point.
Rp = R - RL
where
Rp - is the resistance of the protective conductor
R - is the resistance reading taken
RL - is the resistance of the long lead 6
 c. Where ferrous material forms all or part of the
protective conductor
There are some cases where the protective conductor is
made up wholly or in part by conduit, trunking, steel wire
armour, and the like. The resistance of such materials will
always be likely to rise with age due to loose joints and the
effects of corrosion. Three tests may be carried out, those
listed being of increasing severity as far as the current-
carrying capacity of the protective conductor is concerned.
They are:
1 - A standard ohmmeter test as indicated in 1 or 2 above.
This is a low current test which may not show up poor contact
effects in the conductor. Following this test, the conductor
should be inspected along its length to note if there are any
obvious points where problems could occur.
7
2 - If it is felt by the inspector that there may be reasons to
question the soundness of the protective conductor, a phase-
earth loop impedance test should be carried out with the
conductor in question forming part of the loop.

3 - If it is still felt that the protective conductor resistance is

suspect, the high current test using 1.5 times the circuit
design current (with a maximum of 25 A) may be used. The
protective circuit resistance together with that of the wander
lead can be calculated from:
voltmeter reading (V) / ammeter reading (A)

8
Subtracting wander lead resistance from the calculated value
will give the resistance of the protective system.

The resistance
between any
extraneous
conductive part and
the main earthing
terminal should he
0.05 Ohms or less;
all supplementary
bonds are also
required to have the
same resistance

9
 Ring final circuit continuity
It is very important that each of the three rings associated
with each circuit (phase, neutral and protective conductors)
should be continuous and not broken. If this happens, current
will not be properly shared by the circuit conductors.
The tests of the ring final circuit will establish that neither a
broken nor a bridged ring has occurred.

10
Test 1
This test confirms that complete rings exist and that there are
no breaks. To complete the test, the two ends of the ring
cable are disconnected at the distribution board. The phase
conductor of one side of the ring and the neutral from the
other (P1 and N2) are connected together, and a low
resistance ohmmeter used to measure the resistance
between the remaining phase and the neutral (P2 and N1).
To check the continuity of
the circuit protective
conductor, connect the
phase and CPC of
different sides together
(P1 and E2) and measure
the resistance between
phase and CPC of the
11
other side (P2 and E1).
Test 2
This test will confirm the absence of bridges in the ring circuit.
First, the phase conductor of one side of the ring is
connected to the neutral of the other (P1 and N2) and the
remaining phase and neutral are also connected together (P2
and N1). The resistance is then measured between phase
and neutral contacts of each socket on the ring. If the results
of these measurements are all substantially the same (within
0.05 Ohms), the absence of a bridge is confirmed. If the
readings are different, this will indicate the presence of a
bridge or may be due to incorrect connection of the ends of
the ring. If they are connected
P1 to N1 and P2 to N2 then
readings will increase or reduce
as successive measurements
round the ring are taken, as is
the case where a bridge exists. 12
 Correct polarity
If a single-pole switch or fuse is connected in the neutral of
the system rather than in the phase, a very dangerous
situation may arise.
It is thus of the greatest
importance that single-pole
switches, fuses and circuit
breakers are connected in
the phase (non-earthed)
conductor, and verification of
this connection is the
purpose of the polarity test.

13
 Testing insulation resistance
A low resistance between phase and neutral conductors, or
from live conductors to earth, will result in a leakage current.
This current could cause deterioration of the insulation, as
well as involving a waste of energy which would increase the
running costs of the installation. Insulation will sometimes
have high resistance when low potential differences apply
across it, Required test voltages and minimum resistance
but will
break down Nominal circuit voltage Test
voltage
Minimum insulation
resistance
and offer (V) (M Ohms)
low
resistance Extra-low voltage circuits supplied
from a safety transformer
250 0.25
when a Up to 500 V except for above 500 0.5
higher Above 500 V up to 1000 V 1000 1.0
voltage is The insulation resistance tester must be capable of maintaining the
applied. required voltage when providing a steady state of current of 1mA. 14
 Before commencing the test it is important that:
1. - electronic equipment which could be damaged by the
application of the high test voltage should be disconnected.
Included in this category are electronic fluorescent starter
switches, touch switches, dimmer switches, power controllers,
delay timers, switches associated with passive infrared
detectors (PIRs), RCDs with electronic operation etc. An
alternative to disconnection is to ensure that phase and
neutral are connected together before an insulation test is
made between them and earth.
2. - capacitors and indicator or pilot lamps must be
disconnected or an inaccurate test reading will result.
Where any equipment is disconnected for testing purposes,
it must be subjected to its own insulation test, using a
voltage which is not likely to result in damage. The result
must conform with that specified in the BS concerned, or be15
at least 0.5 M if there is no standard.
The test to earth must be carried out on the complete
installation with the main switch off, with phase and neutral
connected together, with lamps and other equipment
disconnected, but with fuses in, circuit breakers closed and all
circuit switches closed. Where two-way switching is wired,
only one of the two wires will be tested. To test the other, both
two-way switches should be operated and the system
retested. If desired, the installation can be tested as a whole
when a value of at least 0.5 MW should be achieved. In the
case of a very large installation
where there are many
earth paths in parallel, the
reading would be likely
lower. If this happens, the
installation should be
subdivided and retested,
when each part must meet
16
the minimum requirement. Insulation test to earth
The tests between poles must be carried out as indicated,
with a minimum acceptable value for each test of 0.5 M.
However, where a reading of less than 2 M is recorded for
an individual circuit, (the minimum value required by the
Health and Safety Authority), there is the possibility of
defective insulation, and remedial work may be necessary.
A test result of 2 M may sometimes be unsatisfactory.
If such a reading is the result of
a re-test, it is necessary to
consult the data from previous
tests to identify deterioration. A
visual inspection of cables to
determine their condition is
necessary during periodic
tests; perished insulation may
not always give low insulation
readings 17
Insulation tests between poles
Tests on SELV and PELV circuits are carried out at 250 V.
However tests between these circuits and the live
conductors of other circuits must be made at 500 V. Tests to
earth for PELV circuits are at 250 V, whilst FELV circuits are
tested as LV circuits at 500 V. Readings of less than 5 M
will require further investigation.

18
 Measuring earth-fault loop impedance and
prospective short-circuit current
The loop includes the resistance of phase and protective
conductors within the installation, the highest values will occur
at points furthest from the incoming supply position where
these conductors are longest.

19
The impedance of the phase-to-earth loop is measured by
connecting a resistor (typically 10 Ohms) from the phase to
the protective conductor.
A fault current, usually something over 20 A, circulates in the
fault loop, and the impedance of the loop is calculated within
the instrument by dividing supply voltage by the value of this
current.
The resistance
of the added
resistor must
be subtracted
from this
calculated
value before
the result is
displayed. 20
Since the loop current is very high, its duration must be short
and must be limited to two cycles (or four half-cycles) or 40
ms for a 50 Hz supply. The current is usually switched by a
thyristor or a triac, the firing time being controlled by an
electronic timing circuit. It is very important to have already
checked the continuity of the protective system before
carrying out this test. A break in the protective system, or a
high resistance within it, could otherwise result in the whole of
the protective system being directly connected to the phase
conductor for the duration of the test.

A typical earth-fault loop tester

connected to a socket outlet so
that its loop impedance can be
measured
21
Before testing, the main equipotential bonding conductors are
disconnected (BUT NOT THE CONNECTION WITH EARTH)
to prevent parallel earth return paths and to ensure that there
is no dependence on the service pies for gas and water for
effective earthing, (REMEMBER TO RECONNECT THE
MAIN EQUIPOTENTIAL BONDING AFTER THE TEST).
Tests must be carried out at the origin of the installation, at
each distribution board, at all fixed equipment, at all socket
outlets, at 10% of all lighting outlets (choosing points farthest
from the supply) and at the furthest point of every radial
circuit. The test should be repeated at least once to allow for
the effect of transient variations in the supply voltage.

22
A circuit protected by an RCD will need special attention,
because the earth-fault loop test will draw current from the
phase which returns through the protective system. This will
cause an RCD) to trip. Therefore, any RCDs must be
bypassed by short circuiting connections before earth-fault
loop tests are carried out. It is, of course, of the greatest
importance to ensure that such connections are removed
after testing.

23
 Testing residual current devices (RCDs)
Residual current devices should comply with BS 4293 from
which it will be seen that they are provided with a built-in self
test system which is intended to be operated regularly by the
user. BS 7671 requires that correct operation of this test
facility should be checked, and that other tests are also
carried out.
RCD tests are
carried out with a
special tester which
is connected
between phase and
protective
conductors on the
load side of the RCD
after disconnecting
24
the load.
A precisely measured current for a carefully timed period is
drawn from the phase and returns via the earth, thus tripping
the device. The tester measures and displays the exact time
taken for the circuit to be opened. This time is very short, in
most cases being between 10 and 20 ms, although it can be
much longer, especially for S-types which have delayed
operation.

25
 1. - General purpose non-delayed RCDs

This is a general purpose type of RCD which is intended to

operate very quickly at its rated current. Three tests are
required:
a) 50% of the rated tripping current applied for 2 s should
not trip the device,
b) 100% of rated tripping current, which should not be
applied for more than 2 s, must cause the device to trip within
200 ms (0.2 s), and
c) where the device is intended to provide supplementary
protection against direct contact, a test current of 150 mA,
applied for no more than 50 ms, should cause the device to
operate within 40 ms.

26
 2. - Time-delayed RCDs
This type is purposely delayed in its operation to make sure
that other devices which are connected downstream of it will
operate more quickly. A 3:1 discrimination ratio is required
between two RCDs which are connected in series, and this
must be verified before testing. It means that the delayed
RCD must have an operating current at least three times that
of the non-delayed type. For example, to discriminate properly
with a 30 mA device, a second connected on the supply side
would need to have an operating current of at least 90 mA (in
practice, a 100 mA RCD is likely to be used).

27
The test for the time-delayed RCD consists of applying 100%
of the normal rated current, when the device should trip within
the time range of:
50% of rated time delay plus 200 ms, and
100% of rated time delay plus 200 ms.
For example, an RCD with a rated tripping time of 300 ms
should trip within a time range of:

(150 + 200) ms = 350 ms and

(300+200) ms = 500 ms

28