NETA Testing Services
Bowtie Engineering provides NETA-standard electrical testing for commercial and industrial facilities nationwide. We perform acceptance testing on new equipment and maintenance testing on existing systems to the standards published by NETA (the InterNational Electrical Testing Association) — including primary injection, relay testing, insulation resistance, and breaker testing. Led by licensed Professional Engineers and delivered through a network of NETA-certified technicians we can deploy across the United States, our testing verifies that your electrical equipment will perform safely and correctly when it matters.
What is NETA testing?
NETA testing is a set of standardized procedures published by the InterNational Electrical Testing Association for commissioning, maintaining, and field-testing electrical power equipment. When equipment is tested to NETA standards, qualified technicians follow a defined, auditable methodology to verify it operates correctly, safely, and within manufacturer and code specifications. It matters because electrical equipment degrades over time — insulation breaks down, breakers fail to trip correctly, connections loosen. Facilities that skip NETA-standard testing are operating on assumptions about equipment condition rather than verified data, increasing the risk of arc flash, equipment failure, and unplanned downtime.
What does Bowtie's NETA testing cover?
- Primary injection testing of low- and medium-voltage circuit breakers and switchgear
- Protective relay testing and calibration
- Insulation resistance and dielectric testing
- Transformer testing (turns ratio, power factor, oil analysis)
- Ground resistance testing
- Cable and busway testing
- Full documentation — test forms, results, and a report tied to your one-line drawings
Our NETA Credentials
Bowtie Engineering performs testing to NETA standards through NETA-certified technicians, with licensed Professional Engineers providing oversight and interpreting the results.
Technician certification and company accreditation are separate credentials. Bowtie is not a NETA Accredited Company. When a project requires company accreditation, Bowtie can coordinate with a trusted NETA Accredited Company. Confirm the required credentials and testing scope when comparing proposals.
The Tests We Perform
Infrared thermography. A thermal survey performed with the building in service, identifying hot spots, loose connections and load imbalance before they become outages. Usually the first step in a maintenance scope because it requires no disruption to power.
Insulation resistance testing. Measures the condition of insulation in cables, motors and transformers, and is one of the better early indicators of equipment heading toward failure.
Primary injection testing. Full current injection through the complete circuit, including the current transformers and the trip unit, to verify a breaker will actually operate as intended. This is the most thorough form of breaker testing and it is where many maintenance programs stop short.
Circuit breaker testing. Contact resistance, timing and mechanical operation, confirming the breaker will clear a fault in the time your arc flash study assumed.
Protective relay testing and calibration. Verifies that relays pick up and time out to their set points, and that the coordination designed on paper is what the system will actually do.
Transformer testing and oil analysis. Turns ratio, winding resistance, insulation testing and oil sampling, which together give an early view of internal condition that no external inspection can provide.
Contact resistance testing. Measures resistance across connections and bus joints, where heat builds long before anything becomes visible.
Acceptance Testing Versus Maintenance Testing
Acceptance testing is performed on new or newly installed equipment before it is energized into service. It proves the equipment arrived undamaged, was installed correctly and performs to specification. It sets the baseline every later test is compared against.
Maintenance testing is performed on equipment already in service, at intervals, to establish whether its condition has changed. Without an acceptance baseline, maintenance results have nothing to be measured against, which is why facilities that skip acceptance testing often struggle to interpret their own data years later.
When You Need NETA Testing and How Often?
There are four common triggers. New equipment being commissioned, which calls for acceptance testing. Equipment that has cleared a fault, because clearing a fault is a mechanical and thermal event and the device may not be fit to do it again. Insurer or corporate requirements, which increasingly specify intervals. And NFPA 70B, which now sets maintenance expectations as a standard rather than a recommendation.
Intervals depend on equipment type, criticality, operating environment and load. A medium voltage switchgear lineup serving a data center is on a different schedule to a lighting panel in an office. Bowtie sets intervals as part of the maintenance program rather than applying one number across a whole site.
If nobody at your facility can say when the switchgear was last tested, that in itself is the answer.
Reporting and Deliverables
Every test produces a written report with the measured values, the comparison against baseline or standard, and a clear priority on each finding. Findings are ranked by what needs attention now, what should be scheduled and what is worth monitoring. For clients on a service contract results load into BowVue alongside the arc flash and training data.
Who Performs Breaker Injection and Circuit Breaker Testing?
Bowtie Engineering provides breaker injection and circuit breaker testing for commercial and industrial facilities as part of our NETA-standard testing service. The scope is selected for your equipment and can include primary injection, contact resistance, timing, and mechanical-operation checks. Results are documented for maintenance planning and engineering review.
Primary Injection Testing: What It Verifies
Primary injection applies test current through the breaker or protection circuit to assess its response. For applicable low-voltage breakers, measured trip times are compared with the relevant settings and manufacturer criteria. The test scope determines which components of the protection system are included.
A secondary injection test checks the electronic trip unit or relay response at its test inputs. It does not exercise the same complete primary current path, so the methods serve different purposes and should be selected for the equipment and objective.
Planning a Circuit Breaker Testing Project
Provide the equipment list, breaker models and ratings, protective-device settings, available drawings, and previous test reports. Primary injection testing requires the equipment under test to be taken out of service. Bowtie coordinates the testing scope and access requirements with your team before the work is scheduled.
Breaker performance also matters to an incident energy study, because protective-device clearing time affects calculated arc flash exposure. Combine testing with an electrical maintenance program to keep condition records and corrective actions together. Request a testing scope for your facility.
Get a Free Quote
Contact Us
- Call: 866-730-6620
- Address: 1400 Market Place Blvd., Suite 124 Cumming, GA 30041
- Email: Sales@bowtie8.com
In Short
Bowtie provides PE-led, NETA-standard electrical testing — acceptance and maintenance testing, primary injection, relay and transformer testing — deliverable nationwide through a network of NETA-certified technicians, with auditable documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bowtie a NETA Accredited Company ?
Bowtie performs testing to NETA standards and deploys NETA-certified technicians nationwide, but Bowtie is not itself a NETA Accredited Company. Our testing follows NETA methodology and is documented to NETA specifications.
What's the difference between NETA acceptance and maintenance testing?
Acceptance testing (ATS) is done on new equipment before energizing; maintenance testing (MTS) is done on in-service equipment on a recurring schedule to catch degradation. Bowtie performs both.
How often should NETA maintenance testing be performed?
Intervals depend on equipment type, criticality, and environment. NETA and NFPA 70B provide the framework; Bowtie sets your intervals based on your specific equipment and builds them into a recurring program.
Do you provide primary injection testing?
Yes. Bowtie performs primary injection testing on low- and medium-voltage circuit breakers and switchgear, along with relay, insulation, and transformer testing — all to NETA standards.
Can you provide NETA testing across multiple sites nationwide?
Yes. Bowtie deploys NETA-certified technicians across the U.S. with standardized methodology and documentation, which is ideal for multi-site and national accounts.