Testing your cathodic protection system

Systems that require registration must be tested within 90 days of lodging an application through Cathodic Protection Registrations Online. All systems must comply with Part 13, Division 5, System requirements as outlined in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013.

Tests must include:

• interference tests on all foreign structures for the system
• maximum voltage checks on water based or marine environment systems
• checks on maximum current discharged into a marine environment or ground.

Testing should be done on the maximum operating current values stated in your application to the Electrical Safety Office.

It is your responsibility to:

• notify owners of all nearby foreign structures
• arrange testing
• provide all the facilities
• pay all costs associated with testing.

For more information on testing cathodic protection systems before operation, read the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013.

Testing as part of regular maintenance

Interference tests need to be repeated when:

• a request is received from the Electrical Safety Office
• the system or method of operation is changed
• an anode forming part of the system is replaced
• a system is re-registered.

Testing by the regulator

If required by the Electrical Safety Office, you must give access to the system and provide facilities to further test it.

If the system does not comply with the requirements, you must pay all indirect and overhead costs the Electrical Safety Office made while testing.

Recordkeeping requirements

You must keep test records for 10 years if:

• the system is an impressed current cathodic system
• the system is a sacrificial system that has a total anode mass of more than 25kg.

These records must be available within 14 days, if requested by the Electrical Safety Office.

Also consider...

• Find out more about cathodic protection systems.