Checking and testing

On the completion of the electrical work and before the electricity supply is connected and energized ,
the electrical contractor is responsible to ensure that

 The electrical work has been carried out in accordance with the Electricity (licensing)
Regulations 1991; and
 The installation has been checked and tested and is safe for connection to the electricity supply.

To achieve this, the following minimum checks and tests should be carried out by the electrician

1. Visual inspection –should be carried out whilst referring to a plan (to ensure a systematic check
to pick up any omissions and to verify that the work complies with the requirements of the
applicable standard).
2. Earth resistance and continuity test- this test is to include the main earthing conductor,
protective earth and bonding conductors
3. Insulation Resistance test- this test is necessary to ensure that the insulation resistance between
live parts/conductors and the earth is adequate.
4. Polarity test-used to ensure correct connector of active , neutral and earthing conductors
5. Correct circuit connections-this checks test earthing conductors do not carry current during
normal operation and no short circuit exists
6. Fault loop impedance-measures the fault loop impedance of each circuit to verify the protective
device will operate

Checking and testing procedure

The following procedure will meet the key checking and the testing requirements. Ensure that the test
results are recorded carefully. Other testing procedures may be used ,provided they meet the
minimum requirements of the wiring rules.
It is also recommended that the test be carried out whilst there is no electricity supply connected
( except for the Fault Loop Impedance verification or the RCD operation test) to the installation or , in
the case of alterations to an existing installation, that the circuit to be tested have been isolated from
the electricity supply and have been securely tagged and where possible padlocked.

1. VISUAL INSPECTION-
A visual inspection is carried out to ensure that all work has been done correctly , by checking that
 All cables and equipments have been correctly installed and terminated, and
 The installation with the relevant parts of the wiring rules and the WA Electrical Requirements
2. EARTH RESISTANCE AND CONTINUITY TESTS
Earth resistance test are required to confirm the installed earthing system will cause circuit
protective devices to operate and maintain cable integrity if there is a fault between live parts
and exposed conductive parts.
 Earthing system impedance
The resistance from any point of the electrical installation required to be earthed, to the point
where the main earthing conductor is connected to the neutral conductor (MEN connection) of
the supply system,shall be low enough to permit the passage of current necessary to operate the
circuit protective devices. To confirm this value(which is dependent upon the type and rating of the
protective device and the fault loop impedance of the associated conductors) requires the
following test to be performed
TEST 1: Obtain the resistance value of the protective earthing conductor using a quality ohm meter
and compare this value with the maximum allowable resistance

Or where the electricity supply is connected :

TEST 2: obtain the fault loop impedance of each sub circuit using a quality fault loop impedance
meter. Compare the measured fault loop impedance value with the maximum valueas provided in
the Wiring Rules
NOTES
1. If the application of a fault loop impedance test onto an RCD protected sub circuit results in the
RCD operation, then:
 The earth resistance and the continuity test are considered to be satisfied ; and
 The fault loop impedance value need not to be considered further
2. If the value measured is greater than the allowable maximum then the following steps must be
performed

TEST 2. Perform 1: check the MEN connection , active, neutral and earth conductors
equipment connections are all solidly made.

Repeat the fault loop impeadance I test 2, above

If the fault loop impedance values exceed the requirements of the table B4.1 then perform
TEST 2.2: perform the earth continuity measurement, test 1 and confirm results.

Repeat the fault loop impedance test 2 above. If the fault loop impedance values do not
satisfy the requirements of the Wiring Rules then contact the network operator advising
them of discrepancy.

Main Earthing conductor

The resistance from the earthing electrode to the point where the main earthing conductor is
connected to the neutral conductor of the supply system shall not exceed 5 ohms

Test equipment

 A multimeter set to ohms/

 A insulated copper conductor of suitable length( long lead).
` Test procedure

1. Ensure that the electricity supply has been disconnected.

2. Connect an insulated copper conductor of suitable length(long lead) to one terminal of the ohm
meter.
3. Connect a standard length test lead to the other terminal of the ohm metre(short lead)
4. Connect the two leads together and
 Zero the multimeter or if this is not possible
 Record the resistance of the test lead
5. Disconnect the water pipe equipotential bonding conductor and the water heater earthing
conductor
Care must e taken that there are no parallel earth paths when conducting this test ,ie the
earthing system must not be connected to either the water or gas pipes.
6. Disconnect the MEN link from the main neutral link and connect it to the long lead
A. Main Earthing conductor
 Connect the short lead to the earth electrode and measure the earth resistance of the main
earthing conductor
 The resistance shall not exceed 5 ohms for the main earthing conductor
B. Earth continuity test
 Using the long lead and zeroed meter, measure for each circuit ,the earhn conductor
resistance from the circuit extremity to the switchboard.
 To confirm the measured values are less than those values as provided by table 1.
 This test is applicable to all circuits , including socket outlets circuit ,lighting circuits and fixed
equipment circuits
7. Re-connect the MEN link to the main neutral link
8. Re-connect the water pipe equipotential bonding conductor

3. INSULATION RESISTANCE TESTS

An insulation resistance test is performed to ensure that the resistance between all live conductors and
earth, or as the case may be , all live parts and earth is adequate to prevent electric shock hazards, fire
hazards and equipment damage.

It is a requirement of clause 6.3.3.3.1 of the Wiring Rules that the insulation resistance between alllive
conductors (including neutral be connected together, and earth measured with all protective devices in
circuit and all switches on, is not less than 1 mega ohm. This applies to the complete installation and all
parts of the complete installation.

This does not prelude the use of appliances incorporating heating elements provided that , when tested
with all circuit elements in the circuit, the insulation resisitance between live parts and the earthing
terminal or earthing contact is not less than 0.01mega ohms
Test Equipment

Where the supply voltage does not exceed 250volts between conductors and earth, a 500volts
insulation tester should be used to perform this test.

Test procedure

1. Ensure that all protective devices are in the circuit and that all switches are on. If there are 2-
way lighting circuits in the installation, tests must be carried out with the two way switches in all
positions , so all circuit conductors are tested.
2. Set the insulation tester to mega ohms
3. Connect one lead of the insulation tester to the main earthing bar(MEN oink disconnected ) and
the other lead to the actives and neutrals connected together. Do not test between actives and
neutrals .
4. Measure the insulation resistance of the total installation
If the insulation resistance is 1 mega ohm or more – re-connect the MEN link and return the
installation to normal
If the installation resistance is less than 1 mega ohm-test all circuits individually, starting with
supplying appliances incorporating heating elements.
Where a circuit is less than 1 mega ohm, disconnect the appliances. Then test the circuit
separately to ensure that the insulation resistance of both the circuit and the appliances
complies with the following
 Not containing a heating element- is not less than1 mega ohm or
 Containing a heating element-is not less than 0.01 mega ohm

Note : where the insulation resisitance of an appliance containing heating elements is found to be less
than 0.01 mega ohm and the defect can not be rectified at the time of checking and testing, the
electrical contractor must make arrangements for correction of defect prior to submission of the notice
of completion. Alternatively the following procedure may be used:

a. Isolate the defective circuit,including the neutral conductor by disconnecting at the appropriate
switch board
b. Attach an “out of service” tag to the circuit protection device advising that the circuit has been
disconnected due to low resistance
c. Then submit the notice of completion
Ensure that all circuits and the MEN connection are reconnected when the testing is complete.

4. POLARITY TEST

Polarity tests are carried out to ensure the correct connection of active ,neutral and earth conductors
to electrical equipment are to ensure that switches are not installed in neutral conductors. Clause
6.3.3.4 “polarity” of the wiring rules specifies the testing requirements for this mandatory test.
 Test Equipment

A continuity tester such as a multimeter should be used

Test Procedure

To ensure that the installation circuits will function as intended, It is necessary that the following tests
be performed:

 Isolate the active conductors by turning the main switch OFF and tagging
 Confirm the consumer and sub main cables by simply testing from the point of distribution board
to the main switch board using an ohm meter and long test loads. Test result= 0 ohms
 Confirm active conductors switching by using an ohm meter with the long lead connected to the
active conductor at the switchboard and the short lead connected to he switch terminals in the
following manner:
i. Switch ON= 0Ώ for both terminals
ii. Switch OFF= 0Ώ for one terminal and infinity for the other terminal
 With the MEN link in place, confirm the polarity of sockets outlets using a 10Ώ resistor and an ohm
meter. Connect the 10Ώ resistor between the circuit active conductor and the neutral bar then at
each socket outlet connect one lead of the multimeter to the earth terminal and the second lead to
the active terminal. Test the resistance value for
I. Socket outlet switch OFF= infinity
II. Socket outlet switch ON= 10Ώ.

5. CORRECT CIRCUIT CONNECTION

These tests are required to ensure the following

1. That the protective earthing conductors do not carry current

2. To prove there are no short circuit within the installation and
3. For the circuit continuity test, to prove that each circuit for electrical continuity and that
all switches operate in the active conductor

6. FAULT LOOP IMPEDANCE TEST

This test is carried out to confirm the fault loop impedance value of each circuit will be low enough
to ensure the operation of the protective device during a fault.
Test Equipment
To perform the fault loop impedance test, a fault loop impedance meter is required
Test procedure
 Energize all circuits
 Using the fault -loop impedance meter, proceed to the equipment to be tested and measure the
earth loop impedance at this point. Repeat for other items on the circuit
 The measured value must be less than the maximum values as in the Wiring Rules
 If an RCD operates during the test , the test results can be considered satisfactory