Insulation resistance test help

[Bradley6969]

Hi I want to test the whole board at once with an insulation test so turn off main isolator and breakers turn tester to 500v? And is the best thing to do, the incoming tails L+N put in a link between them and connect your probes to the link and other to earth also can you still operate light switches on and off to confirm that they work cheers

 

[Kate]

Hi I want to test the whole board at once with an insulation test so turn off main isolator and breakers turn tester to 500v? And is the best thing to do, the incoming tails L+N put in a link between them and connect your probes to the link and other to earth also can you still operate light switches on and off to confirm that they work cheers

When you say main isolator, do you mean main switch within distribution board? Or back at the main incomer?
Cause isolating just the main switch within the board does not isolate incoming cables. Why do you want to do a global test of everything? IR test will not confirm that light switches work

 

[Bradley6969]

I mean main switch in consumer unit, I just need to test there's no shorts in cables and rather than going through all 6 breakers just do whole board at once that's why I was wondering about seeing if I could check the lights to make sure they both switch on and off at each point

 

[Bradley6969]

This is for college btw and need to check the 2 way lighting circuit will work with insultation test rather than doing the same old r1+r2 test

 

[PEG]

HI,if your "breakers" are off,you will be doing each circuit separately or from the tails,you will only be testing within the DB.

The switching of various lighting circuits,would be to incorporate all the conductors in the IR testing,not to check their function.

You would not be testing on 500v first time round,if i was your senior,but then i always dangle from a rope first,BEFORE i swing across the stream

 

[Kate]

If you turn off main switch and breakers DO NOT TOUCH main incoming cables. They would still be energised.
Forget the link, two probe test neutral bar to earth bar. For the others, turn main switch OFF but leave breakers turned on. Test neutral bar to any breaker you like, and Earth bar to any breaker you like. By leaving breakers on you have continuity between all because of the buzz bar.
An IR test will not prove that the switches work. And it's pretty hard to hold probes, and the IR test button AND turn switches on and off.
Use continuity to prove that your switches work.

 

[PEG]

The "same old r1 r2 test" is not a way of checking the function of a 2 way,either.

 

[Kate]

This is for college btw and need to check the 2 way lighting circuit will work with insultation test rather than doing the same old r1+r2 test

They shouldn't be asking you to prove it using an IR test

 

[Bradley6969]

Ok so main switch off and all breakers on, link between L+N then connect probes from link to earth while on tester I put it on 500v to test the whole installation, after this to check function of light switches I'll just do a r1+r2 test sorted haha

 

[Kate]

When I was at college I had to prove I could do the proper series of dead testing. Why is this not the case anymore?!

 

[Bradley6969]

Why can't you do r1+r2 test it proves that the switches switch and proves polarity?

 

[Bradley6969]

When I was at college I had to prove I could do the proper series of dead testing. Why is this not the case anymore?!

Cause I listen to everything they say don't I I'm a 19 year old kid come on haha

 

[Kate]

Why can't you do r1+r2 test it proves that the switches switch and proves polarity?

We are all telling you to do the r1+r2 test

 

[Bradley6969]

I'm ju

They shouldn't be asking you to prove it using an IR test

im just looking for quicker ways

 

[Kate]

Cause I listen to everything they say don't I I'm a 19 year old kid come on haha

Oh my god. I want to slap you.
Ok, you're right. Turn off main switch, link INCOMING cables and test. Then come back and tell us what they said at college. You're purposely on here asking for our help with shortcuts. You have the safety net of college right now. Just hope if you do make it through that you hurt yourself from the shortcuts and no one else

 

[Bradley6969]

We are all telling you to do the r1+r2 test

That fella just said its not the right way to test a 2 way

 

[PEG]

My lap top is slow tonight...are we doing IR,continuity or polarity?

 

[Bradley6969]

Oh my god. I want to slap you.
Ok, you're right. Turn off main switch, link INCOMING cables and test. Then come back and tell us what they said at college. You're purposely on here asking for our help with shortcuts. You have the safety net of college right now. Just hope if you do make it through that you hurt yourself from the shortcuts and no one else

It's one little shortcut flipping hell its not like they don't do it on site

 

[Bradley6969]

My lap top is slow tonight...are we doing IR,continuity or polarity?

Doing IR, then continuity of lighting radial which will prove polarity is all ok

 

[Kate]

It's one little shortcut flipping hell its not like they don't do it on site

You're trying to do three tests in one. Out in the real world everything electrical is there to throw out your IR readings. Neons, lamps, kettles.
Have they shown you any accidents that happen from shortcuts? Electricity is dangerous. No one on here can say they don't make little mistakes as it is when they follow all the procedures and don't take shortcuts