EV test

Next April we could be installing combined RCBO AFDD devices.


If we do I suspect the number of circuits will be slashed significantly, people are installing a ridiculous number of circuits in some installations protected by cheap as chips MCBs at the moment, that could be about to change significantly. If the new devices are still around £150 each in many installations we will be back to three circuits for lighting, sockets and cooker.


Just assume though that there will be ten circuits with RCBO AFDD devices, under the current regime the RCD function is tested six times, five times with the tester and once with your finger on the test button. Of those six tests, three are actually recorded on the certificate.


So with ten circuits with RCBO AFDD devices we will do sixty RCD tests and record thirty of them, for the AFDD function we will tick to say the test button works, however we will just make the assumption that the MCB function works without testing or recording anything. In reality many of the RCBO AFDD devices only have one test button, so ticking the box to say it works for both the RCD and AFDD function seems to be another assumption.


It appears that some protective device manufacturers say pressing the test button is sufficient and using a tester is unnecessary, yet the tester manufacturers are adding more testing capabilities to the testers.


Electricians are left as piggy in the middle being urged by tester manufacturers to upgrade their testers and do more work that the device manufacturers say is not required.

Next April we could be installing combined RCBO AFDD devices.


If we do I suspect the number of circuits will be slashed significantly, people are installing a ridiculous number of circuits in some installations protected by cheap as chips MCBs at the moment, that could be about to change significantly. If the new devices are still around £150 each in many installations we will be back to three circuits for lighting, sockets and cooker.


Just assume though that there will be ten circuits with RCBO AFDD devices, under the current regime the RCD function is tested six times, five times with the tester and once with your finger on the test button. Of those six tests, three are actually recorded on the certificate.


So with ten circuits with RCBO AFDD devices we will do sixty RCD tests and record thirty of them, for the AFDD function we will tick to say the test button works, however we will just make the assumption that the MCB function works without testing or recording anything. In reality many of the RCBO AFDD devices only have one test button, so ticking the box to say it works for both the RCD and AFDD function seems to be another assumption.


It appears that some protective device manufacturers say pressing the test button is sufficient and using a tester is unnecessary, yet the tester manufacturers are adding more testing capabilities to the testers.


Electricians are left as piggy in the middle being urged by tester manufacturers to upgrade their testers and do more work that the device manufacturers say is not required.