ECX4234 - Session 24 – Inspection and testing

Session 24
Inspection and testing

Contents

24.1 Inspection
24.2 Testing
24.2.1 Continuity of protective conductors
24.2.2 Continuity of ring final circuits
24.2.3 Insulation resistance test
24.2.4 Polarity test
24.2.5 Earth electrode resistance test
24.2.6 Additional protection RCCB/RCBO operation test
24.2.7 Phase sequence test

Aim
The aim of this lesson is to give an idea about inspection and testing of a typical
domestic electrical installation.

Specific objectives
At the end of this lesson you will be able to:
1. Apply diversity in the calculation of current demand for a domestic
installation.
2. Explain the use of diversity in fused socket outlet circuits.
3. Sketch typical installation of 13 A socket outlet circuits for both radial and
ring circuits.

Introduction
We have now almost reached the finish line of the course content and about to
conclude our course “Electrical Installation”.
Having designed, selected the appropriate materials and equipment, and finally
upon completion of every electrical installation, be it as per the prevailing IEE
wiring Regulations or locally established standards, it now remains to put in to
service.

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However, before put in to service, the installation must be tested and inspected to
ensure that it is safe and complies, as far as is practicable, with IEE Regulations.

24.1 Inspection
The Regulations initially call for a visual inspection, but some items such as correct
connection of conductors, etc. can be done during the actual testing. The inspection
should be made to verify that the installed electrical equipment is correctly selected
and erected in accordance with the Regulations and not visibly damaged or defective
so as to impair safety.
While the verification should be made by a competent person, precautions should be
taken to avoid danger to person and to avoid damage to property and installed
equipment during inspection and testing. It should be noted that the inspection should
precede testing and normally be done with the installation under inspection is
disconnected from the supply.
The inspection includes at least the checking of the following items, where relevant
to the installation and where necessary during erection. They are:
 Connection and identification of conductors
 Routing of cables in safe zones, or protection against mechanical damage
 Selection of conductors for current carrying capacity and voltage drop in
accordance with the design
 Connection of single-pole devices for protection or switching in line
conductors only
 Correct connection of accessories and equipment
 Presence of fire barriers, suitable seals and protection against thermal effects
 Methods of protection against electric shock by both basic protection and fault
protection such as SELV, PELV, double insulation, reinforced insulation etc.
 Methods of protection against electric shock by insulation of live parts, by
barrier or an enclosure, by obstacles, by placing out of reach
 Presence of appropriate devices for isolation and switching correctly located
 Labelling of protective devices switches and terminals
 Adequacy of access to switchgear and equipment
 Presence of danger notices and other warning signs
 Presence of diagrams, instructions, erection method and similar information

24.2 Testing
The following items (where relevant to the installation being tested) must be tested in
the following sequence:
1. Continuity of protective conductors
2. Continuity of ring final circuit conductors
3. Insulation resistance

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4. Protection by SELV or PELV or electrical separation

5. Protection by barriers and enclosures provided during erection
6. Insulation of non-conducing floors and walls
7. Polarity
8. Earth electrode resistance
9. Additional protection
10. Prospective fault current
11. Check of phase sequence
12. Functional testing
13. Verification of voltage drop
For a domestic installation (TN-S, TN-C-S or TT) only tests 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11 and
13 would be needed. Let us now take a closer look at some of the above items in
order to understand the reasoning behind them.

24.2.1 Continuity of protective conductors

All protective conductors including main protective and supplementary bonding
conductors must be tested for continuity using a supply having a no-load voltage
between 4 V and 24 V, d.c. or a.c. and a short circuit current of not less than
200 mA. (or a low-reading ohmmeter is preferred).
For main protective bonding conductors there is no single fixed value of resistance
above which the conductor would be not suitable. Each measured value for very
short lengths should be compared with the relevant value for a particular conductor
length and size as per the table 24.1.

Size of the conductor Resistance

(mm2) (mΩ/m)m)
1.0 18.1
1.5 12.1
2.5 7.41
4.0 4.61
6.0 3.08
10.0 1.83
16.0 1.15
25.0 0.727

Table 24.1
Where a supplementary protective bonding conductor has been installed between
simultaneously accessible exposed and extraneous conductive parts, because of the
circuit disconnection times cannot be met, then the resistance R of the conductor
must be ≤ (50/Ia) Ω. Here 50 is the voltage, above which the exposed part of the

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metalwork should not rise for safety purposes, and Ia is the minimum current
causing the operation of the circuit protective device within 5 seconds.
Let us look at an example, suppose a 45 A BS 3036 semi-enclosed fuse protects a
cooker circuit. Let us assume a supplementary bonding conductor has been
installed between the cooker case and the adjacent metal sink.
The resistance R of that conductor should not be greater than 50/I a since the
minimum Ia in this case is 145 A (from Fig 3.2 B, Semi-enclosed fuses to BS3036,
IEE Regulations 17th edition)

50
Therefore R  0.34 
145

Question

How, then do we conduct a test to establish continuity of main or supplementary

bonding conductors?

Discussion
Simple: just connect the leads from the continuity tester to the ends of the bonding
conductor as shown in figure 24.1. One end should be disconnected from its
bonding clamp; otherwise any measurement may include the resistance of parallel
paths of other earthed metalwork.

Earth clamps

Main
protective
bonding
conductor

Gas

Measuring Instrument

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Figure 24.1 – Continuity of main protective bonding conductor

If the installation is in operation, never disconnect the main bonding conductors

unless the supply is isolated. This is because without isolation, person and
livestock are at risk of electric shock.

The continuity of circuit protective conductors may be established in the same way,
but a second method id preferred, as the result of this second test indicate the value
of (R1 + R2) for the circuit.

The test is carried out in the following order:

1. Temporarily connect together the phase conductor and circuit protective
conductor of the circuit concerned in the distribution board.
2. Carry out the test between phase conductor and circuit protective
conductor at each outlet in the circuit. If there is a reading, that indicates the
continuity.
3. Record the test result obtained at the furthest outlet in the circuit. The value
would be (R1+R2) for that particular circuit.

Figure 24.2 illustrates the testing method.

Temporary
link

E cpc
Reading at last outlet gives
(R1+R2) values for the
circuit
Ω

Figure 24.2 – Testing for circuit protective conductor continuity

When the installation comprises steel conduits and trunking, there may be some
difficulty in determining the values (R1+R2) of the circuit because of the parallel
earth paths that are likely to exist.
Under the circumstances, continuity test should be carried out at the installation
period before accessories are connected or before terminations are made off.

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24.2.2 Continuity of ring final circuits

There are two main reasons for conducting this test:
1. To check, whether there are any interconnections inside the ring itself.
2. To make sure that the circuit conductors are continuous.
3. To indicate the value of (R1+R2) for the ring.
You may wonder what type of an interconnection “in side a ring” we are talking
about here and why is it important to locate them?
Well, before answering the question let us have a closer look at figure 24.3 which
shows a typical ring final circuit. Also note the interconnection made with added
socket outlets P, Q, R and S to the existing ring A, B, C, D, E and F.
There is nothing wrong in this. However, the problem arises if a break occurs at
point Y or if the terminations fail in socket C or P.
Then there would be four sockets acting as a spur connected to the point X and
moreover all the four sockets are feeding from X.
This is the problem. So how do we identify such kind of a situation, I mean with or
without breaks at a point Y?

A B C P Q
Y

Inetrconnection
Spur

F E D S R

Figure 24.3

A simple resistance test between the ends of the phase, neutral or circuit protective
conductors will only indicate that the presence of a circuit exists, whether it is an
interconnection or not.
The following test method is based on the theory that the resistance measured
across any diameter of a perfect circle of conductor will always be the same value.
Ring circuits also can be considered as a perfect circle, even if you make a phase-
neutral cross connection at any point of the circuit. Usually this is done at socket
outlets when carrying out the test.
Have a look at figure 24.4.

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It will give the same value

between whatever the
diameter is measured

Circli of conductor

Ohms

Figure 24.4

Note in the figure 24.4, the perfect circle of conductor is achieved by cross-
connecting the phase wire and the neutral loops of the ring.

L1 N2

Phase Neutral
loop Ohms loop

L2 N1

Figure 24.5

The test procedure is as follows:

1. First identify the opposite legs of the ring. This is quite easy with sheathed
cables, but with the single cores, each conductor will have to be separately
identified. This can be done by taking resistance measurements between each one

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and the closest socket outlet. The readings will give three high readings and three
low readings. From the three low readings you can establish the opposite legs.
2. Take a resistance measurement between the ends of each conductor loop
and record this value.
3. Cross-connect the ends of the line and neutral loops (see figure 24.6)
4. Take the resistance measurement between phase and neutral at each socket
on the ring. The readings noted down should be the same for a perfect ring.

L1 N1 L2 N2

Phase & Neutral

cross connection

Figure 24.6
If an interconnection exists as shown in the diagram 24.3 then the sockets A to F
will have same readings. Those beyond the interconnection will have gradually
increasing readings to approximately the midpoint of the ring and then decreasing
values towards the interconnection.
Suppose there is a break at point Y, then the readings from socket s would increase
to a maximum at socket P. One or two high readings are likely to indicate either
loose connections or spurs. A null reading, i.e. an open circuit reading is probably a
reverse polarity, either phase conductor-cpc or neutral-cpc reversal. These faults
would clearly be rectified and the test at the suspect socket or sockets will be
repeated.
5. Repeat the procedure adopted above, however in this case cross-connect
the phase conductor and the cpc loop. In this case, if the cable is of the flat twin
type, the readings at each socket will very slightly increase and then decrease
around the ring. This difference due to the line and cpc being in different in
sizes. The measured value is very important and is (R 1 + R2) for the ring.

24.2.3 Insulation resistance test

Insulation resistance test some time identified as ‘meggering’ is performed in order
to ensure that the insulation of conductors, accessories and equipment is in a
healthy condition, and will prevent dangerous leakage currents between conductors
and between conductors and earth, It also indicate whether any short circuits exists
in circuits.
Insulation resistance is the resistance between conductors and is made up of
countless millions of resistances in parallel as shown in figure 24.7.

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conductors

sheath

Leakage
resistance of
the installation

Figure 24.7 – Cable leakage resistances

The insulation test procedure is as follows:
1. a. Disconnect all the items such as capacitors and indicator lamps since they
are likely to give misleading results.
b. Remove all the equipment likely to be damaged by the test, such as
dimmer switches, electronic timers, etc.
c. Remove all the lamps and accessories and disconnect any fluorescent lamp
and discharge lamp fittings.
d. Make sure that the installation is disconnected from the supply and all the
fuses are in place and mcbs and other switches are in the ON position.
e. If in case it is impracticable to remove any lamps owing to the
inaccessibility of its position, such instances the local switch controlling
the equipment may be left in the OFF position.
2. Join together all live and neutral conductors of the supply and test between this
join and earth. Alternatively, test between each live and neutral conductor and
earth in turn.
3. Test between line and neutral. For three-phase supply, join together all lines
and test between this join and neutral. Test between each of the lines and
neutral. Alternatively, test between each of the live conductors in turn.
Installations incorporating two-way lighting systems should be tested twice
with the two-way switches in alternative positions.
Table 24.2 gives the test voltages and minimum values of insulation resistance for
SELV and PELV systems.

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Circuit nominal operating voltage Test voltage (d.c.) Minimum insulation

(V) (V) Resistance (MΩ)
SELV and PELV 250 ≥0.5
Up to and including 500 V with 500 ≥1.0
the exception of the above system
Above 500 V 1000 ≥1.0
Table 24.2 – Minimum values for insulation resistance

24.2.4 Polarity test

Polarity test is a very simple test and quite often overlooked. This test is just as
important as all the other tests. Many serious injuries and electrocutions can be
avoided with this polarity check if carried out properly.
The requirements are:
1. Every fuse and single pole switches are in the line conductors
2. The outer screwed contact of an Edison screw type lamp holder
connected to the neutral conductor
3. Wiring has been correctly connected to socket-outlets and similar
accessories
It would seem sensible to conduct this test simultaneously with the continuity of
circuit protective conductor test. This is well illustrated when you look at figure 24.8

Continuity test of cpc

Phase wire

Switch wire
E
cpc

Temporary link

Figure 24.8

24.2.5 Earth electrode resistance test

As we know, the Sri Lankan supply system is TT and therefore the fault current
return path under earth fault condition is made by the general mass of earth and the
connection to earth of the installation usually made by a rod type electrode. The
measuring method for computing earth electrode resistance is discussed in details
in one of our previous lesson. However for the completion the method of test, the
procedure is described as follows:

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Potential electrode

15-25 m 15-25 m

3m 3m

Electrode Alternative positions Current

under test electrode

C1 P1 P2 C2

Figure 24.9

 Place the current electrode (C2) away from the electrode under test,
approximately 10 times its length, i.e. 30m for a 3m rod & place the potential
electrode mid way
 Connect the test instrument as shown in figure 24.9 and record resistance
value
 Move the potential electrode approximately 3 m either side of the mid
position, and record these two readings
 Take an average of these three readings (this is the earth electrode
resistance)
 Determine the maximum deviation or difference of this average from the
three readings
 Express this deviation as a percentage of the average reading
 Multiply this percentage deviation by 1.2
 Provided this value does not exceed a figure of 5% then the accuracy of the
measurement is considered acceptable
The value obtained here when added to the cpc resistance of the protected circuits
and, this value when multiplied by the operating current of the rccb (or rcd), should
not exceed the value 50V.
If a 30 mA rccb is used, this allows a maximum earth fault loop impedance of 1666 Ω
although it is recommended that earth fault loop impedance should never be greater
than 200 Ω as per the IEE Regulations.

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24.2.6 Additional protection RCCB/RCBO operation test

Where rccb/rcbo is fitted in an electrical installation, it is essential that they operate
with in set parameters. The rccb/rcbo testers are designed to do the following
procedure;
 Set the test instrument to the rating of the rccb/rcbo
 Set the test instrument to half-rated tripping current
 Operate the instrument. rccb/rcbo should not trip
 Set the instrument to deliver the full rated tripping current of the rccb/rcbo,
i.e. IΔnn
 Operate the instrument and the rccb/rcbo should trip out in the required
time
 For rccb/rcbo rated at 30 mA or less set the instrument to deliver 5 times
the rated tripping current of the rccb/rcbo i.e. 5IΔnn
 Operate the instrument and rccb/rcbo should trip out in 40 ms.

1.1.1 Phase sequence test

Where multi-phase systems are used, there is a high possibility that the phase
sequence will nee to be checked.
This is done with the use of a phase rotation indicator, which, simply a small three
phase motor.

Reference:
Requirements for Electrical Installations, IEE Wiring Regulations 17th Edition, 2008.

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