Some of Our Relay Training Reviews

Great hands-on training with a detailed visual guide. Chris’ experience in the field allows him to bring real world application to the classroom. The hands-on training keeps you engaged and helps you understand the theory of operation. I can’t wait to participate in the advanced course in the upcoming weeks.

I work for a testing company and I always wanted to get better with relays but found it difficult to learn more on-site since we don’t usually have much time to play around. Our company owns Omicron and Doble test-sets and was able to borrow them over the week ends. I would grab an SEL relay and follow you step by step and learned a lot that way.

I practiced a lot doing manual pick up and timing test (without changing settings) to get a good foundation and now slowly getting into dynamic testing.

I also purchased your Relay Testing Handbook and find it very useful on-site. I keep the soft copy on my laptop so I can refer to it very easily.

I recommend this course to anyone who wants to get better at testing relays.

Looking forward to more videos from Valence.

Keep up the good work

How did you feel about testing relays before your purchase?

Due to lack of experience for myself as well as my co-workers, testing relays is extremely difficult. Very nerve racking!!

How did the material help you?

I now have a great resource to fall back on when it comes to testing.

How do you feel about relay testing now?

I still have a ton to learn. But I am confident now that I have the right resources that will help me in safely and correctly test relays.

What would you tell someone who was thinking about taking the course?
My thinking is that if you were to complete and retain the knowledge in this course, one could cut years of "trial and error" experience from your career.

This course is a must for relay testing engineers who struggle with the testing of more advanced relay functions such as line distance and transformer differential. Instruction on the background and theory of the functions is followed by hands-on testing of these functions on relays that are commonly encountered in the field.

A different perspective on relay testing, especially since most testing companies use automated testing. It helps better understand the operation of the relays and how the results were obtained. Not just button pushing……..

Live training courses are NOT presented in a one-size-fits-all, take-it-or-leave-it format. The instructor’s experience allows him to tailor the content on-the-fly to fit each student’s background and experience.

Even seasoned (you can’t teach me anything) relay techs are captivated by the instructor’s enthusiasm and experience.

Engineers attending the courses leave with an understanding of the importance and challenges of specifying effective and complete field testing.

I have been in electrical testing for the past 15 years and have worked for NETA shops and utilities. The booklet is excellent for a beginner as well as a seasoned test technician. I purchased this for a look at another’s perspective on end-to-end relay testing. Included are test plans, connections, procedures and testing philosophies. The user will find an overview of nearly all of the popular protection strategies as well as a very helpful overview chart.

I have been so impressed with the booklet that I will purchase the expansive relay manual.

Bravo Mr. Werstiuk, (author), you have accomplished in a few pages the equivalent of a semester of test school.

Just beginning my path with relay testing, and course was filled with plenty of good thoughts and info.

It’s a lot of good and clear information

Chris was an excellent instructor. For an inexperienced tester like myself, he made it easy to follow and understand. I was never bored once in the 3 days. I had never used the Doble or its software before, and now I’m confident I have a great base to continue my learning.

This is a great class; even if you have little to no experience with relays. Chris can really break things down to the most basic level. Great instruction. Great class.

Well worth the money and best training I've had.

Definitely worth the effort, you will learn not only techniques of relay testing, but exemplary professionalism as well. The courses prepare one to be a good relay tester instead of “Button Pusher” or a mediocre one. Better yet, you might’ve found yourself a field support.

Get hold of “The Relay Testing Handbook” by Chris Werstiuk, very good review on related power system theories and excellent guide line for the training course.

Very good training to help someone understand what to look for in phase relationship with what you will see in the real world of relays.

Chris has an incredible amount of knowledge and experience which he shares as he teaches the theory and practical methods of relay testing. These experiences are so valuable whether you are new or an experienced veteran of relay testing. You get theory and then the opportunity to set up different testing situations to apply and prove the lessons. You can experiment with the circuits and test until you are proficient. Regardless of the brand of test-set, Chris is there to assist and offer advice until you are comfortable with the testing circuit and the test-set's available functions. Excellent opportunity to learn the strengths and weaknesses of different brands of relay test-sets. Chris has a natural talent for teaching!

I picked your courses because they looked interesting and they were inexpensive.

I was not disappointed, I found them very informative and quite easy to follow.

I would recommend these courses to anyone needing continuing education or just wanting to learn more about relays.

I learned a lot and look forward to taking more classes from Valence.

Take it, there is a wealth of information and a lot to be learned about electromechanical relay testing and digital relay testing

Chris does a great job ! It is very obvious he has a lot of knowledge, backed up by experience. His patience, and dynamic personality, made for a comfortable learning environment.

I would definitely recommend his classes.

There is a ton of great information and it really helps to see the step by step process that is actually explaining what were doing when we test relays and not just moving on once there's the green checkmark.

Wonderful course that really digs into generation protection while keeping it interesting and informative. The hands-on approach really aids in the retaining of knowledge!

One should take this course whether they know everything about relays or know nothing about them at all. Anyone could walk into this course and learn something. For those who have low experience with testing relays, this class will start you off on the right path to becoming a great relay tester.

What did you enjoy most about the course?

Learning to test the elements manually without the use of automated software and being shown how the relay actually operates and senses readings.

Understanding phase angle relationships to simulate faults.

What would you tell someone who was thinking about a purchase?

I scribble phasor diagrams everyday while explaining systems, simulations, or theory. It behooves every NETA technician level 2 and up to be able to understand the relationship between the generator, the sine wave, and the phasor diagram.

All I've had to work with so far was Enoserve/RTS, virtually no training for microprocessor relay tested and just dated electromechanical training. I couldn't tell you if what I did was correct or not beyond green dots for test passed. Now I have a much better understanding of relay testing and a whole lot more insight on how to use my test set WITHOUT reprogramming the relay.

you will get a lot of knowledge out of the course that will save you time in the long run

This is a great source of knowledge that may have been over looked or not even taught. A resource I will definitely be going back to when I'm prepping for a job or have a question that the videos answer.

Don't focus solely on Enoserv testing, instead try to understand what the relay is intended to do and how you can test it as a whole.

Anyone needing to test relays will benefit from this course. The instructor is very knowledgeable about all relays and test sets. He teaches you how to use the equipment you will use in the real world and any possible issues that may arise from a particular test set.

Worth the time and money, a great class to utilize now and down the road.

Get your thinking cap on, this class is for students serious about advancing there relay testing career but it is not easy.

This course should be mandatory to anyone entering into relay testing! I feel that they should have a little experience under their belt with the basics of talking to the relay, changing settings, using a test set to test elements, etc, but certainly a must in my book!

Most of the 'relay' problems I have faced were actually human errors instead of equipment errors. Most relay tests would not catch these errors. Examples: Wrong CT/PT ratios, wrong polarity.

This course helped show how testing a relay can also catch human errors in the installation of equipment or wiring and the programming.

This course is unlike any I have ever seen. I have paid ten times the cost to attend training in person, and the training usually covers mostly theory and standards. This course actually shows you how to do real-world relay testing.

How did you feel about testing relays before your purchase?

I was not comfortable testing relays outside of simple E-M before the course.

How did the material help you?

I have a greater understanding of the principles and the tool to accomplish what I want to test in the relays

How do you feel about relay testing now?

I feel much more confident

How did you feel about testing relays before the course?
My greatest frustration was understanding the purpose and function of some of the digital elements without an understanding of their physical ancestors.

How did the course help you?
Having less field experience than many of my classmates, I came into the course expecting to be left behind rather quickly. However, Chris has a knack for effectively teaching everyone sitting in front of him no matter what their experience.

How do you feel about relay testing now?
I'm far more interested in pursuing excellence in testing methods.

Why should someone take this course?
I was a beginner when I took the Protective Relay Testing Fundamentals Course--very green in the discipline--and I took the class with people who had a range of experience. Some had decades in this specific field while others (like myself) had only a year or so, with several somewhere in between. Because the class is structured as a hands-on test experience of an individual relay element in both its electro-mechanical and digital forms, everyone gets to follow along under instructor guidance. Everyone learned something, and the delivery was as inviting, enjoyable, and enriching as any class I've ever taken in any subject or discipline. Relay testing can be an intimidating subject, but this class demystified some of its thornier aspects and Chris taught it in such a way as to make relay testing an inviting and deeply interesting endeavor.

The information in this course was very well presented. The practice sheets make the concepts more easily understood. I would recommend this course to anyone who is involved with electrical power systems.

I've done enough coursework in my life in various disciplines and trade crafts to have forgotten some of them. In all of my studies, I have rarely met an instructor who knew their material better, delivered it more clearly and effectively, or who obviously enjoyed teaching their subject more. His class helped me understand relay testing at a level far above what I knew before I took it. It would be difficult to overstate the value of his classes.

What would you tell someone who was thinking about a purchase?
I think the cost of this training was the best money I ever spent for continuing education training. The information passed on was exactly the knowledge I needed to refresh and expand. This training captured my full attention. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

How did you feel about testing relays before your purchase?
I tested relays manually (mechanical and microprocessor) for a number of years before I got any automated equipment so I feel like I have a solid understanding of what is being simulated during testing. Once we got into using automated testing software I could not stand how button-pushers were being sent out to "test relays" and never prove any logic or even determine if the relay will actually trip. But in our industry market time is money so get out there and test as many relays as humanly possible as quickly as possible. I typically take the time needed to prove the important components so I am confident the relay will perform as intended.

How did the material help you?
I am very interested in the dynamic test methods and will be implementing them soon to our test methods. I also saw some test setup methods that apply specifically to my test set that will also help me out in the future.

How do you feel about relay testing now?
I have been reinvigorated! I'm ready to regroup and teach our junior techs some better quality relay testing.

How did you feel about testing relays before your purchase?
I was working with relays and was always concentrated on control and signal processing equipment applicational challenges

How did the material help you?
Helped me combine some of my various practical background knowledge into more organized and straight forward technical application

How do you feel about relay testing now?
Better - more prepared and technically confident

How did you feel about testing relays before the course?
I am a bit apprehensive with the New Test Equipment for Digital Relays

How did the course help you?
Made me more aware of how easy it is to operate and test Digital Relays

How do you feel about relay testing now?
Not got an issue now

Why should someone take this course?
Massive benefits. The Tutor is so advanced in his techniques. Also he has shown the correct way in testing.

I found this course to be very useful in understanding the fundamentals of three-phase power systems. It was extremely easy to follow along. Very clear, cadenced rhythm with the video narration allowed me to understand without having to backtrack.

The course material would be suitable for technicians or students looking to get a grasp on three-phase power systems and converting between cycles and seconds; a must have for any relay technician.

I appreciated the real world examples and exercises, which will help me when I come across these specific problems in the microprocessor based world of protection relays.

Overall I highly recommend this course!

This is the best training I have seen for 3 phase power systems! The animations are terrific. These are things that I am constantly drawing by hand to help illustrate concepts to other technicians but they just aren't the same when I can't draw them in motion. The links to other sites that are referenced have an abundance of additional theory topics and more animated illustrations. I very highly recommend this course.

This is a great beginner course to 3-phase power for relay testers that are thrown in to relay testing through programs rather than having the electrical theory to back up troubleshooting and expected results.

Best relay testing courses out there that I know of. The instructor has extensive field experience, thorough understanding of power system theories and years of teaching experience. For someone with power system fundamentals but new to the relay testing field, the “Protective Relay Testing Fundamentals Class” would be a very good starting point. You could learn not only how to conduct a relay test but also the ins and outs behind each step/setting/parameter etc.

Would have saved me a lot of learning curve if I had had this course when I started testing distance and differential relays a couple years ago. Even with a couple years of experience, it filled in some gaps.

This course helped me understand what true relay testing is, Dynamic testing is truly fun to learn & not so boring as you would just button pushing.

You wont regret it.

I have just bought your protection relay testing set of books about a few weeks ago and I just wanted to say that I’m very impressed with it.

I have been commissioning power systems for a few years and I wish I had found your books a while ago.

What would you advise students who are interested in this course?

Review any of Chris's YouTube videos that relate to the relays you will be going over, and if possible purchase the Relay seminar video and review the modules that pertain to "Dynamic testing", it will be the best investment of time and money you could make as a Relay Tech.

this course is good whether you don't know phasors or need a refresher

This course is a vital look into not just relay testing, but how the relay operates in a system. The information offered in this course will cut time spent researching relays and developing test plans.

This course will help you sort out which brands use which system to depict phase angles. That is super handy in the field.