Verification testing
Test results recorder
Record your AS/NZS 3000 Section 8 verification tests circuit by circuit. Each reading is marked against the limit in the standard as you type, with the clause it comes from, and the whole schedule downloads as a PDF. Your draft stays in this browser only; nothing is uploaded.
Installation
Optional. Printed at the top of the PDF.
Make, model and serial, if your certificate asks for them.
Highest reading. Limit 0.5 Ω.
Between conductors and to earth. At least 1 MΩ.
- Main earthing and bonding conductor resistanceNot tested
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.5.2
- Consumer mains insulation resistanceNot tested
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.6.3
C1
Table 8.2 limits: Re 0.5 Ω, Rphe 1 Ω. Table 8.1 Zs 1.5 Ω.
Optional. Recorded, not marked.
- Earth continuity (Re)Not tested
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.5
- Insulation resistanceNot tested
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.6
- PolarityNot tested
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.7
- Correct circuit connectionsNot tested
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.8
- Earth fault-loop impedanceNot required
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.9.1. Not required by Cl 8.3.9.1 for this circuit. The disconnection time requirement still applies.
- RCD operationNot tested
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.10
- RCD isolates all switched polesNot tested
AS/NZS 3000 Cl 8.3.10
What each test is marked against
The limits below are from AS/NZS 3000:2018 Section 8. Where the standard gives no numeric limit for a reading, the recorder keeps the value and marks it as recorded, rather than inventing one.
| Test | Limit | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Main earthing and bonding conductors | ≤ 0.5 Ω | 8.3.5.2 |
| Circuit protective earth (Re) | Table 8.2 Re, by device, rating and cable | 8.3.5.2 |
| Insulation resistance | ≥ 1 MΩ at 500 V DC | 8.3.6.3 |
| Polarity, correct circuit connections | Pass or fail | 8.3.7, 8.3.8 |
| Earth fault-loop impedance | Zs within Table 8.1, or Rphe within Table 8.2 | 8.3.9.3 |
| RCD operation and isolation of all poles | Pass or fail. Trip time recorded only. | 8.3.10 |
Re, Rphe and Zs
Table 8.1 gives the maximum earth fault-loop impedance Zs for the whole loop, including the supply transformer, at 230 V. You measure Zs with the supply on. With the supply off you measure the circuit alone: Rphe is the active plus protective earth resistance and Re is the protective earth on its own. Table 8.2 sets Rphe at 64 percent of the Table 8.1 Zs, to allow for the rest of the loop and for the conductors being hotter under fault than at test (Table 8.2 Notes 1 and 2).
Table 8.2 only covers the common cable sizes for each rating, up to 63 A. Pick the active and earth sizes you installed; if there is no matching row, the recorder shows the Re and Rphe readings without a mark. Zs against Table 8.1 still works up to 200 A. The cable sizing calculator checks the maximum earth fault-loop length if you are checking a design before you test.
When EFLI is required
Clause 8.3.9.1 only requires an EFLI test where the circuit supplies socket-outlets that are not protected by a 30 mA RCD. Tick the two boxes on each circuit and the recorder works out whether the test is required. A circuit that needs it and has no reading shows as incomplete rather than passing.
Questions
- What is the maximum earth continuity resistance for a final subcircuit?
- AS/NZS 3000:2018 Clause 8.3.5.2 requires the protective earthing conductor to be low enough to operate the protective device and consistent with its length, size and material. Table 8.2 gives Re values you may use when testing, for example 0.5 ohm for a 20 A Type C circuit breaker on 2.5/2.5 mm² cable. The main earthing conductor and any equipotential bonding conductor must not exceed 0.5 ohm.
- What is the minimum insulation resistance in AS/NZS 3000?
- Not less than 1 megohm between live conductors and earth, and between the conductors of consumer mains and submains, tested at 500 V DC (Clause 8.3.6.3). The test voltage may be reduced to 250 V DC where connected equipment is likely to be damaged. Sheathed heating elements may be as low as 0.01 megohm and RCD functional earth connections 0.05 megohm.
- Which circuits need an earth fault-loop impedance test?
- Clause 8.3.9.1 requires EFLI testing on circuits where fault protection is by automatic disconnection, the circuit supplies one or more socket-outlets, and those socket-outlets are not protected by an RCD of 30 mA or less. Other circuits still have to meet the disconnection time, verified through earth continuity.
- Do I have to test RCD trip time?
- No. AS/NZS 3000:2018 Clause 8.3.10 Note 4 says there is no requirement to test the operating time of RCDs. You must verify that every RCD operates, using its test button or test equipment, and that all switched poles are isolated after it trips. If you measure a trip time, the recorder keeps it for the record without marking it.
- Is the PDF a certificate of compliance?
- No. It is a record of the results you entered and how they compare with the AS/NZS 3000 limits. Each state and territory has its own certificate, such as a Certificate of Compliance or Certificate of Electrical Safety, which you lodge separately. The recorder is useful as the test schedule you keep with it.
This recorder compares your readings with the limits in AS/NZS 3000:2018. It does not replace the certificate your state or territory requires, and the person responsible for the installation must confirm it complies.