Earth leakage measurement

[hoover]

Would someone please remind me how I can do this again? I know if I clamp the neutral only it will give me a reading stating how out of balance the phases are but do I clamp neutral and earth together at the same time to obtain earth leakage current?

 

[tony mc]

Clamp both line and neutral together to measure earth leakage with the correct clap meter.

That should of been clamp sorry.

 

[hoover]

I've got an ordinary fluke clamp meter wouldn't that do or is there a special earth leakage clamp meter available?

 

[telectrix]

it's a special. like a low ohms meter, it reads in mA, not A.

 

[i=p/u]

can you touch the terminals of line and neutral with probes what setting would you choose??? i think no, but go on smack me baby

 

[hoover]

can you touch the terminals of line and neutral with probes what setting would you choose??? i think no, but go on smack me baby

What do you mean?

 

[i=p/u]

they said use a special meter(earth leakage tester) as uses mA, but testers i used at collage you can set to mA and Amp so could you just use this multimeter and use probes on terminals, instead of clamp

 

[Engineer54]

I've got an ordinary fluke clamp meter wouldn't that do or is there a special earth leakage clamp meter available?

Here Hoover take a look at this unit, about the cheapest i have found available in UK so far.....
Dilog DL6507 10uA to 60A AC Leakage Clamp meter. Buy online or call

ALL electricians should now own such a leakage meter, now that RCD devices are required for virtually all circuits in domestic installations, and generally so widespread

 

[i=p/u]

so your talking a multifuction tester i.e megger 1553 plus earth leakage tester anymore i should know about?????????

 

[topquark]

can you touch the terminals of line and neutral with probes what setting would you choose??? i think no, but go on smack me baby

That'll be a no then! You measure the earth leakage on the cpc with a clamp meter.

 

[i=p/u]

so just ac setting on a normal clamp meter on earth conductor, so the leakage tester is just another toy

 

[Engineer54]

so just ac setting on a normal clamp meter on earth conductor, so the leakage tester is just another toy

A Toy???? .....I suppose so, but only to those that don't understand what there measuring or how there measuring a mA leakage current....

 

[telectrix]

god give me strength. a normal clamp meter will not measure the small ( mA ) current you need to measure. be like using a sledgehammer to tap mini trunking lid on

 

[i=p/u]

ok i get it now,

 

[Engineer54]

And don't go thinking that a ''Ramp Test'' is going to tell you what leakage there is in the circuit, ...It can't and it won't ...lol!!!

 

[ringer]

Meters that measure current using probes on leads require you to break the circuit and put the meter across the break. The meter will then be in series with the circuit being measured. This is usually very awkward if not impossible unless you are in lab conditions, hence the popularity of clamp meters for measuring current in everyday situations.

 

[i=p/u]

so do you all have earth leakage tester, how much

 

[telectrix]

about £100 + vat. but if you do a lot of fault finding one of these is a must. i'm saving up. if anyone's got one going cheap second hand, i want one!!!

 

[i=p/u]

if you would just go do a days graft telectrix u could have ten , cause you do live electricity

 

[ringer]

if you would just go do a days graft telectrix u could have ten , cause you do live electricity

Have you been smoking something you shouldn't have, i=p/u?

 

[telectrix]

not much work on at the moment mate, bad time of year anyway. going to have to do some leaflets methinks.

 

[Engineer54]

so do you all have earth leakage tester, how much

Check out the link in my post (Post*8) on this thread. This is about the cheapest unit i've found available so far....

 

[i=p/u]

aye serious, get it going telectricx il come work for you in 2 years time , be no slackin then

and il have look at post 8 now engineer thanks hunni

 

[i=p/u]

another 99 quid to get from somewhere, how do you deal with earth leakage,, examples domestic/comericial

 

[topquark]

so just ac setting on a normal clamp meter on earth conductor, so the leakage tester is just another toy

A "normal" clamp meter will probably not have a fine enough resolution for earth leakage. If you think about what you're measuring it's usually the amount of current necessary to make a rcd/rcbo trip (very often around the 2x milliamp area ... even though they're rated at 30ma most will trip less than that). Remember right tool for the right job.

 

[telectrix]

my 1 gallon whisky bottle needs a lot more coinsin it to buy another meter. just booked my 1552 in for calibration, thats £57.50.

 

[topquark]

You could probably do the calibration check yourself telectrix. Once it's been done get yourself a set of resistors appropriate values for your meter and use them as a benchmark for your calibrated meter. You can then check the readings on the meter against your benchmark. You will still need to send it in to get it adjusted (and will of course need to keep the necessary records) but only if it needs adjusting.

Oh you'll need to keep the records of the check as well of course.

 

[telectrix]

yeah, i gojng to get one of those calcards. the 1552 was bought out of calibration, but checked it against a mate's calibrated mft and the readfings were nearly all identical. got assess ment coming up soon though, so got to get a cert.