PRE AM2 help and advice

[youngsparky]

hi all,
new to this site so bear with me. i am due to take my AM2 soon and was wondering if anyone has done the new one?
have you any information, help or links to help me.
i am planning to do the freshers course but would like a boost in confidence before i book it.
cheers in advance

 

[youngsparky]

? ? ? Any help

 

[somersetsparks]

Hi mate, I did the old one, but some of our lads have done the new one, they say its pretty straightforward - no conduit, no pyro etc. (pyro replaced by FP200)

The wiring is very easy, fault finding is easyish, just remember to think logically, some of the faults will be 'first year mistakes' such as Polarity reversed at socket, Some could be broken Cables, Blown fuses, Common and strapper wrong way round in 2way Lighting etc.

Always be nice to your instructor and show your knowledge, if you talk to him he will soon know if you know your stuff.

Remember when you do your safe isolation to check between all phases and neutral and all phases and earth, and when you lock it off put the key in your pocket! thats one of the most common fails!

If you are not used to motor circuits, the wiring diagram is provided and you can just wire dot to dot.

Most importantly go steady, take your time and plan what you are gonna do, and DONT PANIC!

Good luck mate!

 

[youngsparky]

Cheers mate. Am just worried on time. I think the motor has change and you don't have to go into detail just get the wiring to a box I think?

 

[Steve1412]

Wouldn't be any help on this me thinks...did mine in 1989!!!!!!!!...did get a pig of a fault tho when they switched out the cpc from fused spur to tubular heater!!!! I tested at the spur and never did at the heater.......divvy tw@.... only one I missed as well....

Top tip....dont go out on the lash with ur new mates at the test centre on the first night!!!!!!.......its a nightmare trying to concentrate with a monster hangover............good luck!!!

 

[youngsparky]

Am dreading it! But has to be done and I can only do my best. Would be a massive help if anyone had any links to diagrams, spec

 

[i=p/u]

just pay the 99 quid and do the practice session on it. Course - ETT

 

[The DarkSpark]

Safe isolation - make sure you know this e.g. turn off the correct isolator to the board padlock with sign through the lock and !!Key in pocket!! (this is a big fail for some ppl) prove your tester then do your 10 tests (main cables come in/before breaker) L1-L2, L1-L3, L2-L3, L1-N, L2-N, L3-N, L1-E, L2-E, L3-E, N-E then re prove your tester and make sure you ask assessor before starting installation

Installation - not exactly sure what circuits you have to do but everyone should be capable I think its gas and water bonding, 2 way and intermediate light circuit using twin and earth and 3 core, Ring Main - 2 sockets a fuse spur(boiler circuit) spur socket in singles, boiler circuit - but your just attaching feed to spur, smoke detector to un switched fuse spur then FP200 to detector, commando socket in SY cable, motor circuit in Armoured cable I think it’s to direct on line starter which is already wired then to motor not sure what type of cables and am no expert in motors find it to boring but I think you have to use (P = (Square root of 3) X 3 X I) to set the motor and would also use it in fault finding oh and 2 telephone points you have to wire between

All circuits have relevant diagrams and information

Just make sure all cables are terminated correctly and tightly any come loose and it’s a fail

Testing

Not going to much in to detail will be here forever

make sure you ZERO leads on continuity of CPC and Ring Final and if you go off and ever go back to it or if you swap over to plug leads

Don’t forget R2 method for gas and water bonding

Polarity- make sure you switch your switches and socket and whatever else

Insulation Resistance make sure all sensitive equipment is removed e.g. lighting circuit remove cables from fitting put in connector blocks, smoke detector should be like a block that you can pull out of the detector, boiler circuit pull the fuse out of spur, motor test your installed cables not through the whole circuit and don’t forget about testing through your strappers

Make sure the installation is but back together during insulation resistance e.g. switches screwed back and containment back together cos this is a fail


When finished insulation resistance put everything back together and ask if you can energise the installation

You have to prove you have a supply and phase rotation is correct same with commando and motor

Then turn main breaker off and test incoming side/before breaker for your ZE and PFC make sure do each phase to N and E and press PFC button in-between as well record highest reading (presuming you have the new type of Megger)

You don’t have to do the earth fault loop impedance test just add your ZE to relevant R1 + R2 (Zs = Ze + (R1 + R2)) and record check your calculation with that on page 103 (table 2D) of on site guide (not the regs as the table in regs doesn’t account for the 80% that you have to be within where as the OSG does)

RCD test and function test

Don’t forget to use GS 38 tips when the installation is live

FAULT FINDING

This includes the whole installation well not actually yours will most probably be the same installation but on a fault finding test bay which your assessor will switch certain switches thus putting faults on the installation

You should look out for using low ohms is

OPEN CIRCUIT
CROSS CONNECTION

and insulation resistance

SHORT CIRUIT

The best way would be to eliminate the Neutral and earth path first and then concentrate on the live paths

I don’t think there should be faulty equipment but don’t bank on this but there may be like a broken fuse or something so simple you just can’t see it

Be technical as well don’t just say found it live on the light don’t work say something like - on the lighting circuit there is a an open circuit on the S/W between common on the light switch and live on the light fitting or cross connection on the lighting circuit between the l2 strapper and the common in the second 2 way switch.

As of paperwork make sure you can fill out pages 332, 333, 340 and 341 of BS7671 17th edition

Assessment of Applied Knowledge

This is a 30 question multiple choice exam(4 answers) and these questions can be tough I’m not sure what the pass rate is but try and get everyone of them right you can’t take your own books in but you get a copy of the Regs , On site guide, Guidance note 3 and the Electrical installers' guide to the building regulations its probably worth getting the books and having good understanding of the books I think it’s an hour long so you only get two minutes a question

Always remember your assessor will not try and trick you this isn’t your driving test they will want to pass you they can’t tell you what to do or give you too much help but they may show signs of body language or they may ask if you’re absolutely sure you’ve finished remember to be calm and take your time concentrate on everything

Good Luck and hope this as some way helped you

I am not an expert so I would only take this as a guide I am only going over what I think is important points I am not affiliated with the AM2 board I am not a teacher or an assessor I have no accurate information on the exam, all of this guide I have wrote through experience other people other websites, Please don’t mock what I have wrote I’m only trying to help people like I said I’m not an expert I might have said something and it not be correct if I have missed anything feel free to mention it and also if any one as any questions. As you all should be able to tell I wasn’t very good at English lol

Thanks for reading

 

[sparkymalarky]

Recently done my AM2 also, was a complete breeze, only thing that makes you think a bit is the lighting circuit as its a very different method of wiring to what I'm personally used to, other than that, wiring diagrams are provided and they are all very clear!

I wouldn't recommend the refresher course unless inspection and testing is your downfall, as that is what the main focus is on.

If you have any questions just ask, done my about a month ago so its all still pretty clear and fresh in my head

 

[i=p/u]

good info darkspark

 

[Bozzer]

Great post darkspark best info yet about AM2...

 

[Superspark23]

Pm me your email and ill give you a complete guide, not sure if its 100% accurate because i havent done mine yet. But from what ive heard and read its a decent guide.

 

[gooner85]

I took my AM2 a year ago and i failed on the most annpying thing. When i was testing, everything tested good and i thought i had done well. The examiner thought different and failed me on my loop impedence testing. i rang them up and said all the tests were fine ( how can you fail on a loop impedence test, i pushed the button on the tester perfectly). Anyway his reason was i didnt check the on site guide to see if the Zs which, the highest being 0.33ohms was ok. i said i didnt need to check as it was even below the max Ze allowance. He said i still should have checked and i had to pay £180 to take the testing again. so my advice, do everything, check everything, and double check everything. there is plenty of time in the exam. good luck

 

[llywelyn111]

HI I've done the new AM2 exam, did it in Manchester. I can honestly say the hardest part about the AM2 is the poor / faulty parts they give you. SWA glands that look like they have been stored in a cement mixer, RCBO's that have connector blocks, earth clamps that have been used about 2000 times.

Other than that, it's fairly straight forward. Just don't panic is the key. The only thing I got marked down on apparently was my Cat 5 cable wasn't short enough and not cable tied. But seeing as the part that the cable tie goes in was non existent that was a problem.

 

[Monks]

Some great advice on this thread. I've got my AM2 in a week and I've been going over aspects of the assessment for the last few days so I hopefully don't make a silly mistake when the heat is on at the test centre.

I've been advised to just be calm and treat it as a normal install; i.e. if something is wrong, it isn't good enough. The main advice I've got is to just follow every aspect of the job spec that I will be given on the day, so obviously that is my plan. However, I haven't done much testing in the past and, as I still have a few days to prepare, I thought that I might as well ask the forum's contributors for some advice and pointers to help me out with a few things:

- Continuity: there is no box for R1 + RN on the testing form. Do I just make a note of it on the testing form, or is it not required in the AM2?

- On my insulation resistance test I plan to do a 'global' ten point test between all of the phases and earth from the mains switch. Obviously I have to remove all of the sensitive equipment, so I plan to put the light fitting's conductors, CO2 detector, RCD socket and the supply and load side of the motor into connectors and remove any neons. I also plan to switch off the spur on the S-plan heating system and I will then take the lowest readings I have for the global test and put them on the test form. However, I have been told to then connect the phase and neutral of the load side of the S-plan's spur and do an insulation resistance test through the heating system between those jointed cables and earth. This new value will be the S-plan's L-E insulation resistance value.

Will that be OK?

- Now a question about the polarity of supply test: if this the first live test you do? Going by the On-Site Guide then it is, but on the revision day I had last week the tutor did this test just before the functional test. I've been told that this is just a test to confirm that there are 400v across each phase.

- I don't have any questions about Ze, PFC, and Zs (I plan to just summate this with my R1 + R2 values with Ze).

- Do I then do a phase rotation test? I'll be honest, I'm not sure how to do this. I remember once watching my boss do this test on a big chiller about a year ago and he just set the multitester to this function and put a three pronged lead on L1, L2 and L3. Is there a tester about that points in the right hand direction or something? How do I use this? Does this test come after all of the others I've mentioned as I can't see it listed in the On-Site Guide.

- RCD test and functional tests. Just remember to set the tester to 30mA and test both sides of sin wave at half, 1X, and 5X the tripping current. Do I record highest value here for each?

- Finally, I've heard different things from different people, but will I be required to check all my measured values comply with BS7671? If the answer is yes, I've found on the 'notes of schedule of test results' where to find these values in both the Regs and On-Site Guide.

How does all that sound? Have I missed anything required for the AM2? Never done fault finding before so that's gonna be a big stab-in-the-dark for me, so I'm just going to read as much as I can about faults in the next few days. The two-way lighting circuit is completely different to what I've always done in the past, but it seems pretty straight forward.

Any advice or help would be much appreciated. Cheers.