Best way to detect faulty earthing in home

[ravi.2k17]

Hi All,

what is the best and correct way to detect a faulty earthing in electric board in home?

currently i am using below AC fault detector but not sure if gives correct results in all cases.

Mx Ac Line Fault Detector - Mx 1177 : Amazon.in: Industrial & Scientific

Mx Ac Line Fault Detector - Mx 1177 : Amazon.in: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.in

it can detect the presence of earthing wire in electrical board. But does this really check if the earthing is working as expect? does it detect it has correct resistance wrt to live and neutral so that in case of shot circuit current really goes to earth.

any other way to determine if installed earthing is of good quality?


thanks

 

[FvM]

As you already guess, the device can check earth wire continuity, but it can't measure the earth wire resistance which would be required for a full test according to safety standards.

 

[BradtheRad]

any other way to determine if installed earthing is of good quality?

A sensible question. Try hooking up an appliance using jumper clips, so it draws power from the live wire, while the return path is to the ground wire. Don't contact the neutral wire when testing.

I discovered a grounding rod at the corner of a house where we lived. It was sunk into the ground, with a thick stranded cable welded to its top. I could wobble it a bit since it was loose in the soil. Not the best connection for a grounding rod. I poured mud down around the rod, then pounded it a few times with a mallet. Since our house wiring seemed reliable I didn't bother to perform before-and-after tests.

 

[ravi.2k17]

As you already guess, the device can check earth wire continuity, but it can't measure the earth wire resistance which would be required for a full test according to safety standards.

is there a tool to detect this? or any indirect way ?

 

[FvM]

There are professional instruments for the measurement of earth resistance. The method is basically to inject a current and measure the voltage drop.

 

[dick_freebird]

With a wet finger I could feel a "bite" from the
conduit in my garage, until I sank a better
ground rod by the meter.

On the house, when I had a new meter and
mast put in, they put two ground rods
separated by about 10 feet and both wired
to the lug on the meter box. Must've been
a code update sometime since the '60s.

Even if you can't measure it, you can install
a proper one and put it in parallel, pretty
cheap, can't hurt anything except a skinny
wallet.