Electrician troubleshooting tools

Fixing electrical problems and even tracing circuit breakers involves the use of basic tools. You can, for example, check for proper voltage at each circuit component and even the condition of components and connections using functions found on tools like an Amprobe multimeter. It helps to be equipped to troubleshoot electrical problems. To make this less painful, you should have the following tools:.

Here is a recommended step-by-step troubleshooting method you can use to isolate and fix electrical problems near any home appliance problems using just a digital multimeter DMM and some basic tools:. Believe it or not, some problems start at the source. Always ensure you have the proper AC voltage coming to an outlet or power supply.

If required, select a range greater than the voltage you expect to measure greater than volts. An auto-ranging meter automatically selects the most appropriate range for you. Next, connect the test leads red and black to the Voltage V and Common C ports on the meter. The black probe goes into the other vertical slot of the receptacle or the Ground slot. The meter should read between and volts. The power cord from the appliance usually terminates with three wires: black, white, and green.

If you measure no voltage at the outlet, check to make sure the circuit breaker or switch controlling the receptacle is ON. Also, make sure the probes are sufficiently inserted into the receptacle. You may need to angle them or move them around to be sure. If you DO detect voltage at the receptacle, you could have a problem in the power cord.

That will be your next test. Be sure to shut off the power before searching for broken neutral wires. Over time, and sometimes through accidents or flexing, the internal conductor in the power cord can break while appearing perfectly normal on the outside. To check a power cord, first disconnect it from the outlet.

For this next part, you will need to gain access to the internal connections on your appliance. Never test any wires on an appliance still connected to an outlet! The flat, narrow blade on the plug should be connected to the black wire. The flat, wide blade goes to the white wire. The round pin connects to the green wire.

A good power cord will have less than one ohm of resistance from the plug to the end of each wire. Anything higher than one ohm may indicate a cord that is starting to break down and could become overheated when in use. Sometimes a low or high current draw indicates a motor problem. Current draw is measured by using a clamp accessory attached to your multimeter, or by using a clamp meter. To make a current measurement, either connect the clamp accessory or grab the clamp meter. Accessories connect to the current jack and common jack of the multimeter.

Clamp the jaw around one conductor wire of the circuit to be measured. Be careful not to clamp the jaw around both conductors, this will cancel the signal, showing zero current. Tech Note: The current clamp acts as a step-down transformer, taking the higher current consumed by the appliance and transferring it to a much smaller current usually to 1 which the digital multimeter can handle.

To make a current measurement with a clamp meter, select the AC current function and clamp the jaws around one conductor. Dirt Auger System. Cable Bits - Flexible Installer Bits. Copper Wire Stripper. Wire Stripper. Spin-Twist Wire Connector Socket. Magnetic Tape Measure. Faster than Knockout Punches!

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