Every electrical installation deteriorates with age, as well as with wear and tear from use.
Therefore it needs to be inspected and tested at appropriate intervals during its life time to establish that its condition is such that the installation is safe to be putremain in service
Testing Safety of Electrical Installation & fixed wiring:
1) Initial Verification and Certification of Electrical Installations
Before a new installation or an alteration to an existing installation be put into service, it is necessary to carryout a careful and thorough inspection and testing to make sure it complies with the requirement of BS-7671
Initial verification includes different kinds of inspection and testing during the installation and on completion and comparison of the test results with the requirement of BS-7671 and to confirm at the time of inspection it was considered fit to be put into service.
2) Periodic Inspection, Testing and Certification of Electrical Installation
A periodic inspection checks the condition of an existing electrical installation against BS7671, the UK standard for the safety of electrical installations.
The main purpose of periodic inspection is to detect so far, as is reasonably practicable, and to report on, any defects impairing the safety of an electrical installation.
Details of the condition of the installation should be recorded in an Electrical Installation Condition Report.
Testing the installation shall include:
- Continuity of protective conductors
- Continuity of ring final circuit conductors
- Insulation resistance
- Polarity
- Earth electrode resistance
- Protection by Automatic disconnection of supply
- Earth fault loop impedance
- Prospective fault current
- Verification of phase sequence
- Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker functions ( ELCB test)