What does cable testing mean?

 First of all, any operational safety is a part of electrical safety, meaning that electrical products and articles must be maintained or operated in a way that adheres to the NZ Safety Regulations. A cable tester, or cable test, is an electrical test where an electronic device verifies the electrical connections in a wired or cabled article. A basic cable test will help to verify the existence of a path that is conductive to electricity and ensure the wiring is correct.

 These tests are designed to validate and verify electrical connections between electrically conductive parts and validate and verify the correct wiring. For example, if you have an untested fibre cable for your home, you will need to check that the cables used to link each working part are safe, work efficiently, and work like they’re supposed to!

Why do you need to test electrical cables?

 Testing electrical cables is all about following regulations and ensuring the end user is safe. Our goal in New Zealand is to ensure that the public is kept away from harm, and electrical safety testing and product safety testing does an excellent job of this. The engineers and team who test electrical products are basically the front-line against any harm, damage, or lack of safety that can happen, so this job is super serious.

 Electrical cables are found just about everywhere, so maintaining and regulating the safety of electrical cables is of vital importance! As technology evolves, these new technologies become ever more complex, and require innovative approaches to keep everything working. Additionally, electricity is becoming greener and more sustainable, meaning we constantly need to think outside of the box on how to test and ensure the end user is as safe as they can be.

 A fault in the cable can be seen long before the fault actually happens and becomes a problem, and an inspection and a test of the cables will help to stop this risk from happening! For businesses, builders, and even someone operating a DIY plan, cable faults will cost money and a lot of time, creating huge disruption. There will always be a demand for cable testing to ensure that these important connectors are in good condition, reducing the risk of safety problems, and ensuring any faults are found quickly. Electrical testing is always a lot cheaper than the repair!

 The assessment and testing of medium or high-voltage cables can be performed for many reasons, such as installation, any required special repairs, testing how long the cable will last for (deterioration), and verification and validation of splices or joints. Cable tests are to be done in a safe testing environment.

How often should you test your electrical cables?

 This will depend on your business, industry, or product! We always recommend to be safe, rather than sorry! If you are working in the construction or building industry, it’s recommending you test your equipment every three months. If you are working in production or factories, it’s recommended to test every six months. And then for an environment where your electrical products will be exposed to moisture, dust, corrosion, or any other exposure to the elements, it’s recommended you test your electrical cables at least once a year.

 A few examples of cable testing types could include:

• Earth Continuity Test
• Insulation Resistance
• Polarity Test
• Correct Circuit Connections Test
• Earth Fault Loop Impedance
• Operations of RCD’s Test

Why do electrical cables fail?

 Electrical cables can fail for a multitude of reasons. Some key causes are: ageing, where the cable has deteriorated from old page or working outside of its optimised working conditions; mechanical failure, where the cable has been damaged in installation or usage; moisture, UV, or heat exposure; electrical overloading of the cable; or application of the cable, where the cable wasn’t in the right environment for it.

Some failure reasons can be due to simple human error, making an easy mistake in the installation or application of the product. It can also be due to unforeseen circumstances, such as sudden moisture or heat exposure, or even rodents! Protecting these cables will only serve you and your electrical appliance, product, or article for a longer period of time. 

 As testing in New Zealand is a legal requirement, we can’t say it enough times: be safe! Before embarking on the electrical product or article journey, we recommend you check out the relevant safety standards on websites as authorised by the Government or WorkSafe to ensure you are on the right track. Repairing, fixing, or getting a fine for unauthorised product usage can be super costly and very hefty, so do what you want to avoid it and get everything sorted before you go.