Compliance Testing | RCD for sale from Measure-Tech Australia

Compliance Testing | RCD

Supplier: Measure-Tech Australia

Compliance Testing | RCD

MeasureSafe 36A is easy to use, cost effective and a reliable hand held digital, microprocessor controlled RCD compliance testing unit on the market.

No complex dials knobs or buttons and more importantly no training or operator issues-just plug in and go.

Designed and manufactured in Australia to World standards.

The Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) acts around Australia along with many other countries, legislate that portable equipment and appliances, electric hand tools, extension leads, power boards and portable Residual Current Devices (RCD’s) be tested in all commercial and industrial areas for compliance to the appropriate safety standard in Australia and New Zealand (AS/NZS 3760:2003). RCD/ELCB or ground fault detector testing has been a source of confusion and mis-information for many years. Complex products with dials and knobs and unreliable results lead to compliance issues and high training demands often resulting in incorrect testing.

RCD/ELCB and ground fault detector circuit breakers are used in mains meter boxes and as portable devices to protect personnel against faulty household and industrial circuits as a result of failing equipment. Mains mounted RCD’s along with portable units found on extension leads and integrated with power boards can fail as a result of abuse, age, corrosion, ingress of water or dirt and welded contacts. These products need to be regularly tested for personal safety as well as compliance to the appropriate standards.

MeasureSafe is easy to use – just plug it into the power outlet connected to an RCD circuit and press the test button. The unit will automatically test the RCD and report the mains voltage along with the current and time taken to trip on alternative tests. Alternatively service personnel with more advanced knowledge can set up their own test conditions.

RCD devices are built to a range of specifications depending on the installation application and will break the mains electrical circuit when an imbalance is detected between the active and neutral current supplied to the circuit (ie. there is a leakage current to earth). The current and time thresholds for tripping the RCD (which are designed into each RCD device) must operate before the leakage current poses a life threatening hazard to personnel operating attached equipment.

The typical threshold of a household RCD will trip at a current of 30 milliamperes and a time of less than 20 milliseconds. However RCD designs will vary from 6 to 40 milliamperes with trip times up to 300 milliseconds, depending on the application and intended use.

The Compliance Testing | RCD | MeasureSafe 36A can test all currently available RCD’s by simulating various earth leakage problems. In addition the Compliance Testing | RCD | MeasureSafe 36A will also report the mains voltage and incorrect wiring to outlets. Suspect equipment can also be tested whilst operating to provide earth leakage operating margins to identify nuisance tripping problems or faulty equipment.

In order to properly test both the trip current and the trip time two separate test must be performed. The trip time is measured when the RCD trip current is applied to the RCD the time taken to trip is then measured. The trip current is measured by slowly incrementing the leakage current from 0 mA until it trips, then the current at which the unit tripped is displayed and recorded.

The Compliance Testing | RCD | MeasureSafe 36A has an I-Test and T-Test button this can be used to manually select a particular type of test, either current trip test (I-test) or time trip test (T-Test). If neither is selected then the unit will intelligently alternate between the two tests each time it powers up. This provides minimal operator setup for each test. Totally automatic testing is performed by simply plugging in to an RCD equipped outlet and when the ready screen is displayed the test button is pressed.

A unique selectable, “test slope” feature for testing on the rising or falling slope of the mains is only available on the MeasureSafe 36A. Once selected this will become the default setting for future tests but can easily be reset. The selectable RCD type is used to test the trip time and current, of the different RCD type categories. There is also a “custom type” setting to enable the selection of a customised value.

The Compliance Testing | RCD | MeasureSafe will also record up to 4000 test results for later downloading to a PC. Various models are available to suit your individual needs from no result storage, 2000 results storage and 4000 results storage. Each result will record a unique test ID, the date and time, the mains voltage, the RCD type, the testing slope and the result for that test. These extensive tests make the MeasureSafe 36A the most comprehensive device of this type available.

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