I have just looked at the Martindale tester data sheet and I am not seeing anything in the specification specifically about measuring voltage drop.


Perhaps I am wrong, but I assumed a voltage drop tester would allow you to test using a dummy load of 6, 10, 16, 20, 32 or 40 amps so that you can instantly test a standard circuit without having to connect loads actually to the circuit by for example turning all the lights on or plugging in electric heaters.


Going around and turning on all the lights, turning on all the fixed appliances and connecting electric heaters etc is presumably the real way to test voltage drop using a meter to measure the loaded circuit at each end then working out the difference. So rather than buying a new tester can you just turn everything one and check the voltage with your loop tester as you are measuring Zs? But do you really want to be running appliances such as an electric shower with the cover removed to access the terminals within it to measure the bolt drop?


But  if the circuits are within the standard circuits specified maximum lengths  in the IET Onsite Guide tables and the Zs is satisfactory for each circuit there cannot really be any point in specifically testing the volt drops, can there? After all there is rarely a problem with voltage drop in UK installations with voltage generally in excess of the 230 volts used for design calculations.


Andy 

I have just looked at the Martindale tester data sheet and I am not seeing anything in the specification specifically about measuring voltage drop.


Perhaps I am wrong, but I assumed a voltage drop tester would allow you to test using a dummy load of 6, 10, 16, 20, 32 or 40 amps so that you can instantly test a standard circuit without having to connect loads actually to the circuit by for example turning all the lights on or plugging in electric heaters.


Going around and turning on all the lights, turning on all the fixed appliances and connecting electric heaters etc is presumably the real way to test voltage drop using a meter to measure the loaded circuit at each end then working out the difference. So rather than buying a new tester can you just turn everything one and check the voltage with your loop tester as you are measuring Zs? But do you really want to be running appliances such as an electric shower with the cover removed to access the terminals within it to measure the bolt drop?


But  if the circuits are within the standard circuits specified maximum lengths  in the IET Onsite Guide tables and the Zs is satisfactory for each circuit there cannot really be any point in specifically testing the volt drops, can there? After all there is rarely a problem with voltage drop in UK installations with voltage generally in excess of the 230 volts used for design calculations.


Andy