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Electrical Installation Testing Procedures
All new completed electrical installation should be tested before connection to the supply, to
ensure that the installation is technically sound and free from any possible short circuits, etc. the
main reasons, to test a new electrical installation or house wiring before it is switched on to the
mains are as follows:
To know the cause of failure of a particular circuit or circuits or equipment and to locate
the exact position of break down.
To ensure that it is free from faults and is as per electricity rules.
These tests will receive the attention of the owner before any possible undue damage
occurs.
The tests should be made on a new electrical installation before it is switched on to the
mains are as under:
1. Insulation resistance test between installation and earth.
2. Insulation resistance test between conductors.
3. Testing of polarity.
4. Testing of earth continuity paths.
5. Earth resistance test.
Insulation Resistance Test between Installation and Earth
This test is performed to know the standard of insulation of wires and cables used in the
installation.
It also ensures that the insulation is sufficient enough to avoid any possible leakage of current to
earth.
The leakage of the current to earth should not exceed 0.02% of the full load current.
Before performing insulation resistance test between installation and earth the conditions to be
fulfilled for the position of the main switch, fuses, switches, and other points should be as
under:-
main switch in OFF position,
fuses beyond the main switch should be in position,
all switches in ON position.
all lamps and other equipment should be in their position.
For testing the whole installation, the test is conducted on the main switch. A testing set
known as megger is used for the test. It is a special form of the ohmmeter.
To perform this test, the phase and the neutral is short-circuited temporarily at any
suitable point as shown in Figure.
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The ‘L’ (line terminal) of the megger is connected to the short circuit point in the main switch
and the earth terminal marked (E) is connected to earth continuity conductor or some good earth
point near-by.
The handle of the tester is turned at a high speed so that sufficient testing voltage is produced.
The reading on the dial of the megger is noted.
The insulation resistance thus measured should not be less than 0.5 MΩ on a firm, sound and
fixed wiring.
If the insulation resistance is below this value, the wiring section giving that value should be
rewired or checked thoroughly until the required value is obtained.
Insulation Resistance Test between Wiring Conductors
To ensure that the insulation of the cables or wires is not damaged and there is no leakage
between them, this test is performed.
Before performing this test, the position of the main switch, fuses, switches, etc. should be as
under:
main switch in OFF position,
all switches in ON position,
all lamps and other appliances should be removed,
fuses beyond the main switch should be in position.
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The line terminal of the megger is connected to phase terminal of the installation and the earth
terminal of megger is connected to neutral wire.
The insulation resistance so measured should not be less than 0.5 MΩ and not more than 1
MΩ.
Polarity Test in House Wiring
In a low voltage installation, this test is performed to verify that all single pole switches have
been connected to phase wire throughout the installation.
It is very necessary to place all switches on phase so that when a switch is made OFF, the
connected appliance is quite dead.
If the switch is connected to the neutral wire then the connected appliance will get phase
even if the switch is in OFF position and remain alive.
There is absolutely no difference in the functioning of the switch in either case, but from the
safety point of view to avoid shock, etc. the phase should always be given through the switch and
neutral direct to the point.
The simple method of conducting the polarity test is by using a test lamp.
Before performing this test the position of the main switch, fuses, switches, etc. should be as
under:
main switch in ON position,
all switches in OFF position,
all lamps and other appliances should be removed.
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One end of the test lamp is connected to earth wire and the other end to the incoming terminal of
the switch.
If the lamp lights, it indicates that the switch is connected to phase wire, otherwise to
neutral wire.
Earth Continuity Test of Electrical Installation
To perform this test with the help of megger, the main switch is opened, the main fuses are
withdrawn, all the switches are made ON and all the lamps are put in position.
The ‘L’ (line terminal) of the megger is connected to the phase conductor in the main switch and
‘E’ (earth terminal) of the megger is connected to an earth point.
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In this test, megger should indicate a resistance value between 0.5 and 1 mega ohm.
In this case, if earthing of all the metallic parts and the earth wire will be in good condition, a
sufficient amount of current will flow through test circuit and megger will show a reading up to 1
MΩ.
If it will be in bad condition then it will offer high resistance to the current. As a result, a very
low quantity of current will flow and megger will show a reading more than 1 MΩ .
Therefore, if the megger shows a high reading (more than 1 MΩ), it means that the main
switch or conduit is not properly earthed or the earth wire is broken somewhere requiring
correction.
Earth Resistance Test
I have explained this test earlier in an article. You can refer to that article for earth resistance test.
Tests on Internal Electrical Installations
On completion of internal electrical installation, the following tests shall be carried out:
1. Insulation resistance test
2. Polarity test of the switch
3. Earth continuity test
4. Earth electrode resistance test
The testing shall be carried out for the completed installations in the presence of and to the
satisfaction of the engineer-in-charge, and the test results shall be recorded.
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1. Insulation Resistance Test
The completed installation shall be tested by applying resistance between the earth and
the whole system of conductors, with all fuses in place and all switches closed.
Except in earthed concentric wiring, all lamps in position or poles of the installation shall
be tested with direct current pressure of not less than twice the working pressure. The test
results must not exceed 500 volts for medium voltage circuits.
The working pressure shall be assumed to be that which is maintained between the phase
conductor and the neutral, where the supply is derived from a three-wire D.C. or a
polyphase A.C system.
The insulation resistance shall also be tested between all the conductors connected to one
pole and all the conductors connected to the neutral or phase conductors of the supply
with all the lamps in position and switches in the "off" position.
The insulation resistance measured in megaohms for the conductors in the above step
shall not be less than 12.5 megaohms for the wiring with PVC insulated cables, subject to
a minimum of 1 megaohm variation.
In the case where an entire installation is tested, a lower value than that given by the
formula, subject to a minimum of 1 megaohm variation, is acceptable.
A similar test may be carried out before the lamps, bulbs, etc., are installed, and in this
event, the insulation resistance to earth should not be less than 25 megaohms for the
wiring with PVC insulated cables subject to a minimum of 2 megaohms.
Insulation Resistance Test
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2. Polarity Test of Switch
A test shall be carried out in a two-wire installation to verify that all the switches in the
circuit are fitted in the same conductor throughout the supply.
In a three-wire or a four-wire installation, a test shall be carried out to verify every non-
linked single pole switch is fitted in a conductor labeled or marked for connection to one
of the phase conductors of the supply.
The installation shall be connected to the supply for testing. A test lamp shall test the
terminals of all switches, one lead of that is connected to the earth.
Glowing the test lamp to its full intensity when the switch is in the "on" position
irrespective of the appliance is in position or not shall indicate that the switch is
connected to the right polarity.
Polarity Test of
Switch
3. Earth Continuity Test
The earth continuity conductor, including metallic envelopes of cables and metal
conduits, shall be tested for electric continuity.
The electrical resistance of the circuit and the earthing lead is measured from the
connection with the earth electrode to any point in the earth continuity conductor. This
shall not exceed 1 ohm.
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4. Earth Electrode Resistance Test
Besides the test electrode, two auxiliary earth electrodes are placed at a suitable distance
from the test electrode (see figure).
A measured current is passed between the electrode 'A' to be tested and an auxiliary
current electrode 'C.' The potential difference between the electrode 'A' and the auxiliary
potential 'B' is measured.
The resistance of the test electrode 'A' is then given by the formula:
R = V/I
Where,
R = Resistance of the test electrode in ohms,
V = Reading of the voltmeter in volts,
I = Reading of the ammeter in amps.
Earth electrode resistance test
A hand-driven generator is used to eliminate stray currents flowing in the soil, which
produce serious errors in the measurement of earth resistance.
If the hand-driven generator's supply frequency coincides with the frequency of the stray
current, the instrument pointer fluctuates.
An increase or decrease in generator speed will cause this to disappear.
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During the test, the test electrode shall be disconnected from the earthing system.
For testing, an auxiliary electrode of 13 mm diameter, the mild steel rod is driven up to 1
m into the ground.
All three electrodes must be positioned so that their resistance areas are independent of
one another.
If the test electrode is in the form of a pipe, plate, or rod, the auxiliary current electrode
'C' shall be placed 30 m away, and the auxiliary potential electrode 'B' shall be placed
between them.
Suppose three consecutive test electrode resistance readings do not concur. In that case,
the test must be repeated by extending the distance between electrodes A and C to 50 m
and inserting electrode B in between them.
Test Certificate
Upon completing an electrical installation (or an extension to an installation), a certificate shall
be furnished, countersigned by the certified supervisor under whose direct supervision the
installation was carried out. This certificate shall be in the prescribed form in addition to the test
certificate required by the local electrical supply authorities.
FAQs
Which are the types of tests conducted on internal electrical installations?
The types of tests conducted on internal electrical installations are:
1. Insulation resistance test
2. Polarity test of the switch
3. Earth continuity test
4. Earth electrode resistance test
What is the higher limit of insulation resistance of an internal electrical installation?
The insulation resistance is measured in megaohms and shall not be less than 12.5 megaohms for
the wiring with PVC insulated cables, subject to a minimum of 1 megaohm variation.
What is the formula to calculate the resistance of an electrode?
The resistance of the test electrode 'A' is given by the formula:
R = V/I
Where,
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R = resistance of the test electrode in ohms,
V = Reading of the voltmeter in volts,
I = Reading of the ammeter in amps.
