Low-voltage switchboards and switchgear
Main switchboards, distribution sections and motor control centres: cleaned, torqued, tested for insulation and contact resistance, with every breaker and switch operated.
Switchgear testing
Switchgear and switchboard testing and maintenance
We test and service low- and medium-voltage switchgear, switchboards and transfer switches during planned shutdowns, and check energized gear with infrared and ultrasound in between. Red Seal electricians and protection technicians, results on field test sheets against manufacturer and NETA limits. Halifax and Calgary crews, serving sites across Canada.
What we test
Low and Medium Voltage Switchgear
From low-voltage switchboards and MCCs to medium-voltage metal-clad switchgear.
Medium-voltage metal-clad switchgear
Bus, compartments and breakers serviced to the manufacturer's instructions, with breaker testing and protective relay checks in the same outage.
Automatic transfer switches
Transfer switches inspected and operated, with controller settings recorded and a planned transfer test, so emergency power is there when the normal supply fails.
Protective relays
Relay settings captured as found and as left, wiring and status validated, and trip functions tested against the settings.
Tests and service
What the test program includes
The exact list follows the equipment and its manufacturer's instructions. A typical program covers:
- Visual and mechanical inspection of enclosures, barriers, insulators and bus supports, looking for tracking, moisture and overheating
- Cleaning of bus, insulators and compartments
- Torque checks on bolted bus and cable connections
- Contact resistance across bus joints and breaker contacts with a digital low-resistance ohmmeter
- Insulation resistance phase to phase and phase to ground
- Mechanical operation of breakers, switches, interlocks and racking mechanisms
- Breaker testing with primary or secondary injection (see breaker testing) and protective relay checks
- An infrared scan before the shutdown, and an airborne ultrasound check for partial discharge on medium-voltage gear (ultrasound)
What you receive
A record you can file and act on
Every section gets a completed field test sheet: nameplate, as-found condition, measured values against the limits and what was done. A deficiency log lists what failed and what to do about it, so your electricians can schedule repairs.
Results are kept in the same format year to year, so a bus joint whose resistance is creeping up is caught before it overheats.
How it works
Planned around your shutdown
- 01
Send the single-line
Share the single-line, the equipment list and any manuals or past test reports. We reply with a test program and quote within one business day.
- 02
Plan the shutdown
Test sheets are prepared from the manufacturer's instructions before we arrive. Outage windows are agreed in advance, and we often scan the energized gear first so the outage fixes what the scan found.
- 03
Test, service and report
Red Seal electricians and protection technicians test as found, service, then test as left. Urgent deficiencies are reported to your site contact before we leave, and the report comes with the completed test sheets and a deficiency log.
What you receive
See sample breaker & relay test sheets
Every DTI breaker and relay job is documented on field test sheets like these: nameplate and as-found condition, contact resistance, insulation resistance, timing and trip tests against the manufacturer and NETA limits, relay settings captured as-found and as-left, and a deficiency log your electricians can work from. This is a complete sample set with the client fields blank.
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Where we work
Across Canada from Halifax and Calgary
Crews are based in Halifax and Calgary and travel to industrial, commercial, healthcare and institutional sites across the country, including remote and northern sites. Travel is set out in the quote.
All electrical testing servicesSwitchgear testing questions
Does switchgear testing need a shutdown?
Cleaning, torque checks and insulation and contact resistance tests need the gear de-energized and isolated. Infrared scans and ultrasound checks are done while the gear is energized and carrying its normal load, so we often do those first and use the outage to fix what they found.
How often should switchgear be tested?
Intervals depend on the equipment's condition, how critical it is and its environment, as CSA Z463 describes. Many sites scan energized gear with infrared every year and schedule de-energized maintenance less often, at planned outages.
Can you find problems without shutting down?
Yes, some of them. Infrared finds hot connections under load, and airborne ultrasound can hear partial discharge inside sealed medium-voltage gear. See our partial discharge case study. Insulation and contact resistance still need an outage.
Do you work on medium-voltage switchgear?
Yes. We service medium-voltage metal-clad switchgear, breakers and protective relays at industrial, mining, healthcare and commercial sites, including remote and northern sites.
What does switchgear testing cost?
It depends on the number of sections and devices, the outage windows and travel. Send the single-line and your preferred dates and we reply with a quote within one business day.
Planning a shutdown?
Send us the single-line and the equipment list; we quote the test program within one business day.