What makes you question things?

[IAmSparkytus!]

Evening all,

Was thinking the other day about an installation I've seen where the 2 earths of a ring main at the DB were covered in one sheath of sleeving.

This made me wonder whether end to end tests would have been carried out or not. Would someone do the tests and then put the sleeving on?

I know I make off a board and then carry out the testing when all cables are terminated.

Are there any other things you all come across which make you question whether things might have been missed?

 

[mattg4321]

You terminate cables and then disconnect them to test, then re terminate? Why?

 

[timhoward]

I get the sleeving on asap myself, as I dislike bare copper flying around, especially if the incomer is live on the supply side or if it's a 3 phase board.
No reason why someone couldn't test and then sleeve though.
It's also theoretically possible the end to ends might have been done at a socket.

 

[loz2754]

I dislike using one sleeve for 2 conductors but there's nothing fundamentally wrong with it.
It just makes testing more difficult for the next inspector.

 

[loz2754]

Evening all,

Was thinking the other day about an installation I've seen where the 2 earths of a ring main at the DB were covered in one sheath of sleeving.

This made me wonder whether end to end tests would have been carried out or not. Would someone do the tests and then put the sleeving on?

I know I make off a board and then carry out the testing when all cables are terminated.

Are there any other things you all come across which make you question whether things might have been missed?

Sorry to be pedantic but it's a ring final circuit not a ring main.
But I do get what you're getting at. Attention to details is important in this job, and a lack thereof can lead one to question the integrity of the workmanship as a whole...

 

[Doomed]

When I'm 4 years from retirement I'm going to tightly twist as many earths together as I can and use one bit of sleeving.

 

[Dustydazzler]

In theory you could twist all the cpcs from every single circuit together as one big twisted mess and put under just one single length of wide earth sleeve.…

the next bloke would have a wonderful time trying to work out what the heck is going on

 

[littlespark]

Old lighting joint boxes where the earths have brought out the box, twisted together with 2 or 3 others into the same sleeving, then so tightly twisted and jammed in a 30A connector.
worse is when it’s so tight sitting on top of the box, you need to dismantle the earth joint to get the lid off.

 

[telectrix]

When I'm 4 years from retirement I'm going to tightly twist as many earths together as I can and use one bit of sleeving.

and use a few roberson head screwson a few jobs. i do.

 

[IAmSparkytus!]

You terminate cables and then disconnect them to test, then re terminate? Why?

Old habit of wanting to second fix everything including the DB before I test. Testings always last on my to do list.

Do most people test one circuit then terminate, then another and another until all are done?

 

[telectrix]

i always do all dead tests before connecting in DB.

 

[GBDamo]

Old habit of wanting to second fix everything including the DB before I test. Testings always last on my to do list.

Do most people test one circuit then terminate, then another and another until all are done?

Usually have all cables taped, marked and tested before the board goes on the wall.

Otherwise your wiring the board twice.

Much easier to to test as well.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I dead test before the cable gets anywhere near the new board. Once it’s dressed in the board it’s connected and that’s it. I can not get my head round doing the board then trying to test, that’s all backwards….

 

[telectrix]

I dead test before the cable gets anywhere near the new board. Once it’s dressed in the board it’s connected and that’s it. I can not get my head round doing the board then trying to test, that’s all backwards….

and....dead testing before connecting ensures you ain't got 1 leg of a RFC connected in with a radial instead of it's "correct" other leg.

 

[GBDamo]

and....dead testing before connecting ensures you ain't got 1 leg of a RFC connected in with a radial instead of it's "correct" other leg.

So does taping your ring legs together.

 

[IAmSparkytus!]

This is why I participate in the forum. Good advice and new things to try which could make life easier.

Old habits die hard but ill take it all on board and give it a go this week ?

 

[Pretty Mouth]

@ToonSparky is correct to terminate into the board before testing, at least for the CPCs anyway. If you're not connecting the CPCs to the earthing arrangement, then your IR testing is non compliant:

643.3.1 The insulation resistance shall be measured between live conductors and between live conductors and the protective conductor connected to the earthing arrangement

GN3 (17th ed, am3) tells me that this requirement came in in 2008, prior to this you could just test to the CPC without it terminated. Old habits die hard huh?

 

[littlespark]

Reading that 643.3.1, the wording of "live" conductors suggests live, as in energised.
IR is a dead test.

 

[dodger421]

Reading that 643.3.1, the wording of "live" conductors suggests live, as in energised.
IR is a dead test.

It’s referring to the line and neutral conductor, both of which are classed as live conductors. It’s also lumping the 4 live conductors of a 3-phase board together for simplicity (3 line + neutral).

 

[loz2754]

Reading that 643.3.1, the wording of "live" conductors suggests live, as in energised.
IR is a dead test.

No it just refers to conductors intended to be live.