Knowledge of the present status of the source and load bushings is critical to personal safety and prevention of destroying the asset when bypassing voltage regulators for removal or installation. A potential challenge is the quantity of circulating current when the regulators are one or more steps away from neutral position. The closer to neutral, the higher the current.
Aging regulators pose additional challenges. The older the regulator, the more likely it may have issues with the accuracy of its position indicator. In some cases, the neutral indicator light on the control may have failed and no longer gives any indication of voltage.
To eliminate personal and asset risk in these challenging situations, the lineman should verify there is no voltage with a high voltage voltmeter. By measuring the voltage between the source and load sides of the regulator, the user is able to safely verify when it is in the neutral position.
Using a volt meter rated to the line voltage allows workers to view the live-line voltage while verifying the step and neutral indicators. With +/- 1% accuracy, the SensorLink Radio Voltstik allows the lineman to view the live-line voltage across the regulator, while verifying the step and neutral indicators. The auto clamp attaches to either the source or load side, and the probe is placed on the other side of the regulator. The remote display gives continuous voltage updates, providing users instant confirmation of the measurement, allowing for a safe and successful bypass.
