Using an Electrical Meter to Troubleshoot Wiring Problems

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25 Comments

  1. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 7:52 | Permalink

    i am buying a multimeter FLUKE,, what will be the best for my money to
    buy,, CLAMP OR MULTIMETER? anyone which one would you recommend ? i am
    pursuing a career as an ELECTRICIAN,,, fluke have lots of models? but i am
    undecided which one will be worth it.. for the kind of work for me… i
    would like a clamp to measure on a electrical panel, but also i like those
    multimeter?suggestions please? and i want to spend nearly $200dls or
    less,,,,,,thank you and TERRY THANKS FOR THIS GREAT VIDEO,,, its worth
    watching it.. very fascinating and useful

  2. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 8:08 | Permalink

    ortizmacias1970
    First, TURN OFF THE BREAKER to cut electricity to the path. Continuity
    is mostly used for three-way switches to find travelers (travel through the
    walls, thus the name). To test that, go to ONE of the wall switches and
    take off the cover plate and pull the switch out of the junction box and
    you’ll see the three wires. One is the common/hot (usually black and
    attached to the BLACK screw of the switch) and the other two are the
    travelers and are connected to the gold screws. You would twist together
    those two (assume they’re connected properly). Now, go to the next switch
    (which can be anywhere in the house, but is usually at the other end of the
    hallway scheming the same light as the first switch) and take apart all
    the three wires. (If wired correctly, the BLACK screw will have the
    common/hot wire running to the light or from the path box, the gold
    screw wires will be the travelers, but it can get messed up as it did in my
    house.) One will be the hot/common, the other two are the other ends of the
    travelers from the first switch that you twisted together. But make believe
    you don’t know which is which. With your multimeter set to the HORN icon
    (which beeps when continuity is found), touch two wires at a time with the
    ends of the multimeter probe. There are only three combinations to test.
    When you get a beep, those two you’re touching are the travelers and the
    remaining wire is the hot/common. Attach that third wire to the BLACK
    screw, and the other two to the GOLD screws (doesn’t matter which of the
    two wires goes to which gold screw, they’re interchangeable; just don’t place
    a traveler to the BLACK screw). That’s how I test for continuity with my
    multimeter.

  3. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 8:45 | Permalink

    How do you test continuity if point A is 10 feet from point B? I will
    appreciate very much if you will make a video on testing it on a electrical
    box like this video thanks. By the way very nice video!
    

  4. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 9:20 | Permalink

    quick q$a terry when pulling wire through a junction box to a panel if
    there are no joints just quick through do you ground that box or just
    pass through it and not ground it thanks terry

  5. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 10:12 | Permalink

    :D k cya!

  6. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 10:13 | Permalink

    This is called a “switch leg drop”. If this is a WTF moment for you, then
    you need to do some more research.

  7. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 10:33 | Permalink

    Fantastic stuff Terry. I have been looking on the net for a detailed video on
    the “IDEAL Analog Multimeter Vessel Tester”. Very few videos on this
    item. The 6 different combinations can be confusing on what they really
    mean. Open hot, Open ground, open neutral, reversed…etc. Just a
    suggestion for a new video for you. If you could make the scenario’s and
    clarify how the tester works and what it really means…. that would be
    an awesome vid. Thanks for all your hard work!

  8. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 10:42 | Permalink

    Thank for putting the time in to make this video, Terry! Very helpful
    getting to see a walkthrough.

  9. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 10:53 | Permalink

    the fuck are you talking about you can die from 120v you must have never
    got stuck or had it go across your chest fool.

  10. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 10:56 | Permalink

    I meant “light” fixture,”

  11. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 11:33 | Permalink

    excellent stuff! stay safe Sparky!

  12. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 12:30 | Permalink

    its the amps that kill you not the volts you can have high amps on a 120v
    path and it will kill you

  13. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 13:26 | Permalink

    its all down to the load on the path ie amps…. i got a couple of 230
    raps.. im subdue here lol.. we work on 230 in ireland..

  14. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 13:30 | Permalink

    I have knob and tube wiring should it be replace?

  15. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 13:57 | Permalink

    Fantastic suggestion. Will do!

  16. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 14:17 | Permalink

    i guess is informative but i have no sound

  17. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 15:11 | Permalink

    A Swede in Canada?

  18. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 15:47 | Permalink

    thanks a lot.. the resistance test is a fantastic tip..

  19. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 16:03 | Permalink

    At 8:35, you forgot to say that you have now twisted the power off again. If
    someone were to do what you did there without first turning off the power
    again, that person would be in for a really huge zap! Your hands were all
    over the place on most of the wires there. I reckon you should stress the
    importance of protection a small bit more in future videos. Excellent video
    otherwise, thanks for posting.

  20. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 17:01 | Permalink

    go grab a 120 then go grab a ground :] are you subdue alive?

  21. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 17:32 | Permalink

    tell that to cops with tasers

  22. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 18:20 | Permalink

    This video rocks!! I found my switch leg doing the ohms test!

  23. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 18:58 | Permalink

    Is solar power realy worth it?for commercial bkdg?

  24. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 19:29 | Permalink

    People… Don’t use white wire to run a tie into a hot load!!!! WTF? A
    cut of black tape?

  25. 0
    Posted 04/05/2014 at 19:46 | Permalink

    TERRIBLE video. Don’t do what this guy is doing. You’ll risk getting a
    shock or you’ll kill yourself or place something together that could kill you
    or someone else anywhere in the building. The checks he did were simply
    incorrect — he has not established which wire is energized (capable of
    killing) and which wire is neutral or grounded (safe.) Without knowing the
    state of the path, the switch, the supply, the surf, it’s all too
    simple to be mistaken about what’s an electrically active wire.