How to Test RCDs 

From a retired professional (non-electrician) instructor: The simplicity, clarity and delivery of your tutorials is the best I've ever seen. So many things demystified. Many thanks, John

Having been in the industry for the past 30 years, what a very good way for a refresher. Tutorials are excellent and they are my first port of call. Thank you John, and i do hope you carry on passing your knowledge on forever.

Thank You, John! I had this "caravan park" type of situation yesterday. I had to test an RCD and there was other RCD behind it and of course the one that i wasn't testing tripped first and i didn't know how to workaround it.. but now i know, thanks to this video.

Nice clear stuff, got my first EIC cert to complete soon, all your videos are helping me to remember what I learnt last year. Many thanks.

Man ..JW . Thanks for uploading such stuff . we all appreciate your work. Thanks again.

what a great well produced video audio was clear and crisp many people just talk nonsense and confuse the situation but you just talked facts and didn't waffle on this video is a credit to the RU-vid community

I Hope everyone saw that great tip you offered for Testing an RCD without tripping any upstream devices, that is something I was never aware of in my 40yrs in the Industry, thank you for that little gem. By the way, that Test Button was [I am talking decades ago] used to stop the RCD becoming Dormant and Locked, hence "Test Weekly" used to be the lable that came with the good brands. Mr Spence Eng

Very logical & clear (as all the videos you've made are) - excellent job.

Your videos are like gold dust. You have helped me tremendously!

superb video John, you are reaching out to a big Audience on here.. keep the good work up. all the best.

Fantastic delivery and tutorial I’ve learned so much from you, please keep up doing videos John

That was extremely clear on how to test RCDs John. 👍

Great videos. Thanks for the trip to avoid tripping RCD upstream. Fantastic!

That's a really good video. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Your videos are very helpful and distinguished, thank you very much

Excellent work . Provide a lot of use full information

thanks for taking the time to explaining that.

John, great advice on how to test an RCD with another RCD on the supply side!

Great video John

Today I replaced old Iskra RCD with Elmark RCD (Old RCD was 40A three phase + neutral,tripping current 500mA).Your video is good.

Great video JW!

Really enjoy you videos, would love to see you do 2 or 3 a week.

Very informative as usual.

Great video, very helpful. Thank you!

You are like the Richard Attenborough of electrical theory. ❤ Great and relaxing presentation 😊

Learned a lot from your video on how to test RCD's. Thanks.

Clearly explaination. Superb !!

Thanks John. I really liked the tip about how to test when there are two RCD's in series. Could prove useful.

Thanks John great video

Great video, very helpful. Thank you

We test touring caravans on site or at customers home, for this situation it is very simple to use an isolating transformer inline to avoid tripping anything up stream

Great helpful vid,thankyou.

Brilliant thanks John

Thank you very much very GOOD explanation step by step I enjoyed

Superb sir.thankyou helped me loads.

well described and explained...like to see some more on testing pfc ect. doing 17th ed in april....cheers

Please make a video of loop impedance testing with the fluke Good review btw :)

Wow John your killing it with the subs now mate! Good on ya! Your a god among mortals?! 👍

Great video👍

Thank you very informative❤

great info, Id like to get a Fluke 1653-54 and use it to test here in the US -- Please do more videos ...

Thanks for interesting video

awesome and helpful

good knowledge and content

I love this KIS method "Keep It Simple" for the stupid like me!!! keep it up, John.

Hi John Love your vids always clear and informative...I just thought something to add/ do a vid of would be if there is a N-E fault on another circuit to one being worked on that this can stop the test button working due to parallel earth paths, and the process of tracing them out to identify affected circuit. Ie main earth cont, bonds out, then if not to those removing neutrals to identify circuit (also a good place to drop in a mention of the trusty wander lead). Hope this is received well and not taken as a critasism as it's not. Looking forward to watching more of your vids. Nat

Good video tutorial. I would've done a test with ground/green probe connected to the outlet neutral of the rcd , to show/simulate that the one rcd connected in series would not trip. You already explained it, but could be good just for visual purpose 😉. Good job anyway!

John, you Sir should be on Television great presentation

thanks for the video

Hi John. Thanks for these great videos. Could you do a video explaining the use of the white fly lead from an RCBO to earth bar Some RCBo's have them and some do not. Thank you in-advance.

Very good thanks

The Tests to perform are to be conducted on the RCD device "Before mounting into the CU" or " after mounted and energized in CU" ? The 1st test is really testing the Device compared to the 2nd tests which is Test in the System. Grateful for clarification. TQVM

Thank you for that.

Excellent

im in the us. i keep hearing about these rcd's, im guessing this is the same as a gfci breaker (as opposed to a gfci outlet) here in the us?

Thanks!

terima kasih for your tutor

Clever guy watch these all the time

thank you very much

thank you

Hi John, I am considering building a small unit to test RCDs ( purely a project, not to be a professional meter ) . Do you have any ideas what electronics these meters use to create the leakage current? I was considering switching some power resistors with relays, to create the various currents required, but is seems a rather bulky solution, especially to get also the x0.5 and x5. Also, the tripping current resolution will be crap. Suggestions?

When you've got a simple circuit with no equipotential bonding etc, you expect a ballpark figure of Zs=Ze+(R1+R2). While British General RCDs seem to test OK regarding trip times and currents as you have shown, I find that for some reason they add about 0.5 Ohms to the Zs test result of connected circuits. In a lot of cases that can make the difference between a pass and fail. Other makes of RCD do not seem to affect the Zs test result in this way. Have you noticed anything similar?

John, Will you be doing any updates to this playlist, for the likes of Type A RCDs ,filling out 18th edition test certificates, solar P.V and EV?

Type S RCD testing please? (Keep up the good work)

When I was a small child and on my way to school by foot ( not seen any more ) I used to walk past a firm that displayed the logo 'robin'. I used to think, 'wow robin' ( the bird ) had its own shop!

Hi John thanks for the upload, could you do a video on a rcd test with a three phase three wire with no neutral connection on the load side of the RCCB? Was wondering if it would still trip. Many thanks.

Thankyou sir

legend

Thanks sir

John I am just starting out and would like a fluke installation tester but was wondering what would be good to start off with for function and price? Would appreciate your advice thanks

Thankyou for this, Can you test the RCD without disconnecting the load?

Hi John ! I love your videos very much. I need your help , I wish to buy the fluke 1652c or the megger mft1730 what do you think the better for me to buy ? best regards !

What’s better when testing the RCD, leave all the loads on or remove the loads and just have the RCD? Just wondered if whether I’ll get more accurate results by testing the RCD before having any circuits connected.

Thanks for making this video! I hope that you please want to advice me. I have a RCD type A going out to a 2 phase outlet (no ground) I am wondering if it is safer to use a isolation transformer for DUT or just the main? As you show the RCD does trigger at 30mA but would never trigger if an isolation transformer is between the DUT and the RCD. But all on RU-vid (Americans) do say isolation transformer is the only safe way.

How would the same test be performed on a bipolar RCD fed 2 phases in instead of phase and neutral?

Mr.John is rcd able to trip without earthing? thanks for this video.

today when testing a RCd the trip current equal to 0 and tripping time equal to 0 . is it damaged RCD

Great videos, very informative. Can you recommend any good study guides to prepare for the AM2 examination John? Thanks.

Thanks Mr JW for ur valuable videos.... Iam wondering how to test a 3ph RCD 300mA using MTF1731 at the DB, where I tried several times won't tripped at I1 & I5 (times) injunction

I still get the same result with just the active and earth attached. Does the neutral need to be attached for testing the trip time?

How do you do a ramp test If you have an RCD main switch on an old fuse board, would you still do it through a socket on a ring or can it be done at the rcd ??? Thanks

Sounds like an airline pilot explaining it.

Perhaps a silly question, but could one theoretically test that an RCD trips using just a battery, or a signal generator outputting a similarly low voltage?

How important is the earth fault loop impedance for the breakers to trip < 0.4 secs if you have everything on an RCD

Hi John - got one at the moment where Im only getting a result on one half of the sine wave - 0degrees. Any suggestions please?

Hi John thanks for these good videos ... I have always thought that 63A is the braking or tripping current rather than working current on the particular rcbo. And unfortunately tripping current 6kA . what would be the best rcbo to use to protect the wires from over heating ? thanks

Hi John, you guys are home to 'Megger' yet the last two English electrical videos I've looked up, you (and the English electrician in the other video) have both been using Fluke! Is there any particular reason for that, like is Megger too expensive, is Fluke a better make? It's that I've just bought myself a Megger MFT 1835 (not being an electrician and all, and not knowing much about testers, but really keen to learn) and seeing you 'English' technicians using Fluke is kinda unnerving! Thanks. Great vids by the way.

Hi John. How about testing a 3 poles MCCB?..

Hi John, I have finished installing shore power to my little boat. I spent the afternoon trying to get the RCD to switch on. I have not managed to get the switch lever to remain up. Not while totally disconnected from any wires nor while wired up and connected to the pontoon power supply. Using a little Fluke device I established that the wiring from the shore power was correct and on. A friend suggested that the RCD was broken saying that even when not connected, for example straight out the box packaging, the black switch lever should remain in the up position if clicked on. I would like to know if you agree. If that is the case then it is for the bin. Many thanks, Mike

I did rcd test on final circuit and when i did test x5 it showed 0.0 also on 180 degrees it was 0.0 is it normal . 30 mA rcd tested.

you have your 230vac blue and brown cables wired in at the top of the rcd are they live

Hi John, Are you using the RCD through an isolation transformer like on your other videos to prevent the test tripping your house RCD? If so what make is this transformer and where did you get it? Thanks.

How ingenious testing with RCDs feeding RCDs...

Great video. Two questions: 1. Could you possibly do a video on how to use multifunction testers, whether they be Fluke-Robin, Kewtech or Megger, as you explain all the functions so clearly; 2. I've installed three distribution boards in a building, they are all supplied from an MEM switchgear panel containing three 63 amp fuses each of which is the link between the incoming supply and the cable to each board. Two of the cables are fine, supplying power without a problem, but the third cable will not power up when connected. Power is coming in, but not being transmitted through the fuse to the cable. I have pulled out the fuse link housing between the supply and load sides, and it houses a 63 amp Bussman fuse. Could this be a problem with the fuse, the housing or the board, and how can I test the fuse? At the moment, I only have a Kewtech voltage tester, I don't yet have a mutimeter or multifunction tester. Thank you.

So if the difference in current coming back is 30 mA or more, it will switch off??

Hi John...when testing RCBOs am I correct in assuming that they should be tested in the same way but one at a time? Can they all be connected to line, neutral & earth while testing or should only the RCBO being tested be connected. Thanks in advance.

Have you ever used Chint rcbo (s) ? Are they good

That In (Rated Current) is that the same in all countries, or at least in Europe??

Hi John, love your videos, keep it up. Can I ask, what is that connector pedal thingy behind your Fluke mft seen 2.20 into the video. I use to have one and want to buy another, but have no idea what they're called. Thanks in advance.

Where shall we write the results in the document Thanks