Panel Builders: Do you do Hi-Pot Testing on your 508A Panels?

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ChrisBaye

New User
Location
Minnesota
Occupation
Controls Engineer
I work for a manufacturer that builds many things including panels. We have Hi-Pot testing equipment that we use for our CE marked products and a few other things. We could also use it to test our 508A panels but there is, to my knowledge, no driving UL requirement. I am quite familiar with 508A and am a certified MTR; but that does not preclude gaps in my knowledge. In my many years of doing this, I have never been asked to demonstrate a hi-pot test to a UL Field Engineer during a regular monitoring visit. What is your experience?
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
I don't think anybody cares. It's not like it makes all that much difference anyway.

We used to have a company that would pay us to come in and do similar testing of their panels that had to be CE but never a UL 508A.
 

paulengr

Senior Member
Why would you high pot?

IEEE 400 is the standard for high potting. But it clearly states that high potting does not detect defects except very gross ones that are easily detected by for instance insulation resistance tests, much more safely and easily. And that it actually damages service aged equipment with defects that take weeks to months to show up even though it passed the test. For these reasons EASA for instance eliminated the test.

It’s a test developed for PILC which is no longer used. So no reason to believe it has any place testing polymeric cables.
 
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