Electrical Acceptance Testing
Remade from scratch to the authoring rules: defaults asserted only where four of five projects would choose them, and scope boundaries matched to the neighboring standards
Showing changes from Rev 2
to Rev 3
in Electrical Acceptance Testing.
---
title: Electrical Acceptance Testing
category: Electrical / Power Studies
−toc_depth: 3
description: >
− When to use: Field inspection, testing, and verification of new electrical
− power distribution equipment prior to initial energization and final
− acceptance, on commercial, institutional, industrial, and utility projects
− from low voltage (600 V and below) through medium voltage (up to 38 kV).
− Covers transformers, switchgear, switchboards, panelboards, motor control
− centers, circuit breakers, protective relays, power cables, grounding,
− instrument transformers, transfer switches, drives, and battery/UPS systems
− per ANSI/NETA ATS, including test method selection, instrument calibration,
− acceptance criteria, technician qualification, and the compiled test report.
− Not intended for: power system analytical studies (use
− sync/short-circuit-study, sync/protective-coordination-study,
− sync/arc-flash-study); equipment procurement and factory testing for
− switchgear (sync/low-voltage-switchgear, sync/medium-voltage-switchgear);
− total building commissioning and functional performance testing
− (sync/commissioning); factory acceptance testing by manufacturers;
− structured low-voltage data/voice cabling (sync/structured-cabling); process
− instrument loop checks and field device calibration; and ongoing maintenance
− testing after acceptance (governed by ANSI/NETA MTS, not ATS).
+ When to use: The field acceptance test program applied to new electrical power distribution equipment after installation and before it is first energized, on systems rated 1000 V and below through 38 kV. Covers who performs the tests and how the firm and its technicians are qualified, the test instruments, the electrical safety basis for the work, the equipment classes and the optional tests within the program, the test plan and the hold points that release energization, the acceptance criteria that every equipment standard's field tests are judged against (insulation resistance, bolted connections, transformer ratio and winding checks, trip unit and relay verification, dielectric tests, instrument transformers), the post-energization infrared survey, deficiency resolution and retesting, and the compiled test report. Each equipment standard names the tests its equipment receives and invokes this standard for the method, the criteria, the tester, and the report.
+
+ Not intended for: the short-circuit, coordination, and arc-flash studies whose results the tests verify the installation against ([[sync/short-circuit-study]], [[sync/protective-coordination-study]], [[sync/arc-flash-study]]); factory and production tests, which each equipment standard governs; the list of field tests a particular equipment class receives, which its equipment standard carries; commissioning process management, functional performance testing, and systems integration testing ([[sync/commissioning]]); the facility's written electrical safety program and its energized work permits ([[sync/electrical-safety-program]]); the method, voltage, and duration of the withstand test on shielded medium-voltage cable ([[sync/medium-voltage-cables]]); the grounding electrode resistance test method and its target value for systems rated 1000 V and below ([[sync/grounding-and-bonding]]); the insulation resistance test voltage for low-voltage building wire ([[sync/conductors-and-cables]]); motor insulation resistance before energization ([[sync/electric-motors]]); structured cabling certification ([[sync/structured-cabling]]); instrument loop checks and field calibration of process instruments ([[sync/process-instrumentation]]); security, communications, and building control system acceptance, which their own standards govern; and maintenance testing of equipment already in service, which ANSI/NETA MTS governs.
---
# Scope {toc}
−## This standard governs the field acceptance testing of new electrical power distribution equipment and systems performed by an independent testing organization prior to initial energization and final project acceptance. {note}
+## This standard governs the field acceptance test program for new electrical power distribution equipment rated 1000 V and below through 38 kV: the testing organization and its technicians, the instruments, the equipment and tests within the program, the sequence and the hold points, the acceptance criteria, the resolution of deficiencies, and the test report. {note}
−## Acceptance testing exists to answer one question before a system is energized: was the equipment installed correctly, and is it electrically sound? Factory and routine production tests prove the equipment left the factory in good order; they say nothing about transit damage, field assembly errors, contamination during construction, mis-torqued connections, or settings that do not match the approved studies. Acceptance testing closes that gap. It is the last independent check between a finished installation and the moment it is placed in service, and once a system is energized many of these tests become impractical or unsafe to perform. {note}
+## Factory and production tests prove that the equipment left the factory in good order. They say nothing about damage in transit, errors in field assembly, contamination during construction, a bolted connection left loose, a shipping brace left in, or a trip unit set to values other than the study recommends. Acceptance testing is the independent check between a finished installation and the moment it is placed in service, and most of its tests cannot be performed, or cannot be performed safely, once the equipment is energized. {note}
−## Applicable equipment and voltage range {toc}
+## The equipment standards and this standard divide the work in one way throughout the corpus. The equipment standard for a transformer, a switchboard, a motor control center, or a transfer switch names the field tests that equipment receives, in a checkbox its project selects from. This standard governs who performs those tests, what instruments and safety practices they use, the criteria a result is judged against, what happens when a result fails, and the report that records it all. A test an equipment standard requires is performed under this standard; a criterion this standard states applies to every equipment standard's test of that kind. {note}
−### This standard applies to electrical power distribution equipment rated 600 V and below (low voltage) through 38 kV (medium voltage) wherever acceptance testing is specified by the Owner, the authority having jurisdiction, or the Engineer of Record. {note}
+## The following are governed elsewhere and are outside this standard: {note}
−### Equipment within scope includes: power transformers (liquid-filled and dry-type); metal-enclosed and metal-clad switchgear; low-voltage switchgear and switchboards; panelboards and motor control centers; molded-case, insulated-case, and power circuit breakers; protective relays (electromechanical, solid-state, and microprocessor); shielded and unshielded power cables; grounding and bonding systems; current and potential (instrument) transformers; automatic transfer switches; variable frequency drives; battery, UPS, and energy storage systems; and solar photovoltaic system power equipment. {note}
+- the short-circuit, coordination, and arc-flash studies, under [[sync/short-circuit-study]], [[sync/protective-coordination-study]], and [[sync/arc-flash-study]]; the tests under this standard verify that the installed settings match those studies and do not perform them
+- factory tests, witnessed or certified, under the equipment standard for each product
+- the construction, ratings, and field test lists of the equipment itself, under [[sync/low-voltage-switchgear]], [[sync/medium-voltage-switchgear]], [[sync/low-voltage-switchboards]], [[sync/panelboards]], [[sync/motor-control-centers]], [[sync/combination-motor-starters]], [[sync/medium-voltage-transformers]], [[sync/low-voltage-dry-type-transformers]], [[sync/secondary-unit-substations]], [[sync/automatic-transfer-switches]], [[sync/generators]], and the other equipment standards named in this standard
+- commissioning process management, functional performance testing, and systems integration testing, under [[sync/commissioning]]
+- the facility's written electrical safety program, its energized work permits, and its lockout procedures, under [[sync/electrical-safety-program]]
+- the withstand test method, voltage, and duration for shielded medium-voltage cable, under [[sync/medium-voltage-cables]]
+- the grounding electrode resistance test method and target value on systems rated 1000 V and below, under [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]]
+- the insulation resistance test of low-voltage building wire, under [[sync/conductors-and-cables]], and of motor windings, under [[sync/electric-motors]]
+- battery and uninterruptible power supply acceptance, under [[sync/dc-battery-systems]] and [[sync/uninterruptible-power-supply-systems]]
+- photovoltaic system commissioning, under [[sync/photovoltaic-systems]]
+- the labels and nameplates the visual inspection verifies, under [[sync/equipment-labeling]]
+- maintenance testing of equipment in service, which ANSI/NETA MTS governs and which this standard's criteria do not apply to
−## Boundaries with adjacent standards {toc}
+## Acceptance testing under this standard shall be performed on new equipment, on existing equipment modified or relocated under the project, and on existing equipment that the project reconnects to a new source.
−### Acceptance testing verifies that installed protective settings match the approved studies; it does not perform those studies. Short-circuit, load-flow, coordination, and arc-flash analysis are governed by [[sync/short-circuit-study]], [[sync/protective-coordination-study]], and [[sync/arc-flash-study]]. {note}
−
−### This standard covers the field test program applied after switchgear is installed. Procurement, ratings, construction, and factory testing of that equipment are governed by [[sync/low-voltage-switchgear]] and [[sync/medium-voltage-switchgear]]. {note}
−
−### Electrical acceptance testing is a discrete prerequisite input to total building commissioning, not a substitute for it. Commissioning process management, functional performance testing, and systems integration testing are governed by [[sync/commissioning]]. The interface between the two is defined in the Quality Assurance section. {note}
−
−### Factory acceptance testing and routine production tests conducted by equipment manufacturers at their own facilities are governed by the applicable UL, IEEE, and IEC product standards and are outside this scope. They are factory tests, not field tests. {note}
−
−### Structured cabling (Category 5e/6/8 and fiber certification), process control loop checks and field instrument calibration, and ongoing maintenance testing performed after project acceptance are outside this scope. Maintenance testing is governed by ANSI/NETA MTS, not by the acceptance testing specifications referenced here. {note}
−
# Referenced Standards {toc}
−## Equipment, materials, and field testing shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.
+## Field testing shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.
−## Where referenced standards conflict, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
+## Where the contract documents, the equipment manufacturer's published instructions, the Authority Having Jurisdiction, or two referenced standards impose conflicting requirements, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
| Standard | Title |
|----------|-------|
−| ANSI/NETA ATS-2025 | Acceptance Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment and Systems |
−| ANSI/NETA ETT-2022 | Standard for Certification of Electrical Testing Technicians |
−| NFPA 70 | National Electrical Code (Article 110, General Requirements for Electrical Installations) |
−| NFPA 70B-2023 | Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance |
−| NFPA 70E-2024 | Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace |
−| IEEE 400-2012 | Guide for Field Testing and Evaluation of the Insulation of Shielded Power Cable Systems Rated 5 kV and Above |
−| IEEE 400.2-2013 | Guide for Field Testing of Shielded Power Cable Systems Using Very Low Frequency (VLF) (less than 1 Hz) |
−| IEEE C57.12.90-2015 | Standard Test Code for Liquid-Immersed Distribution, Power, and Regulating Transformers |
−| IEEE C57.12.91-2011 | Standard Test Code for Dry-Type Distribution and Power Transformers |
−| IEEE C37.09-2018 | Standard Test Procedure for AC High-Voltage Circuit Breakers Rated on a Symmetrical Current Basis |
−| IEEE 81-2012 | Guide for Measuring Earth Resistivity, Ground Impedance, and Earth Surface Potentials of a Grounding System |
−| NEMA MG 1-2021 | Motors and Generators |
+| ANSI/NETA ATS | Standard for Acceptance Testing Specifications for Electrical Power Equipment and Systems |
+| ANSI/NETA ETT | Standard for Certification of Electrical Testing Technicians |
+| NFPA 70 | National Electrical Code (Articles 110, 230, 240, and 250) |
+| NFPA 70B | Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance |
+| NFPA 70E | Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace |
+| IEEE 43 | Recommended Practice for Testing Insulation Resistance of Electric Machinery |
+| IEEE 81 | Guide for Measuring Earth Resistivity, Ground Impedance, and Earth Surface Potentials of a Grounding System |
+| IEEE C57.12.90 | Standard Test Code for Liquid-Immersed Distribution, Power, and Regulating Transformers |
+| IEEE C57.12.91 | Standard Test Code for Dry-Type Distribution and Power Transformers |
+| IEEE C57.13 | Standard Requirements for Instrument Transformers |
+| IEEE C37.20.1 | Standard for Metal-Enclosed Low-Voltage Power Circuit Breaker Switchgear |
+| IEEE C37.20.2 | Standard for Metal-Clad Switchgear |
−## Edition selection {toc}
−
−### The current edition of the governing acceptance testing specification is ANSI/NETA ATS-2025, which supersedes the 2021 edition. The 2025 edition added field test procedures for battery energy storage systems and solar photovoltaic systems and expanded the medium-voltage cable acceptance test value tables. {note}
−
−### The testing specification edition shall be selected to match the edition adopted by the project at the time of the construction contract.
−
−```datasheet
−label: Governing acceptance testing specification edition
−type: radio
−options:
− - ANSI/NETA ATS-2025
− - ANSI/NETA ATS-2021
−default: ANSI/NETA ATS-2025
−```
−
# Submittals {toc}
−## Action submittals {toc}
+## Action Submittals {toc}
−### The testing organization shall submit the following for review and approval before any field testing begins:
+### The Contractor shall submit the following for review before any field test is performed:
−- Testing organization accreditation certificate (NETA Accredited Company documentation)
−- Certifications and assigned competency level for each technician on the crew
−- Detailed test plan listing every device to be tested and the procedure for each
−- Sample test report forms for each equipment type
−- Current calibration certificates for all test instruments, traceable to NIST
−- Project-specific electrical safety plan referencing the current arc-flash study
+- the testing organization's qualification statement, giving its accreditation, its independence from the installing contractor and the equipment suppliers, and its experience with equipment of each class within the program
+- the certification record of every technician assigned to the project, giving the ANSI/NETA ETT level or the equivalent qualification of each, and naming the crew lead for each mobilization
+- the test plan, listing every item of equipment within the program by its designation on the one-line diagram, the tests each item receives under its equipment standard and under this standard, the test method and the acceptance criterion for each test, the instrument to be used, and the planned test date
+- a sample field data sheet for each equipment class, showing every value to be recorded
+- the test instrument list, giving the manufacturer, model, serial number, calibration date, and calibration due date of each instrument
+- the testing organization's electrical safety procedures for the work, referencing the arc-flash labels produced under [[sync/arc-flash-study]] and the lockout procedures of [[sync/electrical-safety-program]]
```datasheet
−label: Action submittals required before field testing
+label: Action Submittals
type: checkbox
options:
− - Testing organization accreditation certificate
− - Technician certifications and competency levels
− - Detailed device-by-device test plan
− - Sample test report forms by equipment type
− - Instrument calibration certificates (NIST-traceable)
− - Project-specific electrical safety plan
+ - "Testing organization qualification statement"
+ - "Technician certification records and crew lead assignments"
+ - "Test plan by equipment designation"
+ - "Sample field data sheets by equipment class"
+ - "Test instrument list with calibration dates"
+ - "Electrical safety procedures for the testing work"
default:
− - Testing organization accreditation certificate
− - Technician certifications and competency levels
− - Detailed device-by-device test plan
− - Sample test report forms by equipment type
− - Instrument calibration certificates (NIST-traceable)
− - Project-specific electrical safety plan
+ - "Testing organization qualification statement"
+ - "Technician certification records and crew lead assignments"
+ - "Test plan by equipment designation"
+ - "Sample field data sheets by equipment class"
+ - "Test instrument list with calibration dates"
+ - "Electrical safety procedures for the testing work"
```
−### The testing organization shall receive the approved short-circuit, coordination, and arc-flash studies as reference documents before testing begins, so that installed relay settings and trip device settings can be verified against the engineered values.
+### No field test shall be performed before the test plan covering it has been reviewed and returned.
−## Informational submittals {toc}
+### The test plan is the document that settles scope disputes before they start. Equipment that is not on it tends not to be tested, and a panelboard, a transfer switch, or a drive left off the plan is energized without a test and discovered only when the report is indexed against the one-line diagram. {note}
−### The testing organization shall submit the following reference and qualification documents for the record:
+## Informational Submittals {toc}
−- Resume or equivalent qualification record for the designated crew lead
−- List of test instruments by manufacturer, model, serial number, and calibration date
−- Manufacturer published tolerance data for equipment being tested, where acceptance criteria reference manufacturer values
+### The Contractor shall submit the following as the work proceeds:
+- the reviewed short-circuit, coordination, and arc-flash studies, furnished to the testing organization as reference documents before any protective device is tested
+- the completed field data sheets for each item of equipment, submitted before that item is released for energization
+- a deficiency notice for every result outside its acceptance criterion, submitted within one working day of the test
+- the calibration certificate of every instrument used, traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology
+
```datasheet
−label: Informational submittals
+label: Informational Submittals
type: checkbox
options:
− - Crew lead qualification record
− - Test instrument inventory with calibration dates
− - Manufacturer published tolerance data
+ - "Reviewed studies furnished to the testing organization"
+ - "Field data sheets before energization of each item"
+ - "Deficiency notices within one working day"
+ - "Instrument calibration certificates"
default:
− - Crew lead qualification record
− - Test instrument inventory with calibration dates
− - Manufacturer published tolerance data
+ - "Reviewed studies furnished to the testing organization"
+ - "Field data sheets before energization of each item"
+ - "Deficiency notices within one working day"
+ - "Instrument calibration certificates"
```
−## Closeout submittals {toc}
+### The testing organization shall not verify a protective device setting against values transcribed in the field, against a settings sheet furnished by the installing contractor, or against the equipment manufacturer's shipping settings; the reviewed coordination study is the only reference for a setting.
−### Upon completion of testing, the testing organization shall submit the following as project closeout deliverables:
+## Closeout Submittals {toc}
−- Final compiled test report covering every device tested, with as-found and as-left values
−- Summary of all out-of-tolerance findings and the corrective action taken for each
−- Index of devices tested cross-referenced to the approved test plan
−- Copies of all instrument calibration certificates valid for the test period
+### The Contractor shall submit the following before the equipment within the program is accepted:
+- the compiled test report described under Test Report, covering every item of equipment within the program
+- the deficiency log, listing every result outside its acceptance criterion, the correction made, the retest result, and the date each was closed
+- the record of every protective device setting as left in service, cross-referenced to the coordination study
+- the infrared survey report for each survey the datasheet requires, with the thermographic image of every finding
+- the written energization release for each item of equipment, signed by the release authority named in the datasheet
+
```datasheet
−label: Closeout submittals
+label: Closeout Submittals
type: checkbox
options:
− - Final compiled test report (all devices)
− - Out-of-tolerance findings and corrective actions
− - Device index cross-referenced to test plan
− - Instrument calibration certificates for test period
+ - "Compiled test report"
+ - "Deficiency log"
+ - "As-left protective device settings record"
+ - "Infrared survey reports"
+ - "Energization release records"
default:
− - Final compiled test report (all devices)
− - Out-of-tolerance findings and corrective actions
− - Device index cross-referenced to test plan
− - Instrument calibration certificates for test period
+ - "Compiled test report"
+ - "Deficiency log"
+ - "As-left protective device settings record"
+ - "Energization release records"
```
−### The final test report shall be delivered to the Owner, the Engineer of Record, and the authority having jurisdiction in the format and quantity specified below.
+# Quality Assurance {toc}
−```datasheet
−label: Final test report delivery format
−type: checkbox
−options:
− - Electronic PDF (searchable)
− - Stamped and signed hard copies
− - Native test-set data files (COMTRADE, instrument exports)
−default:
− - Electronic PDF (searchable)
− - Stamped and signed hard copies
−```
+## Testing Organization {toc}
−```datasheet
−label: Test report recipients
−type: checkbox
−options:
− - Owner / facility records
− - Engineer of Record
− - Authority having jurisdiction
− - Commissioning agent
−default:
− - Owner / facility records
− - Engineer of Record
− - Authority having jurisdiction
−```
+### Acceptance testing shall be performed by the testing organization indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Test report retention period
−type: radio
+label: Testing Organization
+type: select
options:
− - Life of the equipment
− - 10 years
− - 5 years
−default: Life of the equipment
+ - "Independent testing firm holding NETA accreditation"
+ - "Independent testing firm without NETA accreditation"
+ - "Equipment manufacturer's field service organization"
+ - "Installing contractor's own technicians"
+ - "Owner's in-house testing group"
+default: "Independent testing firm holding NETA accreditation"
```
−# Quality Assurance {toc}
+### An independent firm has no stake in whether the installation passes, and NETA accreditation adds a published audit of the firm's technician certification, its instrument calibration program, and its procedures, which is what an Owner's insurer or an Authority Having Jurisdiction asks for when the report is questioned; an independent firm without accreditation offers the same independence on the firm's own representation of its program; the manufacturer's field service organization knows its own product and its trip units best and is already on site where the equipment standard requires a start-up visit, and its report carries the maker's name rather than a third party's; the installing contractor's technicians cost least and work on the installer's schedule, with the report reading as self-certification; an Owner's in-house group is the arrangement of a utility, a campus, or an industrial owner that maintains its own testing staff and instruments. The program this standard describes is written around ANSI/NETA ATS, which assumes an independent tester, and that is the arrangement most projects that invoke this standard specify. {note}
−## Independence of the testing organization {toc}
+### Where an equipment standard selects a different testing organization for a particular class of equipment, that selection shall govern for that equipment, and the test plan shall identify which organization tests each item.
−### NETA requires that field acceptance testing be performed by an organization with no financial interest in the outcome of the work it tests. An installing contractor who tests its own installation has every incentive to pass marginal results and no independent check on whether the work was done correctly. Independence is the entire value of the program; without it the test report is self-certification. {note}
+### An independent testing firm shall be one that is not the installing contractor, not a subsidiary or affiliate of the installing contractor, and not a manufacturer or supplier of equipment within the program, and whose compensation does not depend on the outcome of the tests.
−### Acceptance testing shall be performed by an independent testing organization that is not the installing electrical contractor and has no financial interest in the installation under test.
+### Where a testing organization other than an independent firm holding NETA accreditation is selected, it shall maintain an instrument calibration program and a technician qualification record meeting the requirements of this standard, and shall describe both in the qualification statement.
−### The testing organization shall be a NETA Accredited Company (NAC), or an owner-furnished in-house testing group meeting the same accreditation, instrument calibration, and technician certification requirements.
+### The testing organization shall have performed acceptance testing on equipment of each class within the program, at the voltage class furnished, on not fewer than three completed projects, and shall name them in the qualification statement.
−### A specification that requires only a "NETA-compliant" testing firm allows non-accredited contractors to claim compliance. Accreditation shall be stated explicitly as a NETA Accredited Company, not as general compliance.
+## Technician Certification {toc}
+### Every test crew shall be led by a technician holding a current certification at the ANSI/NETA ETT level indicated in the datasheet, or at a level of the manufacturer's or Owner's qualification program that the qualification statement demonstrates to be equivalent.
+
```datasheet
−label: Testing organization qualification
−type: radio
+label: Crew Lead Minimum Certification Level
+type: select
options:
− - NETA Accredited Company (NAC), independent third party
− - Owner-furnished in-house group meeting NAC standards
− - OEM field service paired with independent NETA testing
−default: NETA Accredited Company (NAC), independent third party
+ - "ANSI/NETA ETT Level II"
+ - "ANSI/NETA ETT Level III"
+ - "ANSI/NETA ETT Level IV"
+default: "ANSI/NETA ETT Level III"
```
−## Technician qualification {toc}
+### ANSI/NETA ETT defines four levels. A Level II technician performs tests under supervision; a Level III technician performs and evaluates the full range of acceptance tests and directs lower-level technicians, which is the level ANSI/NETA ATS itself requires of a crew lead and the level most projects adopt without discussion; a Level IV technician plans programs and resolves anomalous results, which a project asks for where the program includes medium-voltage relaying, differential schemes, or a transfer scheme whose test the crew lead has to design on site. Level II as a crew lead is the arrangement a small program of low-voltage equipment is sometimes let under, with evaluation of the results reserved to a senior technician off site. {note}
−### Technician competency is defined by ANSI/NETA ETT, which establishes four certification levels. Level 3 is the practical minimum for a crew lead on a distribution project: a Level 3 technician can independently perform and evaluate the full range of acceptance tests and direct lower-level technicians. Specifying a higher level than the work warrants raises cost without improving outcomes; specifying too low a level puts inexperienced technicians in charge of go/no-go decisions. {note}
+### Every technician who performs a test on equipment rated above 1000 V shall hold a current certification at ANSI/NETA ETT Level II or higher, or the equivalent under the qualification program named in the qualification statement.
−### Each test crew shall be led by a technician certified to the specified ANSI/NETA ETT level minimum.
+### Every technician who performs or evaluates a test shall be a qualified person under NFPA 70E for the equipment and voltage class tested.
−```datasheet
−label: Crew lead minimum ETT certification level
−type: radio
−options:
− - ETT Level 2
− - ETT Level 3
− - ETT Level 4
−default: ETT Level 3
−```
+## Test Instruments {toc}
−### Personnel performing energized work shall be qualified under NFPA 70E-2024 and shall use the arc-flash personal protective equipment determined by the project arc-flash study.
+### Every instrument used to produce a recorded value shall be calibrated at the interval the instrument manufacturer recommends and not less often than once every twelve months, and its calibration shall be traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
−## Test instrument calibration {toc}
+### Every instrument shall carry a dated calibration label, and its serial number and calibration date shall be recorded on every field data sheet it produced a value for.
−### A test instrument that is out of calibration produces numbers that look authoritative and may be wrong. Acceptance decisions rest on absolute measurements compared against tight tolerances, so the instruments must be traceable to a national standard and recently verified. {note}
+### An instrument that has been dropped, overloaded, or exposed to a fault during the work shall be withdrawn from the program until it has been recalibrated, and every value it produced since its last verified reading shall be retaken.
−### All test instruments shall have current calibration traceable to NIST, performed within the 12 months preceding the test.
+### The acceptance criteria of this standard are tight tolerances on absolute measurements. A micro-ohmmeter reading 20% high fails a sound bus joint; a test set reading 5% low passes a relay that trips late. The instrument is the only thing standing between a number that looks authoritative and a number that is right, which is why the calibration record is part of the report. {note}
−### Calibration stickers showing the instrument serial number and calibration date shall be documented in the test report for each instrument used.
+## Electrical Safety During Testing {toc}
−## Coordination with commissioning {toc}
+### Every test shall be performed with the equipment under test in an electrically safe work condition established in accordance with NFPA 70E and the lockout procedures of [[sync/electrical-safety-program]], except for a test that by its nature is performed with the equipment energized, which shall be performed under an energized electrical work permit issued under that program.
−### Acceptance testing verifies equipment integrity (insulation, timing, contact resistance, settings) before energization. Commissioning functional testing verifies that energized systems perform their intended function. The two are sequential and complementary; treating them as one scope causes scheduling disputes with the commissioning agent. The boundary shall be documented so neither program assumes the other will perform a given test.
+### Before a test lead is applied, the testing organization shall verify the absence of voltage on every conductor within reach of the work, and shall apply temporary protective grounds to medium-voltage conductors in accordance with NFPA 70E.
−### Acceptance testing shall be completed and the results accepted before the affected equipment is released to the commissioning agent for functional performance testing under [[sync/commissioning]].
+### After every high-voltage test, the tested conductors and windings shall be grounded through a discharge resistor and then solidly grounded for not less than four times the duration of the test, or for the period the instrument manufacturer requires, whichever is longer, before any person touches them.
−## Hold points and scheduling {toc}
+### Where the arc-flash labels required under [[sync/arc-flash-study]] are not yet installed on equipment to be tested energized, the testing organization shall work to the incident energy the study reports for that equipment, and where no study value is available, shall not perform the energized test.
−### Without a contractual hold point requiring acceptance test sign-off before energization, systems are routinely energized before testing is complete, after which many de-energized tests become impractical or unsafe. The hold point is what makes the program enforceable. {note}
+# Acceptance Test Program {toc}
−### A formal hold point shall be established at which acceptance test results for each system are reviewed and signed off by the Engineer of Record before that system is energized.
+## Equipment Within the Program {toc}
−### Equipment installed in concealed spaces shall be acceptance-tested before architectural closure (ceilings, walls, flooring) renders it inaccessible.
+### The equipment classes within the acceptance test program shall be as indicated in the datasheet, and every item of equipment of a selected class on the project shall be within the program.
−### The final compiled test report shall be reviewed and accepted by the Engineer of Record before the certificate of substantial completion is issued.
−
```datasheet
−label: Testing milestone relative to project schedule
−type: radio
+label: Equipment Classes Within the Program
+type: checkbox
options:
− - Before energization, per-system hold point
− - Before substantial completion
− - Before final payment
−default: Before energization, per-system hold point
+ - "Liquid-immersed transformers"
+ - "Dry-type transformers rated above 1000 V"
+ - "Dry-type transformers rated 1000 V and below"
+ - "Medium-voltage switchgear"
+ - "Low-voltage switchgear"
+ - "Low-voltage switchboards"
+ - "Panelboards"
+ - "Motor control centers and enclosed motor controllers"
+ - "Enclosed switches and busway"
+ - "Medium-voltage circuit breakers"
+ - "Low-voltage power circuit breakers and insulated-case circuit breakers"
+ - "Molded-case circuit breakers"
+ - "Protective relays"
+ - "Instrument transformers"
+ - "Metering and power monitoring"
+ - "Medium-voltage cables"
+ - "Low-voltage feeder conductors"
+ - "Grounding electrode systems"
+ - "Automatic transfer switches"
+ - "Engine-generator sets"
+ - "Variable frequency drives"
+ - "Electric motors"
+ - "Stationary batteries and uninterruptible power supplies"
+ - "Surge protective devices"
+ - "Power factor correction capacitors"
```
−```datasheet
−label: Testing sequencing
−type: radio
−options:
− - Single mobilization, all equipment at once
− - Phased / sequential energization of feeders with defined hold points
−default: Phased / sequential energization of feeders with defined hold points
−```
+### The equipment classes are selected here so that the testing organization can price and plan the whole program from one document, and so that a class left out is left out on purpose. The classes present on a project are read from the one-line diagram; which of them are tested is the project's decision, and the equipment that is tested in nearly every program is the service and distribution equipment, the transformers, the medium-voltage cable, the protective devices and their relays, and the grounding electrode system, with panelboards, molded-case breakers, and motors the classes most often tested on a sample or excluded. {note}
−# Scope of Equipment Tested {toc}
+### Each item of equipment within the program shall receive the field acceptance tests its equipment standard requires, and where the equipment standard carries no field test list, the tests ANSI/NETA ATS specifies as required for that equipment class.
−## A specification that omits an explicit equipment inclusion list invites scope disputes: the testing organization tests the obvious major equipment, and panelboards, transfer switches, or drives are quietly energized without testing. The equipment list is the single most important thing the specifier controls, because everything not listed tends not to get tested. {note}
+### Where an equipment standard states a criterion for one of its tests, that criterion shall apply to that equipment, and the criteria of this standard shall apply to every test for which the equipment standard states none.
−## The default acceptance test scope is 100% of installed distribution equipment. Selective sampling shall be used only where the Engineer of Record has specifically authorized it and shall be defined by an explicit inclusion and exclusion list by equipment type and voltage class.
+### The test plan shall identify every item of equipment present on the project of a class not selected, and shall record it as excluded from the program.
−## Equipment to be acceptance-tested shall be selected from the list below; any equipment present on the project and not selected shall be explicitly identified as excluded with the reason recorded.
+## Optional Tests Added to the Program {toc}
+### The tests ANSI/NETA ATS designates as optional shall be performed where an equipment standard requires them or where indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Equipment included in acceptance test scope
+label: Optional Tests Added to the Program
type: checkbox
options:
− - Power transformers (liquid-filled)
− - Power transformers (dry-type)
− - Metal-clad / metal-enclosed switchgear
− - Low-voltage switchgear and switchboards
− - Panelboards
− - Motor control centers
− - Molded-case and insulated-case circuit breakers
− - Power (drawout) circuit breakers
− - Protective relays
− - Medium-voltage power cables
− - Low-voltage power cables
− - Grounding and bonding system
− - Instrument transformers (CT / PT)
− - Automatic transfer switches
− - Variable frequency drives
− - Battery / UPS systems
−default:
− - Power transformers (liquid-filled)
− - Power transformers (dry-type)
− - Metal-clad / metal-enclosed switchgear
− - Low-voltage switchgear and switchboards
− - Panelboards
− - Motor control centers
− - Molded-case and insulated-case circuit breakers
− - Power (drawout) circuit breakers
− - Protective relays
− - Medium-voltage power cables
− - Low-voltage power cables
− - Grounding and bonding system
− - Instrument transformers (CT / PT)
− - Automatic transfer switches
+ - "Dielectric withstand of medium-voltage switchgear bus"
+ - "Dielectric withstand of low-voltage switchgear and switchboard bus"
+ - "Partial discharge survey of medium-voltage switchgear and cable terminations"
+ - "Insulation power factor of dry-type transformer windings"
+ - "Excitation current of liquid-immersed transformer windings"
+ - "Core-to-ground insulation resistance of transformers with an accessible core ground"
+ - "Sweep frequency response analysis of transformers 5 MVA and larger"
+ - "Contact timing and travel analysis of low-voltage power circuit breakers"
+ - "Excitation and burden tests of current transformers"
+ - "Watts-loss test of surge arresters"
```
+### An optional test is one whose result adds information the required tests do not give, at a cost in time and in instruments. A dielectric withstand test of a switchgear bus finds a crack in an insulator or a foreign object left on the bus that an insulation resistance test reads through, at the cost of a high-voltage set on site and a stress the bus sees once; a partial discharge survey finds a void or a contaminated termination before it tracks, and matters where the equipment is medium-voltage and the terminations were made in the field; insulation power factor on a dry-type winding grades contamination that resistance alone does not; excitation current, core ground, and sweep frequency response detect a shorted turn, an unintended core ground, and winding movement in shipment, and are the tests a large or critical transformer receives; timing and travel on a low-voltage power breaker finds a slow mechanism before it fails to clear; excitation and burden tests confirm a current transformer will saturate where its relay expects it to; a watts-loss test finds a degraded arrester block. {note}
+
+## Test Plan and Sequence {toc}
+
+### Tests shall be performed in the order of the test plan, with the visual and mechanical inspection of each item of equipment completed before any electrical test is applied to it.
+
+### The mobilization basis of the program shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Acceptance test coverage
+label: Mobilization Basis
type: radio
options:
− - 100% of installed distribution equipment
− - Selective sampling per authorized inclusion/exclusion list
−default: 100% of installed distribution equipment
+ - "Single mobilization after all equipment within the program is installed"
+ - "Phased mobilizations following the energization sequence"
```
−# Acceptance Criteria {toc}
+### A single mobilization tests everything in one visit at the lowest cost per test and holds every energization until the last item is installed; phased mobilizations follow the construction sequence so that a service, a substation, or a wing is tested and energized while the rest is still being installed, at the cost of repeated mobilizations and a test plan that tracks which items have been released. {note}
−## Where both a manufacturer published tolerance and a NETA table value exist for the same test, the specification must state which governs and which takes precedence on conflict; otherwise the testing organization decides case by case and results are inconsistent across the project.
+### Where phased mobilizations are selected, the Contractor shall furnish the testing organization a written energization sequence before the first mobilization, and shall give not less than five working days' notice of each item of equipment ready for test.
−## The source of acceptance criteria shall be stated below. Where the selected source is silent on a given test, the other source shall apply.
+### The Contractor shall furnish the testing organization access to every item of equipment within the program, with covers removed and reinstalled by the installing contractor, temporary power for the test instruments, and the operation of any equipment the test requires, at no cost to the testing organization.
+### The Contractor shall confirm before each mobilization that the equipment to be tested is installed and anchored, that every conductor to be tested is terminated, that shipping braces and packing have been removed, and that the equipment is clean and dry, and a mobilization that finds the equipment not ready shall be charged to the Contractor.
+
+### Equipment installed in a space that will be closed in by ceilings, walls, or finishes shall be tested before that space is closed.
+
+## Hold Points and Energization Release {toc}
+
+### No item of equipment within the program shall be energized before the field data sheets covering it have been reviewed and the energization release for it has been issued in writing by the release authority indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Primary source of acceptance criteria
−type: radio
+label: Energization Release Authority
+type: select
options:
− - Manufacturer published tolerances govern; NETA tables where manufacturer is silent
− - NETA ATS tolerance tables govern; manufacturer values where NETA is silent
−default: NETA ATS tolerance tables govern; manufacturer values where NETA is silent
+ - "Engineer of Record"
+ - "Commissioning authority"
+ - "Owner's representative"
+default: "Engineer of Record"
```
−## Contact and milliohm resistance acceptance {toc}
+### The Engineer of Record is the author of the studies the tests verify against and the party most projects have review the field data before energization; a commissioning authority holds the release where the project runs a commissioning program under [[sync/commissioning]] and the Owner wants one party to control every system release; an Owner's representative holds it where the Owner maintains its own electrical staff and the review is performed in house. {note}
−### Contact resistance is a sensitive indicator of connection quality: a loose bolt, a contaminated contact surface, or partial conductor seating all show up as elevated resistance long before they cause a visible failure. Measurement is taken with a high-current micro-ohmmeter, and the result is judged against either the manufacturer baseline or the NETA table value. {note}
+### No item of equipment shall be energized before the items upstream of it on the one-line diagram, through the service or the generator that supplies it, have been released.
−### Bolted and contact connection resistance shall be measured and shall be rejectable when it exceeds 125% of the manufacturer published value, or the applicable NETA ATS table value where no manufacturer value is provided.
+### Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished, the performance test NFPA 70 230.95(C) requires shall be completed and its written record delivered before the equipment it protects is energized.
+### Where arc energy reduction is furnished under NFPA 70 240.87 or 240.67, the performance test those sections require shall be completed and its record delivered before the device is energized.
+
+### The testing organization shall be present at the initial energization of each service and of each medium-voltage bus within the program.
+
+### A hold point that is not contractual is not enforced. Without a written release tied to the field data, a system is energized the day the utility is available and the de-energized tests that remain are deferred, then waived. The release record in the closeout submittals is what proves each item was tested before it was placed in service. {note}
+
+## Coordination with Commissioning {toc}
+
+### Acceptance testing of each item of equipment shall be completed and the equipment released for energization before that equipment is turned over to functional performance testing under [[sync/commissioning]].
+
+### Where a commissioning program is in effect, the test plan shall identify which verifications are performed under this standard and which under the commissioning plan, so that no verification is assumed by each program to be performed by the other.
+
+### Acceptance testing proves the equipment is electrically sound and set as the studies direct; functional performance testing proves the energized system does what the sequence of operations says. The two are sequential, and a transfer switch timing test, a generator load test, or a ground-fault performance test belongs to whichever program the test plan assigns it to, as long as it belongs to exactly one. {note}
+
+# Acceptance Criteria {toc}
+
+## Governing Source of a Criterion {toc}
+
+### Where the equipment manufacturer publishes a value for a test and ANSI/NETA ATS states one in its tables, the governing criterion shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Contact / milliohm resistance acceptance threshold
+label: Governing Criterion Where Both Sources Publish a Value
type: radio
options:
− - "> 125% of manufacturer published value (or NETA table)"
− - "> 150% of manufacturer published value"
−default: "> 125% of manufacturer published value (or NETA table)"
+ - "Manufacturer's published value"
+ - "ANSI/NETA ATS table value"
+ - "The more stringent of the two"
+default: "Manufacturer's published value"
```
−```datasheet
−label: Contact resistance test current
−type: range
−unit: A DC
−min: 10
−max: 200
−step: 10
−default: 100
−```
+### The manufacturer's published value is the one the equipment was designed and factory-tested to, and the ANSI/NETA ATS tables state their values for use where the manufacturer publishes none, so a project that cites ATS and says nothing else is already under this order; the ATS table value as the governing criterion gives one published number for every make on the project, which is what a reviewer comparing results across equipment wants, at the cost of failing a product whose maker allows more; the more stringent of the two gives the tightest acceptance and the most retests. {note}
−# Insulation Resistance Testing {toc}
+### Where the governing source publishes no value for a test, the other source shall apply, and where neither publishes one, the testing organization shall propose a criterion with the test plan and the Engineer of Record shall set it before the test is performed.
−## Insulation resistance testing applies a DC voltage across insulation and measures the resulting leakage current, expressed as resistance. It is the most widely applied acceptance test because it catches contamination, moisture, and physical damage to insulation across almost every class of equipment. The test voltage must be matched to the equipment rating: too low a voltage misses defects, too high a voltage can stress sound insulation unnecessarily. {note}
+### Where the test plan proposes a criterion and the Engineer of Record has not set one before the test is performed, the proposed criterion shall apply to that test.
−## Test voltage selection {toc}
+### A result that falls outside the governing criterion is a deficiency, and a result that falls within the criterion but is inconsistent with the results of like equipment on the project by more than the criterion's own tolerance shall be reported to the Engineer of Record with the test data.
−### The DC test voltage shall be selected from NETA ATS Table 100.1 according to the rated voltage of the equipment under test.
+## Insulation Resistance {toc}
−### Insulation resistance test voltage shall be selected per the following equipment voltage classes.
+### Insulation resistance shall be measured with a direct-current test set at the voltage ANSI/NETA ATS Table 100.1 assigns to the rated voltage of the equipment, unless the manufacturer publishes a lower test voltage for the equipment, in which case the manufacturer's voltage shall apply.
+### Every insulation resistance reading shall be a one-minute reading, corrected to 20 °C using the temperature conversion factors ANSI/NETA ATS publishes for the insulation type, and the reading, the test voltage, the winding or conductor temperature, and the corrected value shall be recorded.
+
+### A corrected one-minute reading below the minimum ANSI/NETA ATS Table 100.1 states for the equipment voltage class, or below the manufacturer's published minimum where that governs, is a deficiency.
+
+### Insulation resistance readings are compared to a minimum, and the minimum is set by the test voltage, so a test at a voltage below the one the table assigns yields a number that cannot be judged against the table. The temperature correction matters because resistance halves for roughly every 10 °C of winding temperature, and a transformer tested warm from a dry-out reads a fraction of what the same winding reads at 20 °C. {note}
+
+### A ten-minute polarization index shall be taken on every transformer winding rated above 1000 V and on every transformer whose one-minute reading is below twice the applicable minimum, and a polarization index below 1.0 shall be investigated before the transformer is energized.
+
+### Insulation resistance of rotating machine windings within the program shall be judged against IEEE 43 for the insulation class, including the polarization index minimum IEEE 43 states for that class.
+
+### Where solid-state or electronic components are connected to a circuit under test, they shall be disconnected or shorted out before the test voltage is applied, and the test plan shall identify each such component and the measure taken.
+
+## Bolted Connections and Contact Resistance {toc}
+
+### Every bolted electrical connection within the program shall be verified by the method indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Insulation resistance test voltage by equipment class
+label: Bolted Connection Verification Method
type: radio
options:
− - 500 V DC (120-240 V equipment)
− - 1000 V DC (600 V equipment)
− - 2500 V DC (2.5 kV equipment, up to 5 kV)
− - 5000 V DC (5-15 kV equipment)
−default: 1000 V DC (600 V equipment)
+ - "Calibrated torque wrench to the manufacturer's published values"
+ - "Low-resistance ohmmeter across each connection"
+ - "Thermographic survey under load"
+default: "Calibrated torque wrench to the manufacturer's published values"
```
−## Acceptance values {toc}
+### ANSI/NETA ATS admits three ways to prove a bolted joint. A torque check with a calibrated wrench, to the manufacturer's value or to the ANSI/NETA ATS bolt-torque table where the manufacturer publishes none, is the method most programs use, because it is done at the same time as the visual inspection with no instrument beyond the wrench; a low-resistance reading across each joint measures the joint rather than the bolt and finds a contaminated or mis-seated contact surface that is torqued correctly, at the cost of a micro-ohmmeter reading per joint; a thermographic survey proves the joint under load after energization, finds the joint that carries current badly for whatever reason, and leaves nothing checked before the equipment is energized. {note}
−### Insulation resistance on 600 V equipment shall be measured at 1000 V DC for a 1-minute reading, with a minimum acceptable value of 1 MΩ per kV of rated voltage.
+### Where the torque method is selected, each verified bolt shall be witness-marked, and a joint found below the published torque shall be loosened, its contact surfaces inspected and cleaned, and the joint retorqued, not simply tightened to value.
−### New 600 V equipment in sound condition typically reads between 100 MΩ and 1000 MΩ; any reading below 1 MΩ is rejectable and shall be investigated before energization.
+### Where the low-resistance method is selected, the measurement shall be made with a micro-ohmmeter applying not less than 10 A direct current, and a reading that deviates from the reading of a similar connection, or from the lowest reading among the poles of the same device, by more than 50% of the lowest value is a deficiency.
−```datasheet
−label: Insulation resistance minimum acceptance (600 V class)
−type: range
−unit: MΩ
−min: 1
−max: 100
−step: 1
−default: 100
−```
+### Where the thermographic method is selected, the survey shall be performed in accordance with the Infrared Survey article of this standard, and the equipment shall not be considered accepted until the survey has been completed and every finding corrected.
−### For rotating machines, transformers, and other windings where a polarization index is taken, the ratio of the 10-minute reading to the 1-minute reading shall be evaluated against the minimum below.
+### The contact resistance of every circuit breaker pole, every switch blade, and every transfer switch pole within the program shall be measured with a micro-ohmmeter applying not less than 10 A direct current, and a reading that exceeds the manufacturer's published maximum, or that deviates from the lowest reading among the poles of the same device by more than 50% of the lowest value where the manufacturer publishes none, is a deficiency.
+### Contact resistance is the most sensitive indicator of a connection that will fail under load. A loose bolt, an oxidized contact face, a conductor not fully seated in its lug, and a vacuum interrupter with a damaged contact all read as elevated resistance long before they heat visibly, and a pole that reads half again what its neighbors read on the same breaker is the one that will overheat at full load. {note}
+
+## Protective Device Settings {toc}
+
+### Every adjustable trip unit, protective relay, ground-fault relay, and motor overload relay within the program shall be verified to be set to the values the reviewed study under [[sync/protective-coordination-study]] recommends, and the as-found and as-left settings shall be recorded on the field data sheet.
+
+### Protective device settings shall be applied by the party indicated in the datasheet, and the testing organization shall verify every setting regardless of who applied it.
+
```datasheet
−label: Polarization index (PI) minimum acceptance ratio
−type: range
−unit: ratio
−min: 1.0
−max: 3.0
−step: 0.25
−default: 2.0
+label: Protective Device Settings Applied By
+type: select
+options:
+ - "The testing organization"
+ - "The installing contractor"
+ - "The equipment manufacturer's field service organization"
```
−# Medium-Voltage Cable Testing {toc}
+### The testing organization applying the settings puts the party with the test set and the study in hand at the trip unit, and makes the setting and its verification one visit; the installing contractor applying them is the lowest-cost arrangement, with the risk that a setting is transcribed from the wrong document and the verification visit becomes a correction visit; the manufacturer's field service organization applies them where the equipment standard requires a start-up visit and the trip units need the maker's software to program, as with a networked trip unit or a transfer scheme, and the testing organization then verifies what the manufacturer left. {note}
−## Medium-voltage cable acceptance testing is where method selection matters most. DC high-potential (hipot) testing was the legacy field method, but DC voltage is now known to damage extruded dielectric (XLPE and EPR) insulation by injecting space charge that accelerates water-tree growth. Industry practice has moved to very low frequency (VLF) testing at 0.1 Hz, which stresses the insulation realistically without the DC damage mechanism. VLF can be run as a simple withstand test (pass/fail at voltage) or with tan-delta (dissipation factor) monitoring, which also grades the overall condition of the cable. {note}
+### A device found set to a value other than the study recommends shall be reset to the study value, and where the device cannot be set to the study value, the discrepancy shall be reported to the Engineer of Record before the device is placed in service.
−## DC hipot shall not be specified for new extruded-dielectric (XLPE or EPR) medium-voltage cable.
+### A device that cannot be set to the study value shall not be left at a value the testing organization selects, and the Engineer of Record shall direct the setting to apply.
−## VLF withstand or VLF tan-delta per IEEE 400.2 shall be used for new extruded-dielectric cable work; DC hipot is retained only for testing legacy systems where it is already established.
+### No protective device within the program shall be energized with its trip unit or relay at the manufacturer's shipping settings.
−## Cable test method {toc}
+### A relay that tests perfectly against the wrong settings is a coordination failure waiting for its first fault. The study is the only authority for a setting, which is why the reviewed study is an informational submittal to the testing organization and why the as-left settings record in the closeout submittals is cross-referenced to it line by line. {note}
−### The medium-voltage cable acceptance test method shall be selected below.
+# Circuit Breaker and Trip Unit Testing {toc}
+## Electronic Trip Unit Test Method {toc}
+
+### Every electronic trip unit within the program shall be tested at not less than one point on each of its long-time, short-time, instantaneous, and ground-fault functions furnished, by the method indicated in the datasheet, and the measured pickup and operating time at each point shall be within the manufacturer's published tolerance for the function.
+
```datasheet
−label: Medium-voltage cable test method
+label: Electronic Trip Unit Test Method
type: radio
options:
− - VLF withstand at 0.1 Hz
− - VLF tan-delta (dissipation factor) at 0.1 Hz
− - DC hipot (legacy systems only)
−default: VLF withstand at 0.1 Hz
+ - "Primary current injection"
+ - "Secondary injection through the trip unit test port"
+ - "Secondary injection with a primary injection check of each current sensor"
```
−## VLF withstand criteria {toc}
+### Primary current injection passes test current through the breaker poles and proves the current sensors, the wiring between them and the trip unit, the trip unit, and the mechanism as one path, and needs a high-current test set, a de-energized bus, and time per breaker that grows with the frame size; secondary injection feeds a signal into the trip unit's test port and proves the trip unit's logic and settings and the trip actuator, in minutes per breaker with a portable kit, and proves nothing about the sensors or the wiring to them; secondary injection with a primary injection check of each sensor proves the trip unit by the fast method and the sensor path by one primary injection at a single point per pole, which is the arrangement that catches a swapped sensor lead or a sensor of the wrong ratio without the full primary injection of every function. {note}
−### VLF withstand testing applies 0.1 Hz AC at twice the phase-to-ground voltage (2U0) for a sustained period; the cable passes if no dielectric breakdown occurs over the full duration. For 15 kV class cable, U0 is approximately 8.66 kV, so the test voltage is approximately 17.3 kV. {note}
+### Where ground-fault protection of equipment is furnished, its performance test shall be by primary current injection through the sensing elements regardless of the method selected for the other functions, in accordance with NFPA 70 230.95(C), and the test shall confirm that the device opens at the pickup and within the delay the study recommends.
−### Each medium-voltage cable shall be VLF withstand tested at 0.1 Hz at the specified multiple of U0 for the specified duration with no dielectric breakdown.
+### Every thermal-magnetic trip unit tested under this standard shall be tested by primary current injection, because its trip elements carry the load current directly and no secondary path exists.
+## Molded-Case Circuit Breaker Test Extent {toc}
+
+### The extent to which molded-case circuit breakers within the program receive a trip test shall be as indicated in the datasheet, and every molded-case breaker within the program shall receive a visual and mechanical inspection, a contact resistance measurement, and an insulation resistance test whether or not it receives a trip test.
+
```datasheet
−label: VLF withstand test voltage
−type: radio
+label: Molded-Case Circuit Breaker Trip Test Extent
+type: select
options:
− - 2U0 (twice phase-to-ground voltage)
− - 1.5U0
− - 3U0
−default: 2U0 (twice phase-to-ground voltage)
+ - "Every molded-case circuit breaker in the program"
+ - "Every breaker with an electronic or adjustable trip unit"
+ - "Every breaker at or above the frame size threshold"
+ - "A sample of each frame size and trip unit type"
+ - "Visual and mechanical inspection with no trip test"
```
+### Trip testing every molded-case breaker proves every device at the cost of a primary injection per breaker, which on a project with hundreds of branch breakers is the largest single item in the testing bid; limiting the trip test to electronic and adjustable trip units tests the devices whose settings can be wrong and leaves the fixed thermal-magnetic devices, which have no settings to verify, to inspection; a frame size threshold tests the feeder and main devices whose failure to clear would be consequential and leaves the small branch devices untested; a sample of each frame size and type proves the product family rather than each device, and expands to the whole family where a sample fails; inspection alone is the program a project adopts where the molded-case breakers are small, factory-tested, and protected by a tested device upstream. {note}
+
+### Where the frame size threshold extent is selected, the threshold shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: VLF withstand test duration
+label: Molded-Case Breaker Trip Test Frame Size Threshold
type: range
−unit: min
−min: 15
−max: 60
−step: 5
−default: 60
+unit: A
+options:
+ min: 100
+ max: 1200
+ setpoints: [100, 150, 225, 250, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200]
```
−## VLF tan-delta criteria {toc}
+### Where the sample extent is selected, the sample shall be not less than one breaker in ten of each frame size and trip unit type and not fewer than one, selected by the testing organization, and where any sampled breaker fails its trip test, every breaker of that frame size and trip unit type on the project shall be tested.
−### Tan-delta measures dielectric loss, which rises as insulation degrades. Two numbers matter: the absolute loss at operating voltage, and how much the loss changes as voltage is raised (tip-up). Both are evaluated against the limits below per IEEE 400.2. {note}
+### A molded-case breaker trip test shall verify the long-time element at 300% of its rating and the instantaneous element at its setting, and the measured values shall be within the manufacturer's published tolerance for the device, or within the tolerances ANSI/NETA ATS states for molded-case breakers where the manufacturer publishes none.
−### Where tan-delta is specified, the dissipation factor measured at 1U0 shall not exceed the limit below for XLPE and EPR insulation.
+### A molded-case breaker that fails a trip test shall be replaced, not adjusted or repaired, and the replacement shall be tested.
−```datasheet
−label: Tan-delta (dissipation factor) limit at 1U0, XLPE/EPR
−type: range
−unit: "%"
−min: 0.05
−max: 0.20
−step: 0.01
−default: 0.10
−```
+## Power and Medium-Voltage Circuit Breaker Operation {toc}
−### The change in tan-delta (tip-up) between 0.5U0 and 2U0 for XLPE cable shall not exceed the limit below.
+### Every low-voltage power circuit breaker, insulated-case circuit breaker, and medium-voltage circuit breaker within the program shall be operated through one open and close cycle by its manual means and, where furnished, by its electrical control from the control station and from every remote close and trip contact, and every drawout breaker shall be racked through every position with every interlock and shutter verified to operate.
+### Every medium-voltage circuit breaker within the program shall receive a contact timing test, and the measured opening time, closing time, and pole spread shall be within the manufacturer's published tolerance, with a pole spread exceeding the manufacturer's tolerance, or exceeding one-half cycle where the manufacturer publishes none, recorded as a deficiency.
+
+### Every vacuum circuit breaker within the program shall receive a vacuum interrupter integrity test at the voltage and by the method the manufacturer publishes, and an interrupter that fails shall be replaced before the breaker is placed in service.
+
+### A breaker that carries normal current correctly and opens slowly is a breaker that clears a fault late, and the timing test is the only acceptance test that sees the mechanism rather than the contacts. On a medium-voltage breaker it is a required test; on a low-voltage power breaker it is the optional test selected under this standard where the breaker is the main of a selectively coordinated system. {note}
+
+# Protective Relay Testing {toc}
+
+## Relay Test Scope {toc}
+
+### Every protective relay within the program shall be tested to the scope indicated in the datasheet, by a relay test set that injects current and voltage into the relay with the relay in service wiring and the breaker in the test position.
+
```datasheet
−label: Tan-delta tip-up limit (0.5U0 to 2U0), XLPE
−type: range
−unit: "%"
−min: 0.02
−max: 0.10
−step: 0.01
−default: 0.06
+label: Protective Relay Test Scope
+type: select
+options:
+ - "Functional trip check from each relay output to its breaker"
+ - "Setting verification by secondary injection at the applied settings"
+ - "Full characteristic verification by secondary injection at multiple points on each element"
+default: "Setting verification by secondary injection at the applied settings"
```
−## Cable insulation resistance {toc}
+### A functional trip check proves that the relay's output contact trips its breaker and nothing more, and is the scope of a project whose relays were bench-tested and settings-verified off site; setting verification injects each element at its applied pickup and at one or two multiples of it, proves that the relay picks up and times out where the study says, and is the scope ANSI/NETA ATS requires and the one most projects adopt; full characteristic verification injects enough points on each element to plot its curve against the published characteristic, proves the relay rather than its settings, and is the scope a utility or an industrial owner specifies for a differential, a distance, or a generator protection relay whose misoperation would be costly. {note}
−### Medium-voltage cable insulation resistance shall be measured at 2500 V to 5000 V DC per NETA ATS Table 100.1 before the VLF test is applied, to confirm the cable is fit to receive the higher test voltage.
+### Where setting verification is selected, each overcurrent element shall be verified at its pickup and at two multiples of pickup, the measured pickup shall be within 5% of the setting, and the measured operating time at each multiple shall be within 5% of the time the published characteristic gives for the applied setting, or within the manufacturer's published tolerance where it is wider.
−# Transformer Testing {toc}
+### Where full characteristic verification is selected, each element shall be verified at not fewer than four points spanning its characteristic, and the test plan shall list the points.
−## Transformer acceptance testing confirms three things: that the windings are electrically continuous and correctly connected (turns ratio, winding resistance), that the insulation is dry and clean (insulation resistance, power factor), and that the unit was not damaged in shipment or installation. The test methods follow IEEE C57.12.90 for liquid-filled units and C57.12.91 for dry-type units. {note}
+### Every relay test shall conclude with a functional trip from each relay output through the trip circuit to the breaker it controls, with the breaker operated, and with every target, alarm contact, and communications point verified.
−## Turns ratio {toc}
+### Every current transformer circuit serving a relay within the program shall be verified for ratio, polarity, and continuity through the relay, and every voltage transformer circuit for ratio, polarity, and phase, before the relay is placed in service.
−### Transformer turns ratio (TTR) shall be measured at every tap position and shall be within 0.5% of the nameplate ratio per NETA ATS Section 7.2.
+### An electromechanical relay within the program shall also receive a mechanical inspection of its disc, contacts, and taps, and a microprocessor relay shall have its settings file read from the relay after testing and attached to the field data sheet.
−```datasheet
−label: Turns ratio (TTR) acceptance tolerance
−type: range
−unit: "%"
−min: 0.25
−max: 1.0
−step: 0.25
−default: 0.5
−```
+# Transformer Test Criteria {toc}
−```datasheet
−label: Turns ratio test scope
−type: radio
−options:
− - All tap positions
− - Nominal tap only
−default: All tap positions
−```
+## Every transformer within the program shall receive the field tests its equipment standard requires, judged against the criteria of this article where the equipment standard states none.
−## Insulation power factor {toc}
+## The measured turns ratio at each tap position tested shall be within 0.5% of the nameplate ratio, with the ratio taken at every tap where the equipment standard requires it and at the connected tap as a minimum.
−### Insulation power factor (also called dissipation factor) grades the overall condition of the insulation system and oil. It is the most sensitive transformer insulation test and is measured with a high-voltage power factor (dissipation factor) test set. {note}
+## The measured direct-current winding resistance of each phase shall be within 1% of the other phases of the same winding, and within 1% of the factory value corrected to the same temperature where the factory test report is available.
−### Insulation power factor testing shall be performed on all liquid-filled transformers; dry-type transformers shall be power-factor tested where specified below.
+## The corrected insulation power factor of a liquid-immersed transformer winding at 20 °C shall not exceed the manufacturer's published value, or the ANSI/NETA ATS maximum for the insulation system where the manufacturer publishes none, and a value exceeding 1.0% shall be investigated before the transformer is energized whether or not it exceeds the governing criterion.
−### The corrected insulation power factor of liquid-filled transformers at 20°C shall not exceed the value below per NETA ATS Table 100.5; values above 1.0% at 20°C warrant investigation.
+## The insulating liquid of every liquid-immersed transformer within the program shall be sampled after filling and before energization, and the sample tested to the criteria the equipment standard states, under [[sync/medium-voltage-transformers]] for a unit within that standard's scope.
−```datasheet
−label: Liquid-filled transformer insulation power factor limit at 20°C
−type: range
−unit: "%"
−min: 0.5
−max: 1.0
−step: 0.1
−default: 0.5
−```
+## The phase relationship and the polarity of every transformer within the program shall be verified against the nameplate and the one-line diagram before the secondary is connected to a bus that another source can also supply.
−```datasheet
−label: Dry-type transformer power factor testing
−type: radio
−options:
− - Required
− - Not required (insulation resistance only)
−default: Not required (insulation resistance only)
−```
+## Transformer acceptance testing confirms three things: that the windings are electrically continuous and connected as the nameplate says, which the turns ratio, the winding resistance, and the phase relationship prove; that the insulation is dry and clean, which the insulation resistance and the power factor prove; and that the unit was not damaged in shipment, which the sum of those tests and the liquid sample prove. The test methods are those of IEEE C57.12.90 for a liquid-immersed unit and IEEE C57.12.91 for a dry-type unit, applied in the field with portable instruments. {note}
−## Winding insulation resistance {toc}
+# Switchgear Bus and Cable Dielectric Tests {toc}
−### Transformer winding insulation resistance shall be measured at the DC test voltage corresponding to the winding rated voltage, with a polarization index taken where specified.
+## Where a dielectric withstand test of a switchgear or switchboard bus is required under the Optional Tests article, it shall be performed with the breakers withdrawn and the instrument and control circuits isolated, at a direct-current or power-frequency voltage not exceeding 75% of the factory withstand voltage the equipment standard assigns to the assembly under IEEE C37.20.1 or IEEE C37.20.2, held for one minute per phase to ground with the other phases grounded.
−# Circuit Breaker Testing {toc}
+## A bus that fails a dielectric withstand test shall not be retested until the cause has been found and corrected, and the retest shall be at the same voltage.
−## Circuit breaker acceptance testing verifies that the breaker will both carry normal current with low losses and operate fast enough to clear a fault. Contact resistance addresses the first; timing and travel analysis address the second. For drawout and power circuit breakers, timing is measured with a travel analyzer that records when each pole opens and closes, per IEEE C37.09. {note}
+## The withstand test of shielded medium-voltage cable shall be performed by the method, at the voltage, and for the duration [[sync/medium-voltage-cables]] requires, and this standard shall govern the testing organization, the instrument, the safety practice, the report, and the energization release for that test.
−## Contact resistance {toc}
+## The insulation resistance test of low-voltage feeder conductors within the program shall be at the voltage [[sync/conductors-and-cables]] requires, judged against the minimum of this standard's Insulation Resistance article.
−### The main-contact resistance of each circuit breaker pole shall be measured in microohms and shall be within the manufacturer tolerance, or the NETA ATS Table 100.12 value where no manufacturer value is provided.
+## The resistance to earth of a grounding electrode system serving equipment rated 1000 V and below shall be measured by the method and judged against the value [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]] requires, and the resistance to earth of a ground grid serving equipment rated above 1000 V shall be measured by the fall-of-potential method of IEEE 81 and shall not exceed the value indicated on [[drawing: the grounding plan]].
−### Typical acceptable main-contact resistance ranges from 15 µΩ to 100 µΩ on a 1200 A frame and 5 µΩ to 50 µΩ on a 2000 A and larger frame; readings well above these ranges indicate a contact or connection problem. {note}
+## A dielectric withstand test stresses the bus insulation at a voltage above operating voltage and below the factory test voltage, so that a sound bus is not damaged and a cracked insulator, a foreign object, or an insufficient clearance left by field assembly breaks down under test rather than in service. The 75% ceiling exists because the factory test has already been applied once and insulation is not meant to see that voltage twice. {note}
−## Timing and travel {toc}
+# Instrument Transformers and Metering {toc}
−### For medium-voltage power circuit breakers, opening and closing times shall be measured with a travel analyzer and shall be within the manufacturer published tolerance.
+## Every current transformer within the program shall be verified for ratio by voltage or current method and for polarity, and its secondary circuit shall be verified for continuity through every device it serves and for the grounding of the secondary at one point only, before the circuit is placed in service.
−### Pole-to-pole timing spread (the difference between the first and last pole to operate) shall not exceed the value below.
+## Every voltage transformer within the program shall be verified for ratio, polarity, and secondary fusing, and its secondary circuit for the grounding of the secondary at one point only.
−```datasheet
−label: Circuit breaker 3-pole timing spread limit
−type: range
−unit: ms
−min: 1
−max: 5
−step: 0.5
−default: 2
−```
+## The insulation resistance of every instrument transformer within the program shall be measured winding-to-winding and winding-to-ground at the test voltage ANSI/NETA ATS assigns to the winding, and judged against the Insulation Resistance article of this standard.
−```datasheet
−label: Circuit breaker timing tolerance vs. manufacturer
−type: range
−unit: "%"
−min: 5
−max: 15
−step: 5
−default: 10
−```
+## Every meter and power monitor within the program shall be verified to read the correct phase, magnitude, and direction of current and voltage against the instrument transformer circuits that serve it, and the meter configuration shall be recorded on the field data sheet; the meter's accuracy class and its monitoring system are governed by [[sync/electrical-power-monitoring]].
−## Molded-case breaker trip testing {toc}
+## A current transformer with reversed polarity or a swapped secondary lead makes every relay and meter downstream of it wrong while every one of them tests perfectly on secondary injection, which is why the instrument transformer circuit is verified end to end before the relay test is counted. {note}
−### Molded-case and insulated-case breakers shall be primary-current injection tested to verify long-time and instantaneous trip operation against the published trip curve, on a sampling basis where specified.
+# Transfer Switches, Generators, Drives, and Stored-Energy Systems {toc}
−```datasheet
−label: Molded-case breaker trip test scope
−type: radio
−options:
− - All breakers above a specified frame size
− - Sample of each frame size and type
− - All breakers
−default: All breakers above a specified frame size
−```
+## Every automatic transfer switch within the program shall receive the field acceptance tests [[sync/automatic-transfer-switches]] requires, with the transfer and retransfer timing recorded against the limits that standard derives, and the whole-system acceptance of the emergency or standby system it serves shall be as [[sync/emergency-and-standby-power]] requires.
−# Protective Relay Testing {toc}
+## Every engine-generator set within the program shall receive the field acceptance tests and the load test [[sync/generators]] requires, with the alternator insulation resistance judged against IEEE 43.
−## Protective relays are tested by injecting known currents and voltages with a relay test set and verifying that the relay picks up and times out exactly as its settings dictate. The critical discipline is that the field settings must match the approved coordination study; a relay that tests perfectly against the wrong settings is a coordination failure waiting to happen. The testing organization must therefore work from the stamped coordination study, not from settings transcribed in the field. {note}
+## Every variable frequency drive within the program shall receive the field acceptance tests [[sync/low-voltage-variable-frequency-drives]] or [[sync/hvac-variable-frequency-drives]] requires for the drive furnished, with the drive's power circuit insulation resistance measured with the drive's power electronics disconnected.
−## Relay test scope {toc}
+## Every stationary battery and uninterruptible power supply within the program shall receive the acceptance tests [[sync/dc-battery-systems]] or [[sync/uninterruptible-power-supply-systems]] requires, performed by the testing organization under this standard where the test plan assigns them to it.
−### The protective relay test scope shall be selected below. A functional trip test confirms the relay trips its breaker; characteristic verification confirms the timing curve; injection testing with a calibrated relay test set is required to confirm settings match the study.
+## Every surge protective device within the program shall be verified for the integrity of its connection, the length of its leads, and the operation of its status indication, and every power factor correction capacitor for its insulation resistance, its discharge resistor operation, and its capacitance against nameplate.
+## These classes carry their own test lists in their own standards because their functional tests, the transfer sequence, the load test, the drive start, and the battery discharge, are tests of what the equipment does rather than of its insulation and connections. This standard adds the tester, the instruments, the criteria for the electrical tests among them, and the report. {note}
+
+# Infrared Survey {toc}
+
+## The infrared survey of the equipment within the program shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
+
```datasheet
−label: Protective relay test scope
−type: radio
+label: Infrared Survey of the Program Scope
+type: select
options:
− - Functional trip test only
− - Functional trip plus pickup/timing verification at set points
− - Full characteristic verification with relay test-set injection
−default: Full characteristic verification with relay test-set injection
+ - "Not included in the program"
+ - "One survey within 90 days of energization"
+ - "Two surveys, within 90 days of energization and at eleven months"
```
−## Settings verification {toc}
+## An infrared survey finds the connection that passed its torque check and heats under load anyway, and it is the only acceptance test performed on energized equipment under load; one survey within 90 days finds the connection that was wrong from the start; a second survey near the end of the first year finds the termination that loosened through the first full cycle of seasonal load and files the warranty claim before the warranty ends, at the cost of a second visit under load; a program that omits the survey relies on the de-energized tests and on the Owner's maintenance program under NFPA 70B to find a heating joint. {note}
−### Installed relay settings shall be verified against the approved coordination study from [[sync/protective-coordination-study]]; any discrepancy shall be reported to the Engineer of Record before the relay is placed in service.
+## Where an equipment standard requires an infrared inspection of a particular assembly, that inspection shall be performed under the method of this article whether or not a program-wide survey is selected.
−### Overcurrent relay operating time shall be verified by injecting test current at 2× and 5× pickup, and the measured operate time shall be within 5% of the published time-current curve at each multiple.
+## Each survey shall be performed with the equipment carrying not less than the share of its rated load indicated in the datasheet on every scanned circuit, with the load at the time of the scan recorded for each connection.
```datasheet
−label: Overcurrent relay timing tolerance
+label: Infrared Survey Minimum Load
type: range
−unit: "%"
−min: 3
−max: 10
−step: 1
−default: 5
+unit: '%'
+options:
+ min: 10
+ max: 60
+ setpoints: [10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60]
+default: 40
```
−### Overcurrent relay pickup current shall be within 5% of the set value.
+## A joint heats in proportion to the square of the current through it, so a survey at light load sees a fraction of the rise the same joint shows at full load; 40% of rated load is the minimum ANSI/NETA ATS states and the level most programs survey at, a lower value is accepted where the facility cannot be loaded further before the survey window closes, and a higher value is specified where the Owner can apply load banks or the facility reaches full load early. {note}
−```datasheet
−label: Relay pickup tolerance
−type: range
−unit: "%"
−min: 3
−max: 10
−step: 1
−default: 5
−```
+## The survey shall be performed with a thermal imaging camera resolving 0.1 °C at 30 °C, with every energized connection, bus joint, device terminal, and cable termination within the program scanned with covers removed where the equipment is listed for the covers to be removed energized, and otherwise through infrared windows or with the covers in place and the limitation recorded.
−# Grounding System Testing {toc}
+## Every connection showing a temperature rise of more than 10 °C above a comparable connection under the same load, or of more than 40 °C above ambient, shall be reported as a deficiency, corrected, and rescanned under load, and every finding shall be classified by the temperature-rise bands ANSI/NETA ATS Table 100.18 states.
−## Grounding acceptance testing measures the resistance of the grounding electrode system to remote earth, which determines how effectively fault current and surge energy are conducted to ground. The fall-of-potential method per IEEE 81 is the reference field method. The acceptance value depends on the facility: sensitive electronic and substation grounds require a low resistance, while general installations are held to a looser limit consistent with NEC 250.53. {note}
+## The survey report shall include the thermographic image and the visible-light image of every finding, the load at the time of the scan, the ambient temperature, the camera and its calibration date, and the location of each finding by equipment designation and connection.
−## The grounding electrode system resistance to ground shall be measured by the fall-of-potential method per IEEE 81 and shall not exceed the limit selected below.
+# Test Report {toc}
−```datasheet
−label: Ground resistance acceptance limit
−type: radio
−options:
− - 5 Ω (substations, sensitive electronic facilities)
− - 25 Ω (general installations, NEC 250.53)
− - 1 Ω (large substations, special requirements)
−default: 5 Ω (substations, sensitive electronic facilities)
−```
+## Report Content {toc}
−## Continuity of equipment grounding and bonding connections shall be verified per [[sync/grounding-and-bonding]] for all equipment within the test scope.
+### The testing organization shall compile a test report covering every item of equipment within the program, and the report shall include for each item the equipment designation from the one-line diagram, the nameplate data, each test performed, the instrument used with its serial number and calibration date, the as-found and as-left values, the governing criterion applied, the pass or fail determination, the technician who performed the test, and the date.
−# Instrument Transformer and Auxiliary Equipment Testing {toc}
+### The report shall include the as-left setting of every protective device cross-referenced to the coordination study, the deficiency log, and the field data sheets as recorded in the field.
−## Current and potential transformers feed the relays and metering; if their ratio or polarity is wrong, every downstream measurement and protection function is wrong. Ratio, polarity, and insulation are verified at acceptance. Automatic transfer switches and drives have their own functional acceptance checks that confirm transfer timing and protective settings before the systems they serve are commissioned. {note}
+### The report shall be indexed against the test plan and against the one-line diagram so that every item of equipment on the project appears in the index as tested, excluded, or not yet tested.
−## Current and potential transformer ratio and polarity shall be verified, and insulation resistance measured, before the associated metering and protection are placed in service.
+### The report shall be signed by the crew lead and by a principal of the testing organization, and shall state that the tests were performed in accordance with the test plan and this standard and that the recorded values are the values measured.
−## Automatic transfer switch acceptance testing shall verify transfer and re-transfer operation, timing, and any associated protective settings; coordination of the standby source is governed by [[sync/emergency-and-standby-power]].
+### The test report is the permanent record of the as-installed condition of the electrical system and the baseline every later maintenance test is judged against under NFPA 70B. A report that records pass and fail without the measured values is not a baseline, and a report that cannot be indexed against the one-line diagram cannot show what was never tested. {note}
−## Variable frequency drive acceptance testing shall verify control power, insulation resistance of power circuits, and protective trip functions per the manufacturer field commissioning procedure; drive application requirements are governed by [[sync/low-voltage-variable-frequency-drives]].
+## Report Format and Delivery {toc}
−# Test Reporting {toc}
+### The report shall be delivered in the formats indicated in the datasheet.
−## The test report is the permanent record of the as-installed condition of the electrical system and the baseline against which all future maintenance testing is judged per NFPA 70B. Informal field notes do not satisfy AHJ record-keeping requirements and cannot serve as a maintenance baseline. The report must capture, for every device, what was found, what tolerance applied, and whether it passed, with the instruments and their calibration identified. {note}
+```datasheet
+label: Test Report Format
+type: checkbox
+options:
+ - "Searchable electronic PDF with the field data sheets"
+ - "Signed hard copies"
+ - "Native instrument data files and relay settings files"
+ - "Thermographic images with each infrared survey finding"
+default:
+ - "Searchable electronic PDF with the field data sheets"
+```
−## The test report shall include, for each device tested: device identification, the test performed, the as-found and as-left values, the applicable acceptance tolerance, the pass/fail determination, and the instruments used with their calibration dates.
+### The report shall be delivered to the recipients indicated in the datasheet.
−## All out-of-tolerance findings shall be recorded together with the corrective action taken and the as-left retest result.
+```datasheet
+label: Test Report Recipients
+type: checkbox
+options:
+ - "Owner"
+ - "Engineer of Record"
+ - "Authority Having Jurisdiction"
+ - "Commissioning authority"
+ - "Serving utility"
+default:
+ - "Owner"
+ - "Engineer of Record"
+```
−## The compiled report shall be indexed against the approved test plan so that any device omitted from testing is immediately apparent.
+### The compiled report shall be delivered within the number of days after the last test of the program indicated in the datasheet.
```datasheet
−label: Out-of-tolerance disposition
−type: radio
+label: Compiled Report Delivery After the Last Test
+type: range
+unit: days
options:
− - Repair and retest until within tolerance
− - Repair, retest, and engineer review before energization
− - Reject and replace
−default: Repair, retest, and engineer review before energization
+ min: 7
+ max: 60
+ setpoints: [7, 14, 21, 30, 45, 60]
```
−# Field Quality Control {toc}
+### A short delivery period gets the baseline into the Owner's hands while the testing crew is still available to answer questions and before the warranty clock has run far, at the cost of a report compiled under schedule pressure; a longer period lets the testing organization compile, check, and index a large program's data, and leaves the Owner operating for that period on the field data sheets alone. {note}
−## Visual and mechanical inspection precedes every electrical test: a technician confirms the equipment is correctly installed, anchored, labeled, and free of shipping braces and debris before any voltage is applied. Many defects are caught here, before an instrument is connected. {note}
+### The compiled report shall be delivered before the certificate of substantial completion is issued, whatever delivery period the datasheet selects.
−## A visual and mechanical inspection shall be performed on each device before electrical testing, confirming correct installation, anchorage, labeling per [[sync/equipment-labeling]], removal of shipping restraints, and torque verification of accessible bolted connections.
+## Deficiencies and Retesting {toc}
−## Bolted electrical connections shall be torque-verified to the manufacturer published values, or calibrated to a low-resistance measurement where torque access is not practical.
+### A result outside its governing criterion is a deficiency, and the equipment it was measured on shall not be energized until the deficiency has been corrected and the test repeated with a passing result.
−## The testing organization shall coordinate any required partial or phased energization with the serving utility and shall observe the project hold points before each energization step.
+### The testing organization shall report every deficiency to the Contractor and to the Engineer of Record within one working day of the test, with the measured value, the criterion applied, and the instrument used.
−# Delivery, Storage, and Handling {toc}
+### The Contractor shall correct every deficiency, and where the Contractor and the testing organization disagree whether a result is a deficiency, the Engineer of Record shall make the determination.
−## Test instruments and reference equipment shall be transported and stored so that their calibration is not disturbed, and any instrument subjected to physical shock shall be re-verified before use.
+### The Engineer of Record shall determine whether a deficient item is to be repaired or replaced, and where an item is repaired, the repair shall be made by the equipment manufacturer or under its written instructions.
−## Equipment awaiting acceptance testing shall be protected from construction moisture and contamination; space heaters in switchgear and transformers shall be energized where provided, since damp insulation will fail insulation resistance and power factor tests that the equipment would otherwise pass.
+### The cost of correcting a deficiency, of every repeated test, and of every additional mobilization the correction requires shall be borne by the Contractor, and a deficiency found to result from a defect in the equipment as furnished shall be corrected by the manufacturer under the equipment standard's warranty at no cost to the Owner.
−# Warranty {toc}
+### Every deficiency, its correction, its retest result, and its closing date shall be entered in the deficiency log, and no item of equipment shall be released for energization with an open deficiency against it or against any item upstream of it.
−## The testing organization shall warrant that all testing was performed in accordance with the specified acceptance testing specification and that the reported results accurately represent the as-found and as-left condition of the equipment.
+# Testing Services Warranty {toc}
−## Acceptance testing does not extend or alter the equipment manufacturer warranties; defects revealed by testing shall be corrected under the applicable equipment or installation warranty.
+## The testing organization shall warrant that every test was performed in accordance with the test plan and this standard, that every recorded value is the value measured by the instrument identified, and that the instruments were calibrated as this standard requires on the dates recorded.
+
+## Acceptance testing shall not extend, reduce, or alter the manufacturer's warranty on any item of equipment, and a defect revealed by a test shall be corrected under the equipment or installation warranty that covers it.
+
+## Where a test performed under this standard is later shown to have been performed with an uncalibrated instrument, at a voltage other than the one this standard assigns, or against a criterion other than the governing one, the testing organization shall repeat the test at no cost to the Owner, and where the equipment has since been energized, shall perform it at the next outage the Owner makes available.