4
Wiring Condition
Display Indication
H G N
Correct Wiring
No Ground
Polarity Reversal
Open/Hot Neutral
False Ground
If the wiring condition is other than normal, the SureTest is limited on its
measurements that can be performed. If a no ground condition exists, only the
line voltage and voltage drop measurements are available. In a hot/ground rever-
sal, open neutral or open hot condition, the unit will not have any power so the
display will be blank.
Notes:
1) Will not detect two hot wires in a circuit.
2) Will not detect a combination of defects.
3) Will not detect reversal of grounded and grounding conductors.
False Ground Indication
The SureTest indicates when a false ground condition exists from an improper bond
via a bootleg (ground jumper wire at the outlet device) or inadvertent contact of the
ground wire to the neutral connection. Note that if the SureTest is within 15-20 feet
of the main panel, the unit will indicate a false ground condition on a properly wired
circuit due to its close proximity to the proper ground-neutral bond in the main
panel.
Voltage Measurements
The line voltage measurement should be /-10% fluctuation at 60 Hz. The peak volt-
age should be 1.414 times the rms line voltage reading for a clean sine waveform. Ground-to-
neutral voltage should be less than 2 VAC. In a single-phase circuit, a higher ground-neutral
voltage indicates excessive current leakage between the neutral and ground conductors. In a 3-
phase circuit with a shared neutral, a high ground-neutral voltage could indicate an unbalanced
load between the three phases or harmonic distortion on the shared neutral. Excessive ground-
neutral voltage may result in inconsistent or intermittent equipment performance.
Legend
On
Off
Flashing
F
The Voltage Drop (
V
D
) screen dual displays percent voltage drop with a 15 amp load along
with the resultant loaded voltage (
V
L
). This main menu has a submenu, which also dis-
plays the percent voltage drop and loaded voltage with 20 amp and 12 amp loads. To navi-
gate through the submenu, use the side arrow button ( ).
The Amperage
(A)
menu displays the Estimated Load on Line (
ELL
) in real-time and holds
the maximum amperage in the upper right of the display. The main menu has a submenu
positioned horizontally which displays (
ASCC1
), Available Short-Circuit Current from H-N
and (
ASCC2
) Available Short Circuit Current H-N-G. To navigate through the submenu, use
the side arrow button. ( )
The Impedance (
Z
) main menu displays the impedance in ohms (
Ω
) of the hot conductor.
This main menu has a sub-menu positioned horizontally at the bottom of the screen that
also displays the neutral (
N
) and ground (
G
) conductor impedances. To navigate through
the submenu, use the side arrow button (
). Note that testing the ground impedance will
trip a GFCI protected circuit.
GFCI Test Button
Depressing this button displays the GFCI main menu. Two tests can
be performed in this menu:
GFCI
and
EPD
. The GFCI tests
G
round
F
ault
C
ircuit
I
nterrupting devices by faulting 6-9mA from hot-to-
ground per UL-1436. The
EPD
tests those breakers, which have an
E
quipment
P
rotective
D
evice feature that trips the breaker if a ground fault of greater than 30mA
is detected. Pressing the side arrow button (
) navigates between these two tests. Once the
desired test is highlighted, depress the GFCI test button on the keypad to activate the test.
AFCI Test Button
Depressing this button displays the AFCI main menu. Two tests
can be performed in this menu:
AFCI
and
NEUT
. The AFCI
tests
A
rc
F
ault
C
ircuit
I
nterrupting devices by creating a 106-141
amp short-duration arc between the hot and neutral conductors
per UL1436. The
NEUT
tests for a Shared
Neut
ral or falsely grounded neutral conductor,
which causes AFCI breakers to nuisance trip with normal loads. This test applies 300mA
between hot and neutral to ensure that the AFCI breaker does not trip.
Testing Procedure
Wiring Verification
Immediately after being inserted into a receptacle, the
SureTest displays the IDEAL logo while it performs a battery
of tests. The first test result displayed is the wiring condition.
The SureTest checks for the following conditions and indicates
the test result on the display.
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