Full Product Manual

Additional Information for Identifying Electrical Shorts
In some rare occasions during installation, a high pressure point on the cable can occur and cause a break
in the insulation between the core conductor and the metal sheath. This opening in the insulation layer can
create an electrical short, even though the ohm reading from one line conductor to the other line conductor
is normal and does not indicate a circuit break. In these rare circumstances, a continuity test will show no
continuity (a reading of infinity) between the line conductor and the ground wire and/or between the other
line core conductor and the ground. A megaohm meter can be used to test the wire insulation in these cases.
There should be no continuity (indicated by a resistance reading of infinity, not zero) between each line
conductor and ground. If the ohmmeter or PowerMan™ reveals continuity between both the line conductor
and ground, there is a short in the circuit.
8.2.4. Checking for Breaks or Shorts Using an Underground Fault Detector
There are two ways to locate breaks or electrical shorts with underground fault detectors:
1. A break or short can most easily be found with a high potential (hipot) insulation tester, a high-voltage
generating device that generates a ground or heat at the break point. The hipot can be used with infrared
cameras to scan the floor and detect the exact location of the break. Contact WarmlyYours for more
information about renting our troubleshooting kit.
2. A break or short can sometimes be found with a time domain reflectometer (ShortStop fault finder), which
measures the distance of the wire between the tester and the short point. A floor plan with the layout of the
installation is required to determine the location of the short.
Troubleshooting
SECTION 8
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