As part of safety equipment, grounds are used to dissipate induced voltage on de-energized high-voltage electrical circuits and to provide a safety ground in case of a fault or accidental re-energization.
To meet BC Hydro’s safety standard, grounds require annual maintenance and testing to ensure their conductivity and current rating are not compromised. BC Hydro front-line crews often conduct this annual testing—which is time consuming, especially when repairs or new parts are needed.
To free front-line crews from this work, Powertech Labs just launched a new service. Our skilled and experienced electrical technicians will perform visual inspections; clean, repair, and perform electrical testing of the grounds; as well as properly label them with a unique ID and a test due date decal; or can assemble new ground sets.
Testing can be conducted either at Powertech Labs or on-site to fit your schedule.
Powertech’s Grounds Inspection Advantages
- Save line crew time spent testing grounds.
- Ensure grounds are in safe operating condition and no unauthorized modifications have been made.
- Get quick repairs and replacements.
- Have technicians trained and experienced in inspection and testing.
- Available on-site testing.
- Get fast turnaround time and flexible scheduling.
Grounds Services Include
- Assembly of new grounds.
- Check for damage, unauthorized modifications, and improper construction of grounds.
- Check clamps are fully functional.
- Replace damaged components.
- Clean and apply No-Ox to electrical connection points.
- Re-assemble grounds according to manufacturer / BCH requirements.
- Measure resistance and check it meets BCH requirements.
- Apply unique ID and test due date decals.
- Provide test report, including measured resistances.
Training
- Powertech technicians have years of experience testing and inspecting electrical safety equipment, and have taken the Trades Training Centre’s Worker Protection Grounds course.
Anomalies to Watch For
- High-resistance grounds
- Loose strain relief and jaw inserts
- Cracked eye-bolts
- Eye-bolts over-torqued
- Wear on clamp tightening bolt threads
- Broken cable strands next to connection points
- Lack of, or improper, heat-shrink strain relief (which leads to broken strands)
- Unauthorized modifications
- Improper installation of ferrule in clamp or on to cable
- Loose connections between cable and clamps or ferrules and clamps
- Rusted screws and washers
- Flattened or smashed section of cable
- Corrosion often indicated by swollen cable jacket or soft spots
- Damage, split, or cracked clamps
- Wear on clamp jaws
For more information contact:
