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Calculation for Earth Continuity 

We now understand that when testing a class I piece of equipment the first test is to
ensure that the earth (Green & Yellow conductor) is connected from the earth pin of
the plug right the way through to the casing of the equipment. To verify this we
measure the resistance between these two points and check that the value is ≤0.1Ω
as identified in table A5.1 on page 107 of the COP.

However, this value of ≤0.1Ω is only applicable to the equipment and not the cord set.
Therefore when we have a reading above 0.1Ω we must then calculate the resistance
of the lead and subtract from the reading to see if the result is less than 0.1Ω.

This is done using the following process:

1. identify the cable size and length

2. using table A5.1 on page 107 identify the value of resistance for the conductor
3. using the value multiply this by the length and divide by 1000 to convert from
mΩ to Ω, to identify the resistance of the cable (Rc)-resistance of cable
4. subtract this value from the reading to establish the result and this should be
≤0.1Ω

Formula 
  Result = reading – Rc 

Rc = mΩ/m x length
1000 

Note: - If the cable is a standard length then the value of Rc can be obtained from the table and
step 3 above is not required. 

The equipment above has returned a reading of 0.12Ω. The lead is 1.0mm2 and
measures 2m in length. Would this be a pass or fail? 

  Rc = mΩ/m x length = 19.5 x 2 = 0.04Ω 

  1000 1000 

Therefore the result = 0.12-0.04 = 0.08Ω PASS 

JE 30/11/20  V1.0 
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The equipment above has returned a reading of 0.14Ω. The lead is 1.0mm2 and measures
1.75m in length. Would this be a pass or fail? 

  Rc = mΩ/m x length = 19.5 x 1.75 = 0.03Ω 

  1000 1000 

Therefore the result = 0.14-0.03 = 0.11Ω FAIL 

The equipment above has returned a reading of 0.15Ω. The lead is 0.75mm2 and measures
0.75m in length. Would this be a pass or fail? 

  Rc = mΩ/m x length = 26 x 0.75 = 0.02Ω 

  1000 1000 

Therefore the result = 0.15-0.02 = 0.13Ω FAIL 

The equipment above has returned a reading of 0.11Ω. The lead is 1.5mm2 and measures
3.5m in length. Would this be a pass or fail? 

  Rc = mΩ/m x length = 13.3 x 3.5 = 0.05Ω 

  1000 1000 

Therefore the result = 0.11-0.05 = 0.06Ω PASS 

JE 30/11/20  V1.0