How to Use a Megger Insulation Tester

A megger, or a megohmmeter, uses a high voltage to test the insulation value of

wires. A megohm is equal to 1,000,000 ohms of resistance. This high value of
resistance measurement ensures that the wire's insulation does not have any
breaks along the length of wire. In order to measure the high resistance value, a
high voltage is placed on the wire conductor--in some cases, as much as 15,000
V. Most battery-type meggers generate a voltage from 1000 to 3000 V.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:

• Electrical hand tools

• Plastic wire nuts

1. Step 1

Remove all electrical power from the wire that is being tested. Use the
appropriate electrical hand tools to isolate the wires from any portion of the
circuit. Due to the complexity of some electrical circuits, various tools maybe
required to isolate the wire that requires testing.

2. Step 2

Remove all electrical connections from the wire. Expose both ends of the wire
by revealing the bare copper connection point. Cover one end of the wire's
copper connection with a wire nut. This will insulate the conductor from
accidentally shorting to ground and giving a false reading.

3. Step 3

Attach the positive (+) end of the megohmmeter to the other end of the bare
copper connection on the wire being tested. Connect the ground wire from
the meter to the metal ground of the electrical system. Typically, this point will
be the metal conduit or the main electrical panel box.

4. Step 4

Switch the meter to the "on" position. Most megohmmeters have a charge
button located on the face of the meter. Press the charge button and observe
the meter. It generally takes from three to five seconds for the meter to
charge the wire to the full high voltage.

5. Step 5
Read the meter. A reading on the face of the meter that indicates greater than
(>) 999 meg is a perfectly insulated wire. A reading below (<) 1.00 meg may
indicate a problem with the wire. A reading between these two resistances
will generally operate with no problems to the electrical circuit.