RCD's and RCBO's have a test button but on closer inspection with the appropriate tester they can be found to be out of spec like many I have found over many years in one case an RCD I had fitted 6 months earlier which tested ok when installed didn't test ok when I was doing some other work at the property
Until I can add a sensibly priced AFDD tester to my arsenal of test kit and definitively prove it's functionality externally then I don't see the value in having one yes it has a test button but does that sufficiently prove it is working and will work if an arc of the correct pre programmed signature and magnitude occurs
I don't unlike you with the total blind faith that you run with
Yes you can the cost of the equipment to do it is prohibitvely expensive though https://cuthbertsonlaird.co.uk/36-circuit-breaker-testingTo be fair you can't test MCBs either, but you are happy to use them.
Given that most SPD's are a single shot device if you tested them you would then have to replace it, although ther is a varistor test you can do to prove it will work if neededLikewise SPDs.
Yes you can the cost of the equipment to do it is prohibitvely expensive though https://cuthbertsonlaird.co.uk/36-circuit-breaker-testing
Given that most SPD's are a single shot device if you tested them you would then have to replace it, although ther is a varistor test you can do to prove it will work if needed
You replied withRCD's and RCBO's have a test button but on closer inspection with the appropriate tester they can be found to be out of spec like many I have found over many years in one case an RCD I had fitted 6 months earlier which tested ok when installed didn't test ok when I was doing some other work at the property
Until I can add a sensibly priced AFDD tester to my arsenal of test kit and definitively prove it's functionality externally then I don't see the value in having one yes it has a test button but does that sufficiently prove it is working and will work if an arc of the correct pre programmed signature and magnitude occurs
I don't unlike you with the total blind faith that you run with
When I replied withTo be fair you can't test MCBs either, but you are happy to use them. Likewise SPDs.
you came back with thisYes you can the cost of the equipment to do it is prohibitvely expensive though https://cuthbertsonlaird.co.uk/36-circuit-breaker-testing
Given that most SPD's are a single shot device if you tested them you would then have to replace it, although ther is a varistor test you can do to prove it will work if needed
I'm really confused with your reply if I wanted to invest the money I could test MCB's, I already have a Metrel 3152 so I could / can test an SPD at the moment though even if I won the lottery there is no reliable AFDD tester available at any priceYes, but you were talking about not accepting AFDDs until you had a reasonably pried tester.
When I posted
You replied with
When I replied with
you came back with this
I'm really confused with your reply if I wanted to invest the money I could test MCB's, I already have a Metrel 3152 so I could / can test an SPD at the moment though even if I won the lottery there is no reliable AFDD tester available at any price
You made a point that MCB's and SPD's couldn't be tested I replied and I honestly believe from your reply that you never read it or understood itIt was just the point you seemed to be making that you didn't think you should use AFDDs unless you could buy an affordable tester.
You did say SPD's and I did link to a youtube video that demonstrated thisSorry, I wasn't clear. I didn't mean that MCBs and RCDs cannot be tested at all, but that they cannot be tested with reasonably priced test equipment. Which is what you referred to when you spoke about installing/testing AFDDs.
You would have thought that th US would have perfected them by now because they have been using them for many years. If I'm installing something the confidence that they will do what they are ment to do should a fault arise is important if they don't do it when needed then no doubt my credibility will be questioned by the customerI don't honestly know how good AFDDs are, but I do know that the people that make them have very clever developers and access to very high end lab equipment. I'm in no position to doubt what they say, regardless of what I might think.
It is good to debate, but I don't buy into this blind faith with AFDD's especially with the number of out of box failures of RCD's / RCBO's I have found over many years, AFDD's being software driven just adds a new dimension to possible functionality issuesHonestly not after an argument. It's good to debate things like this.
You did say SPD's and I did link to a youtube video that demonstrated this
You would have thought that th US would have perfected them by now because they have been using them for many years. If I'm installing something the confidence that they will do what they are ment to do should a fault arise is important if they don't do it when needed then no doubt my credibility will be questioned by the customer
It is good to debate, but I don't buy into this blind faith with AFDD's especially with the number of out of box failures of RCD's / RCBO's I have found over many years, AFDD's being software driven just adds a new dimension to possible functionality issues
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