April 28, 2015 – Oil, dirt, excessive heat or cold, vibration and moisture will damage electrical insulation, threatening equipment and worker safety, says Ideal Industries. This is where the Ideal 61-797 digital insulation meter comes in.

The meter is an “industrial-grade” tester designed for commissioning, routine troubleshooting and preventive maintenance to identify whether insulation is performing at an effective, safe level.
 
Using the 61-797, the technician can determine the integrity of insulation in new and existing wiring by identifying capacitive, absorption and leakage current at multiple test voltages (50V, 100V, 250V, 500V and 1000V) and resistance up to 20G ohms. In addition, Ideal stated this tester “measures earth-bond resistance to assure verification of the continuity of the protective bonding, automatically senses and displays AC/DC voltage to 600V, plus calculates the Polarization Index (PI) and Dielectric Absorption Ratio (DAR).”
 
Repetitive testing is made easier, Ideal said, with the 61-797’s pass/fail function and its internal storage of values, the company added. There is also a remote test button for two-handed operation.
 
The 61-797 was designed with a 600 V Cat IV overvoltage rating and will disable itself if connected to a live circuit exceeding 30V, according to the company. A live voltage hazard indictor is also displayed on the front panel to warn the technician before use on an energized circuit. Once testing is complete, Ideal noted the 61-797 automatically discharges capacitive voltage from the equipment under test that may be a shock hazard.