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Earth Continuity Test and Polarity Test following when replacing low voltage single phase fixed electrical equipment

Rob Bain
Hi all,

Would appreciate your thoughts on the need to undertake Earth Continuity tests and Polarity tests following replacement of single phase low voltage fixed electrical equipment such as tea boilers / heating pumps / immersion heaters etc, that are supplied either from a switched and/or fused connection unit or an isolator. The existing electrical supply cable is going to be re-used as the equipment being replaced will be like for like, so there is no increase in load, no requirement to undertake a design.

This enquiry has been put forward as it is anticipated that (some) engineers, who have a mechanical background but with limited electrical knowledge (safe isolation), would be able to carry out the replacement of certain items of plant once they have completed some competency training followed by assessment and sign off by the company's NIC EIC QS. 


Thanks in advance.

Rob
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    If you've got a human terminating individual wires (rather than inserting a plug into a socket) then I reckon you need to consider the possibility of that human making mistakes with those connections - both not terminating properly (e.g. wire over-inserted so that the screw bites down on the insulation rather than the conductor) or into the wrong terminal are easy mistakes to make. Lack of earthing is certainly potentially dangerous - possibly immediately dangerous if the appliance has high leakage currents - so I certainly wouldn't skip an eatth continuity test. Polarity (i.e. L-N reversal) perhaps isn't quite such a safety issue - especially for modern CE marked appliances.

      - Andy.
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    If you've got a human terminating individual wires (rather than inserting a plug into a socket) then I reckon you need to consider the possibility of that human making mistakes with those connections - both not terminating properly (e.g. wire over-inserted so that the screw bites down on the insulation rather than the conductor) or into the wrong terminal are easy mistakes to make. Lack of earthing is certainly potentially dangerous - possibly immediately dangerous if the appliance has high leakage currents - so I certainly wouldn't skip an eatth continuity test. Polarity (i.e. L-N reversal) perhaps isn't quite such a safety issue - especially for modern CE marked appliances.

      - Andy.
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