What are the most important electrical troubleshooting skills for Facilities Engineers?

1 Basic Safety Rules

Before beginning any electrical troubleshooting, it is essential to adhere to basic safety rules in order to protect yourself and others from electric shock, fire, or explosion. This includes turning off the power supply and locking out the circuit breaker or disconnect switch before working on any electrical device or component. Additionally, it is important to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, goggles, and insulated tools. Before touching any wires or terminals, you should also test for voltage and current with a multimeter or a voltage tester. Furthermore, you should follow the manufacturer's instructions and the local codes and standards for electrical installation and maintenance. Lastly, any electrical hazards or incidents should be reported to your supervisor or manager.

2 Logical Approach

Electrical troubleshooting is a process of finding the root cause of a problem by following a logical approach. This involves gathering information about the problem, such as the symptoms, the history, the location, and the frequency. After analyzing this data and forming a hypothesis about potential causes and solutions, it's important to test it by checking components, connections, and controls. Afterwards, verify the results and confirm the diagnosis before proceeding with any repairs or replacements needed to restore normal operation.

3 Common Tools

Electrical troubleshooting requires some common tools to measure, test, and repair the electrical system or equipment. A multimeter can measure voltage, current, resistance, and continuity while a clamp meter can measure current without disconnecting the circuit. Additionally, a circuit tester can indicate if there is power in a wire or socket and a wire stripper can strip the insulation from a wire. A wire cutter can cut or splice a wire and a screwdriver can tighten or loosen screws or terminals. Lastly, a soldering iron can join wires or components with solder.

4 Specific Techniques

When troubleshooting electrical systems or equipment, you may need to use certain techniques depending on the type and complexity. For instance, reading and interpreting electrical diagrams, schematics, and symbols can help you comprehend the system's operation and the components' connections. Additionally, tracing and isolating circuits can help identify the source of a problem and test each part individually. Furthermore, signal generators and oscilloscopes can be used to analyze waveforms and frequencies of the electrical signals, while insulation resistance tests can check the condition and integrity of the insulation of the wires and components. These techniques can help detect any abnormalities or distortions, as well as any leakage or breakdown.

5 Continuous Learning

Continuous learning and improvement are essential for electrical troubleshooting. To stay up-to-date with the latest technologies, standards, and best practices in the electrical field, you should take courses, read books and magazines, join professional associations, and ask questions. You can also learn from your own and others' experiences, mistakes, and feedback by seeking advice or sharing tips with colleagues, mentors, or experts.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?