anyone recommend an earth leakage clamp meter ?

[petehall347]

now looking at rcd testers .. might go for a used robin one as they are not much to buy used . the plug in ones only see if the rcd works at a set test and nothing to say how quick .

[stj]

the fluctuation in readings is common with hall-effect sensors
it's partly caused by the earths magnetic field and partly caused by - to quote johny mnemonic:
"this shit, and and that shit, and all the other shit we surroiund ourselves with"

that was a great film btw - verry fortelling!

[petehall347]

ok just installed the correct rcd.s in the correct places . master one is 100ma time delay and the others 30ma . this should ensure whichever circuit is the problem one is isolated and can been looked at if it ever trips again . i could be a bad cable but we will see next time it rains heavy which doesn't look like any time soon .
as for the clamp meter i bought the ethos 3650 it seems to work fine but a couple of gripes . one is the reading changes a little depending on where the wires go through the clamp .i can live with that . the other issue is annoying .its when opening the clamp if its done over the top with my thumb the clamp wont fully close .if i open it from underneath it closes fine but is awkward for my hand . i might send it back and try another new one .

[redwire]

Uni-T designs to the penny. Their OEM products are decent, but the Uni-T brand itself can be too cheap- where they just shoot themselves in the foot saving a nickel. They cheap out on purpose, it's not a mistake.

There are also "Current Clamp Adapter" that connect to your multimeter, for those who can't afford a full blown Fluke clamp meter. Not sure how much the i310S probe is.
These are more in demand for solar, "low amp clamps".

There was a DIY Current Clamp Adapter for multimeters project in Silicon Chip magazine Sept. 2003. They took a ring ferrite, cut it in two and glued into big croc clips like you use on car battery terminals. Pretty basic - your usual analog Hall sensor in the gap and op-amp for gain+offset. Lots of drift with temperature, so a better way is two Hall sensors differential.

[CapLeaker]

Uni-T UT211B mini-clamp meter 60A high precision 0.1mA looks interesting.

I got mixed feelings with Uni-T stuff. Some is not bad other things are crap.

[redwire]

It's aggravated by rainfall or not? I would look at outdoor outlets as stj mentioned and also outdoor lighting fixtures.
Here, some people have those light posts on their front lawn and the wiring run to them is pretty hokey.
30mA is still several watts, it should cook or steam out... Does it dry out?

Uni-T UT211B mini-clamp meter 60A high precision 0.1mA looks interesting.

[CapLeaker]

A faulty RCD can randomly trip too.

[petehall347]

no conduit here . its mainly swa .

[stj]

what is wet outdoor plugs?
the only connectors i allow outside are rainproof 16A industrial ones.
i hope you dont use those stupid indoor sockets with a flappy cover over them!

[sam_sam_sam]

heavy rain last night and rcd tripped again . might have been me with wet outdoors plugs . 100ma time delay rcd on the way along with 2 x 30ma rcd.s between 2 of us other lines already have them . this should narrow down what circuit is doing it . but maybe we will never know as that 30ma rcd in question is running close to the edge to start with .. the 100ma one will have 28ma constant plus minus unknown but withing 30 percent so ok .

A couple of questions

One is your wiring in conduit and is the wire rated for underground use and is the conduit buried in the ground was the conduit glued because all of these can cause issues when it rains a lot I have personally ran into this before tripping GFCI breakers before and I can tell you it is very time consuming endeavor to figure out exactly what was causing the tripping issue but it turned out that the electrical box cover gasket was deteriorating and was allowing water to leak in - in two different electrical boxes and after that I used electrical box type GFCI breaker that fit the electrical panel not the outlet type I had way to many issues with them

I have another issue with GFCI electrical outlet tripping every once in while when there is a lot of rain and or a lot of lighting near the house there are two of them that do this the one porch and one down the driveway

But this one is going to be harder to track down because the conditions have to just right for one or the other to trip or both of them tripping together but because it tripping so rarely I have not done anything to try to figure out what is the issue at this point

One other thing that can cause issues if you use plug replacement parts that are not mold to the prongs this will cause issues and if you have a device plug that is not long enough and just use an out door rated extension cord is fine until it rains heavy for a while

[petehall347]

heavy rain last night and rcd tripped again . might have been me with wet outdoors plugs . 100ma time delay rcd on the way along with 2 x 30ma rcd.s between 2 of us other lines already have them . this should narrow down what circuit is doing it . but maybe we will never know as that 30ma rcd in question is running close to the edge to start with .. the 100ma one will have 28ma constant plus minus unknown but withing 30 percent so ok .

[sam_sam_sam]

Would this meter work for leaking testing

Handheld Digital Clamp Meter Leakage Current Tester AC DC Ammeter Non-contact


https://www.ebay.com/itm/16654049269...Bk9SR9aykPTkYw

[CapLeaker]

the house ground is not done through the gas line, the bond is to prevent static or differential currents on the gas pipe.
although it will also atract lighting IMO!

As long as it is bonded to the main ground at the power entrance , NO!

[stj]

the house ground is not done through the gas line, the bond is to prevent static or differential currents on the gas pipe.
although it will also atract lighting IMO!

[petehall347]

it should be safer to have it gone then its safer in case of a broken PEN so long as there is a PME in place

[CapLeaker]

stj
Huh? They ripping out the old gas line replacing with new poly and are they going to fix the grounds too or is this going to be on your pocket book? I mean that is kind of dangerous if someone disconnects your earth ground from your power entrance and nobody tells you anything!?

[stj]

and with perfect timing for this thread,
i just got a letter through the door,
some contracter is spending the next 2 months ripping out the Iron gas line along my street and replacing it with a poly one.
how ironic that another contracter last year came round and earth-bonded the gas line that now wont be conductive! - assholes.

[CapLeaker]

I have wanted to use a DC clamp on meter to measure current above 5 amps and I had bought years ago when I worked for the metal company and it lasted for a couple of years of use but one day I tried to use it and it was not working properly anymore so
I basically used it to see how much current the electric magnet lifting device was using to determine weather or not it was functioning properly and how good the battery was in it
I also used on semi trucks to determine weather or not the alternator was functioning properly or not and what the starting current was too determined if there was an issue with the battery or the starter

I have been reluctant to buy another one but getting into using high current capacity battery cells
I also plan on getting some solar panels used ones if I can find a good source for them or news ones if not

I going to need one again


How low of current can it read accurately the Fluke 376FC

What model Fluke meter do you use for your solar panels system to measure current with

How low can the Extech read low current which model are we talking about here and how many years of use and how often do you use it

Thanks for your reply

Look at an Extech 380942 or 380950, but they only do 30A or 80A and go down to 1mA resolution AC and DC. The Fluke 376 is a differ t beast and depending on how you use it it does 1000A or 2500A using a accessory with a resolution of 100mA. It all depends on what you want to do. I have the small Extech with the little jaw for the bench. I use the big Fluke 393FC for solar array, GTI, ground fault, electric motor, isolation fault repairs along with a Fluke 1587. The Fluke 393FC can do a few things the 376 cannot do. as for accuracy, them are about 2 percent or so.However IF you need to get more exact than get it with a calibration certificate. Now for me there are some meters and other tools that I send in every year for recalibration as it is a requirement. I know some of the crap is expensive, but it really depends on what level of repair you carrying out. If it's just hobby wise, look at Extech, Reed etc. Reed stuff is pretty cheap compared to the other name brands, but you can also get it with a calibration certificate!

[sam_sam_sam]

All depends on for what are you diagnose

I have wanted to use a DC clamp on meter to measure current above 5 amps and I had bought years ago when I worked for the metal company and it lasted for a couple of years of use but one day I tried to use it and it was not working properly anymore so
I basically used it to see how much current the electric magnet lifting device was using to determine weather or not it was functioning properly and how good the battery was in it
I also used on semi trucks to determine weather or not the alternator was functioning properly or not and what the starting current was too determined if there was an issue with the battery or the starter

I have been reluctant to buy another one but getting into using high current capacity battery cells
I also plan on getting some solar panels used ones if I can find a good source for them or news ones if not

I going to need one again


How low of current can it read accurately the Fluke 376FC

What model Fluke meter do you use for your solar panels system to measure current with

How low can the Extech read low current which model are we talking about here and how many years of use and how often do you use it

Thanks for your reply

from what i have read there aren't any dc clamp meters that are accurate at low currents ,

[CapLeaker]

from what i have read there aren't any dc clamp meters that are accurate at low currents ,

Yes and no. While current clamps aren't the best way measuring low current accurately, some with a small jaw are better than a big one. I've got 2 current clamps. One is a normal one that has a big jaw (Fluke) for my solar panels. The second one has a very small jaw (the round hole is just as big I can put my pinky finger through) to read lower current with higher count read out (Extech) all depends on for what are you diagnose