Application Notes
ESA601: Testing electrical wiring in new or renovated
medical facilities to determine the grounding-system
effectiveness
Testing Requirements
This testing is required under NFPA-99, 1996 section 3-3.3.2.1
Each exposed metallic surface that is likely to become energized within 6 feet of the patient
bed location shall be tested and described in the following:
A. All testing shall be performed with a test instrument specifically designed for these
measurements. The test instrument must contain a frequency-response-shaping network
ahead of the meter. For this reason, a standard multimeter or VOM shall not be used
for these tests.
B. Each receptacle and light fixture in the room shall be energized during the test.
C. Each room’s test results shall be listed on a separate sheet of paper with each device
and each metallic object being listed individually on each room’s report. Each report
shall contain the test instrument’s model number and last date of calibration, room
number, and room reference ground point used in addition to the voltage and
impedance test results. A fire sprinkler head in the room generally can be used as a
good ground reference point. Each report shall be signed by the person making the test.
D. The grounding pin of each receptacle as well as exposed metallic surfaces likely to
become energized must test no greater than 0.1 ohm of impedance during grounding
performance testing and 20 millivolts or less during voltage leakage testing.
E. The correct polarity of each receptacle must also be confirmed (see Specifications
Section 16140, Paragraph 3.01C).
F. The following are some of the acceptable test instruments for this purpose:
1. Hampden Engineering Corporation #MVO-1-PB
2. Dynatech Nevada Inc. #234A
3. Square D #GIT-11P
Fluke Biomedical
PO Box 9090, Everett, WA 98206-9090 USA
Tel: 425.446.6945, Fax: 425.446.5629, Email: sales@flukebiomedical.com
www.flukebiomedical.com
Application Notes
NOTE: Dynatech Nevada Inc. is now Fluke Biomedical, a division of Fluke Electronics.
The Dynatech Nevada Inc. 234A is an obsolete electrical safety analyzer, replaced by the
ESA601 (among other electrical safety analyzers). We will describe the use of the ESA601 in
this application note.
The ESA601Electrical Safety Analyzer uses a standard 1000-ohm load for all electrical safety
testing in accordance with standards. This allows the DUAL LEAD function to measure and
display values in Ω (ohms), mV (millivolts), or µA (microamps) units-of-measure. (See
Operator’s Manual and specifications for range and accuracy of measured values.)
Preparing for Ground Impedance Testing using point to point resistance:
Step 1: Connect the one end of the black (reference) test lead to Green banana jack on the side
panel of the ESA601 (labeled PE test point), and the red lead to the Red banana jack on the
side panel of the ESA601.
Step 2: On the ESA601 turn the Function Switch to the GROUND WIRE RES (Earth Res Ω)
position.
Step 3: Hold the two ends not connected to the ESA601 together, (short them) and on the
ESA601 press and release the OFFSET/ZERO rocker switch
Step 4: Observe that the display reads 0 ohms.
NOTE: If the display reads “OL” this means that the impedance of the test lead exceeds the
maximum impedance allowed by the display firmware. If “OL” is displayed, Press and release
the MEASURE Ω rocker switch, and observe the impedance (in ohms) displayed on the
ESA601. This value will need to be subtracted from the measurements of grounding system
impedance in order to account for the impedance of the test lead.
Step 5: The ESA601 is now ready to test ground impedance using the two lead (point-to-point)
method.
Fluke Biomedical
PO Box 9090, Everett, WA 98206-9090 USA
Tel: 425.446.6945, Fax: 425.446.5629, Email: sales@flukebiomedical.com
www.flukebiomedical.com
Application Notes
Ground Impedance Testing:
Step 1: After zeroing leads (or measuring the value to be subtracted), connect black test lead to
the known PE (Protective Earth/Ground) point in the room that has been designated as the
reference point for all grounding system testing.
Step 2: Connect red test lead to the first of a series of test points in the room that have been
specified for required measurements.
Step 3: The switch on the ESA601, should still be on Ground Wire Res Ω (Earth Res Ω)
position. Press and release the MEASURE Ω rocker switch, and momentarily a value will be
displayed on the ESA601. Record this value on the form, subtract the value of the test lead
resistance (if necessary), and record the result in the space provided on the test report form.
Step 4: Repeat this process for each required testing point in the room.
Voltage Leakage Testing:
Step 1: On the ESA601, connect one end of the black test lead to the black banana jack and the
other end to the known PE (Protective Earth/Ground) point in the room that has been
designated as the reference point for all grounding system testing.
Step 2: On the ESA601, connect one end of the red test lead to the red banana jack, and the
other end to the first of a series of test points in the room that have been specified for required
measurements.
Step 3: On the ESA601, rotate the FUNCTIONS switch to the DUAL LEAD position.
Step 4: Observe and record the displayed value (in mV) on the test report form in the space
provided.
Step 5: Repeat this process for each required testing point in the room.
Fluke Biomedical
PO Box 9090, Everett, WA 98206-9090 USA
Tel: 425.446.6945, Fax: 425.446.5629, Email: sales@flukebiomedical.com
www.flukebiomedical.com