This is a concept website · Enquire about this domain

Home electrical safety, a guide by DottoThe switchboard at homeBack to the switchboard

C2The test button

Testing a safety switch with its test button

A safety switch is tested by pressing its button marked ‘T’ or ‘test’: a working switch trips to off and cuts the power to the circuits it protects. Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office and NSW Fair Trading both say to do it every three months; Western Australia says every three months or as the manufacturer’s instructions say, whichever is more frequent.

General information, quoted from Australian electrical safety regulators. It is not advice about the wiring or equipment in any particular home; the regulator in your state sets the rules that apply to you.

The test, as Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office describes it

The office explains the test in two short films and its frequently asked questions. In its words, the test button “simulates an unsafe situation”. The steps below quote those pages.

  1. Tell the household first

    “Before testing your safety switch, make sure everyone in your home knows you’re about to do the test.”

  2. Find every test button

    “Your safety switches can be quickly identified by looking for one or more buttons marked ‘T’ or ‘test’ at your switchboard. You will need to look carefully as there may be more than one and they can be different colours, shapes or sizes.”

  3. Press each one

    “To test, simply press the test button on each safety switch. This should automatically trip the switch to the off position and you will hear a ‘clunk’ sound.”

  4. See what went off

    “The circuits turned off by the safety switch test mean they are protected by it.” And of anything still running: “If they’re still on, that means they are not protected by the safety switches and your family is not protected from electric shock.”

  5. Reset

    “Once you’re confident that each safety switch has worked correctly, reset them by lifting or twisting the switch to turn it back on.” For a fridge or air-conditioner on the circuit, “it’s best that you wait 2-3 minutes before turning them back on to prevent damage.”

  6. If it did nothing

    “If during the test your safety switch didn’t make a sound and didn’t switch off any lights or appliances, then it has failed. Contact your electrician to have it checked immediately as you will not be protected from electrical faults.”

If it will not reset

“This may mean that there is a fault on the circuit and will need the expertise of a licensed electrician to inspect and repair it.”

What other regulators add

Queensland, NSW and Western Australia all name three months. The method is put in slightly different words, and Energy Safe Victoria, in its steps for after a storm, asks for a second press.

NSW Fair Trading

Every three months

“Push the safety switch TEST button every three months eg. when daylight saving changes your electric clocks. If it fails, have a licensed electrician check it.”

Building and Energy, WA

Three months, or the maker’s interval if shorter

If you feel confident and the meter box is in good condition, open it and press the Test button on each RCD.

If the switch does not flip to OFF straight away, or will not stay ON once reset, call a licensed electrical contractor.

Do the check as the manufacturer’s instructions say, or every three months, whichever comes more often.

Energy Safe Victoria

In its steps for after a storm

“If you have an RCD, press and hold the test button for five seconds. This will turn the power off. The RCD must operate immediately on pressing the test button.” Then: “Reset the RCD and press the test button a second time. If the RCD operates correctly and turns off the power, reset it and you can begin switching on electrical equipment.”

“If the RCD fails the testing, turn it off and get it replaced by a licensed electrician.”

Remembering, and why it matters

Queensland’s office says “push button testing should be done every three months”, and suggests a prompt: “test them every time you receive your quarterly electricity account or set up a reminder on your calendar.” NSW Fair Trading ties it to daylight saving changing the clocks, as quoted above.

The reason for testing at all, in Queensland’s words: safety switches “need to be tested regularly to ensure the mechanism continues to work freely and is not gummed up with dirt or other foreign matter.” And on whether testing wears one out: “Under the current Australian standard, a safety switch is manufactured to last for a period of 4000 tests.”

Renters

Western Australia’s regulator addresses rental homes directly: it recommends reminding tenants to test the RCDs every three months and to tell the property manager if one does not operate, and says faulty RCDs must be replaced immediately. The safety switch guide sets out which states require safety switches in rental homes.