tests on new electrical installations

aido79

just wondering can somebody tell me what tests are required to obtain the certificate of completion for the esb to connect the supply to apartment blocks. should the same tests that are done on domestic installations be done or are apartments different? i've recently started working for a new employer and as far as i can see the just connect the apartments to the temporary supply and if it works thats the end of the testing!
i've asked some of the lads on site and they say they've never seen any proper testing done either.

Stoner

they very same certs are required, if its a 400 block of apartments, then 400 certs are required, causes a lot of problems between mistakes by the main contractor, electrical contractor and the ESB when it comes to numbering, anyway it sounds like some apartments are being tested and the certs are being copied

Andrea B.

anyway it sounds like some apartments are being tested and the certs are being copied

Agreed.

Having been exposed to the domestic electrical scene after some years away from it, it seems that many certs are now filled out as a paint-by-numbers exercise.

For example, how can a cert have the "equipotential bonding box completed" ticked when the earth bonding wires are coiled up behind immersions?

Speaking from a west of Ireland perspective, I find a lot of the standards fairly abysmal.

Darren R

well said
I asked my boss for the testing equipment one day to test some houses and he just looked at me as if I had 2 heads.He told me he has no meters or a megger so how could he test houses.I really wanted to report him to reci but I needed the job

aido79

Darren R wrote: »

well said
I asked my boss for the testing equipment one day to test some houses and he just looked at me as if I had 2 heads.He told me he has no meters or a megger so how could he test houses.I really wanted to report him to reci but I needed the job

don't think my boss has any testing equipment. i'm leaving for oz in 6 weeks and not too worried about burning bridges so i might make an anonymous phone call.

fishdog

so i might make an anonymous phone call.

You might find that it has little or no impact, just like I found!

I reported the sparks that wired my new house because he refused to comply with the ETCI regulations, in a big way! I told him I was a sparks, and that he was breaking the rules. He told me he did not care. The inspector only made him change the things that were easy to fix. The others were left!!I had a choice, take him to court and pay alot of money for a case that would drag on for years, or fix it myself. No brainer really! That was part of the reason that I got out of electrical contracing.

The rest of the houses in the estate are still in a bad way. None of us recieved certs ever.

Stoner

aido79 wrote: »

don't think my boss has any testing equipment. i'm leaving for oz in 6 weeks and not too worried about burning bridges so i might make an anonymous phone call.

IMO in a lot of cases the Irish certification bodies are most interested in checking to see if certs are being filled out, not if they are being filled out correctly, the first priority for the irish reg bodies is to cut out the back of the van contractors knixering all the time, working for cash etc.

fishdog

the first priority for the irish reg bodies is to cut out the back of the van contractors knixering all the time, working for cash etc.

I would agree.

I know a sparks who has always mixed up insulation resistance with max earth fault loop impedance on the cert. He always had certs going in with an EFLI of >500M ohms!

Still got connected.

bertie1

Have a look at http://www.etci.ie

All certs are issued by ETCI through RECi or ECSSA. The Cer is now checking that the inspectors work is up to scratch

fishdog

bertie1, I know what you are saying. However as pointed out in an earlier thread on this forum many installations (even large 3 phase ones) are never certified with no consequences. There are electrical contractos here that are not in the ECSSA or RECI and they just do their own thing tothier own rules (they even use their own ohase colours). Even when the ESB, RECI or ECCA have specific information about specific installations that are uncertified (and can therfore be assumed untested) there is nothing done about it.

This happen very recently in sevral shop units for a large chain of shops that operates in Ireland.

county5

Been a spark 9 years now and never seen any of my bosses test a house, I did the ecssa certification course so I could sign my own certs every now and again for houses. My prob is I don't really know how to use my fluke 1653 I was shown once but when you don't do it regularly you forget. Is there any place I can find the acceptable test results ?

maxfresh

fishdog wrote: »

I reported the sparks that wired my new house because he refused to comply with the ETCI regulations, in a big way! .

how did refuse to compy , wrong size cables or something

2011

county5 wrote: »

Is there any place I can find the acceptable test results ?

There sure is, try the ETCI wiring regulations ET:101

M cebee

maxfresh wrote: »

fishdog wrote: »

I reported the sparks that wired my new house because he refused to comply with the ETCI regulations, in a big way! .

how did refuse to compy , wrong size cables or something

fishdog is gone
nobody knows where he went!

maxfresh

county5 wrote: »

Been a spark 9 years now and never seen any of my bosses test a house, I did the ecssa certification course so I could sign my own certs every now and again for houses. My prob is I don't really know how to use my fluke 1653 I was shown once but when you don't do it regularly you forget. Is there any place I can find the acceptable test results ?

I know reci used do a little book kinda of guide type thing with some of the tables from the wiring regs and stuff.

M cebee

reci produced a guide years back - i still have it

there's also a section in the rules on testing