Insulation Resistance Testing: How and Why?

How significant is insulation resistance testing? Since 80% of electrical maintenance and testing involves evaluating insulation integrity, the answer is "very important." Electrical insulation starts to age as soon as it s made. !nd, aging deteriorates its performance. Harsh installation environments, especially those with temperature e"tremes and#or chemical contamination, cause further deterioration. !s a result, personnel safety and power relia$ility can suffer. %$viously, it s important to identify this deterioration as &uic'ly as possi$le so you can ta'e the necessary corrective measures. What is insulation resistance testing? (asically, you re applying a voltage )specifically a highly regulated, sta$ili*ed +, voltage- across a dielectric, measuring the amount of current flowing through that dielectric, and then calculating )using %hm s .aw- a resistance measurement. .et s clarify our use of the term "current." /e re tal'ing a$out lea'age current. 0he resistance measurement is in megohms. 1ou use this resistance measurement to evaluate insulation integrity. ,urrent flow through a dielectric may seem somewhat contradictory, $ut remem$er, no electrical insulation is perfect. So, some current will flow. /hat s the purpose of insulation resistance testing? 1ou can use it as2 3 ! &uality control measure at the time a piece of electrical e&uipment is produced4 3 !n installation re&uirement to help ensure specifications are met and to verify proper hoo'up4 3 ! periodic preventive maintenance tas'4 and 3 ! trou$leshooting tool. How do you perform an insulation resistance test? 5enerally, you connect two leads )positive and negative- across an insulation $arrier. ! third lead, which connects to a guard terminal, may or may not $e availa$le with your tester. 6f it is, you may or may not have to use it. 0his guard terminal acts as a shunt to remove the connected element from the measurement. 6n other words, it allows you to $e selective in evaluating certain specific components in a large piece of electrical e&uipment. %$viously, it s a good idea to have a $asic familiarity with the item you re testing. (asically, you should 'now what is supposed to $e insulated from what. 0he e&uipment you re testing will determine how you hoo' up your meghommeter.

!fter you ma'e your connections, you apply the test voltage for 7 min. )0his is a standard industry parameter that allows you to ma'e relatively accurate comparisons of readings from past tests done $y other technicians.+uring this interval, the resistance reading should drop or remain relatively steady. .arger insulation systems will show a steady decrease4 smaller systems will remain steady $ecause the capacitive and a$sorption currents drop to *ero faster than on larger systems. !fter 7 min, you should read and record the resistance value. /hen performing insulation resistance testing, you must maintain consistency. /hy? (ecause electrical insulation will e"hi$it dynamic $ehavior during the course of your test4 whether the dielectric is "good" or "$ad." 0o evaluate a num$er of test results on the same piece of e&uipment, you have to conduct the test the same way and under the relatively same environmental parameters, each and every time. 1our resistance measurement readings will also change with time. 0his is $ecause electrical insulation materials e"hi$it capacitance and will charge during the course of the test. 0his can $e somewhat frustrating to a novice. However, it $ecomes a useful tool to a seasoned technician. !s you gain more s'ills, you ll $ecome familiar with this $ehavior and $e a$le to ma'e ma"imum use of it in evaluating your test results. 0his is one factor that generates the continued popularity of analog testers. What affects insulation resistance readings? 6nsulation resistance is temperature8 sensitive. /hen temperature increases, insulation resistance decreases, and vice versa. ! common rule of thum$ is insulation resistance changes $y a factor of two for each 70 +egr, change. So, to compare new readings with previous ones, you ll have to correct your readings to some $ase temperature. 9or e"ample, suppose you measured 700 megohms with an insulation temperature of :0 +egr,. ! corrected measurement at ;0 +egr, would $e ;00 megohms )700 megohms times two-. !lso, "accepta$le" values of insulation resistance depend upon the e&uipment you re testing. Historically, many field electricians use the somewhat ar$itrary standard of 7 megohm per '<. 0he inter=ational Electrical 0esting !ssociation )=E0!- specification >aintenance 0esting Specifications for Electrical ?ower +istri$ution E&uipment and Systems provides much more realistic and useful values. @emem$er, compare your test readings with others ta'en on similar e&uipment. 0hen, investigate any values $elow the =E0S standard minimums or sudden departures from previous values.