Electrical Test Equipment Safety

Safety should always be the number one priority with electricity. With only 25% of surveyed electrical workers saying their company provided adequate safety training, the safe use of electrical test equipment is vital to improving safety on the job.

Electrical Safety, Efficiency & Accuracy

When it comes to electrical equipment, one of the most critical aspects of safety is making sure that it is appropriately tested or checked before use. This is especially important when dealing with rotating equipment; it is also important to test rotating equipment routinely periodically after commissioning since normal wear and tear can cause a motor to malfunction.  A malfunctioning motor can cause extensive damage, production loss and even be hazardous to workers. ALL-TEST PRO’s powerful and reliable ALL-SAFE PRO® is a permanently installed connection accessory for energized testing instruments that allow maintenance staff to safely collect this important test data from motors while they are still energized and under load, without opening the electrical panel. This saves time and eliminates the need for special Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or arc flash gear.

PPE, or personal protective equipment, is a critical part of any job that involves working with electricity and electric motors. When working with energized equipment, it is essential to make sure you wear the correct PPE to protect yourself from arc flash. Arc flash can cause serious injuries, including burns and even death.

If you are in a position where you require safe diagnostics while an electric motor is still running, ALL-TEST Pro brings customers hand-held devices for identifying errors directly at the source.

The need for energized equipment testing comes into play as motors deteriorate with exposure to changing temperatures, moisture, vibration, and dust. Whether your equipment is installed indoors or outdoors, ALL-TEST Pro devices report issues with:

• Voltages
• Currents
• Harmonic distortions
• Power factors
• Mechanical systems like bearings, gearboxes, impellers, belt and pulley, static/dynamic eccentricity and more

The ALL-SAFE PRO® is compatible with the ATPOL™ series of instruments. ATPOL™ energized testing instruments are designed to help make electrical testing safer, easier, and more accurate. One of the key accessories is the ALL-SAFE PRO® motor connection box, which provides a safe and reliable way to perform ESA (electrical signature analysis) testing on energized motors. This device is installed in the panel so that the connection point is outside the panel, where it connects via cable directly to the ATPOL™ instrument, allowing you to collect test data without opening the electrical panel thus avoiding use of PPE equipment.

Above photo of a starter box with ALL-SAFE PRO® installed. Second photo on right shows the starter box open where ALL-SAFE PRO® is installed on the door of the control box and the accompanying current transformers inside the box on the bottom (right) where the data is being amassed and sent to the quick connection outside the panel box.

ALL-SAFE PRO® makes ESA testing faster and safer and ensures accurate data collection. The ALL-SAFE PRO® is CE certified for a 600V category III, pollution degree II, basic insulated electronic device. For motors generators over 600V, it can be connected via potential transformers and current transformers. For electrical equipment with voltages exceeding 600V the ALL-SAFE PRO® can be connected the installed metering CT’s & PTs with no performance degradation. This also conforms to UL STD 61010-1:2004, UL 61010-1:2012 Ed.3+R:29Apr2016, and UL 61010-2-030:2012 Ed.1, making it a safe and reliable choice for any company that needs to perform energized testing on their motors and generators.

The ALL-SAFE PRO® provides an innovative and effective way to conduct energized electrical testing safely and accurately. Its compact design makes it easy to install in any facility, while its UL and CE certifications ensure that it meets all safety standards for operation.

Data Collection Considerations

 The ALL-SAFE PRO® is an essential tool for safely and accurately collecting data from operating electrical motors. The device is easy to use and helps speed up the data collection process. The data collected with this device can be used for various purposes including trending and troubleshooting the condition of the equipment under test. The collected data is downloaded to the computer using an installed SD card or via the installed Bluetooth connection to the accompanied management and analysis software programs for analysis, trending, reporting, sharing, and printing the results of the test and the condition of the motor system.

Energized Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA) and Power System Manager (PSM) software

ALL-TEST PRO On-Line III™ Software enables you to manage your plant’s motors efficiently and easily. Track, trend, and report on the condition of your plant’s motor assets. Share data to schedule maintenance and avoid downtime, unforeseen repair costs and improve worker safety. Trend assets and productivity and schedule maintenance based on facts and production schedules.

The ALL-SAFE PRO® is the perfect equipment for route-based maintenance and data collection. Its design helps expedite gathering vital information about your motor systems and entire process while under load.

ALL-TEST PRO® products are easy to use, include a simple download process that allows for quick and easy sharing of results. This makes it perfect for managers that need to test motors and equipment regularly where a technician follows the manager’s preprogramed route to obtain data while the process is under load to understand how each motor in the process is operating.

At ALL-TEST Pro, safety and accuracy are always our number one priority. Please contact us here to get a quote on ALL-SAFE PRO® & ATPOL™ products for your organization’s rotating equipment. ATPOL™ products test both Power Quality and ESA (rotor, bearings, air gap, & entire driven load).

For more information on the ESA and the ATPOL, watch the video Using ESA to Locate Loose Bearing, That was Undetectable Using Vibration.

For more information about our products or pricing, contact our team to learn how to troubleshoot three-phase motors.