Looped Cable Check

[Stuart Frost]

Hi. I have been thinking of getting an ev but I have an issue installing a charger because my electricity cable is on a looped supply.

I’m pretty sure that it is active but I wanted to check as I vaguely remember my neighbour having a power issue and I thought they may have unlooped them to fix it.

Is there a safe way to check whether there is any current in the looped cable? Would one of those pen type checkers work for this or are they too vague?

Thanks

Stu

 

[AndyPRK]

Current clamp meter would test it.
Or even an old energy monitor if you have one.

Photo of your supply could help

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284341219157

 

[Taylortwocities]

Ask your DNO

 

[Stuart Frost]

Current clamp meter would test it.
Or even an old energy monitor if you have one.

Photo of your supply could help

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284341219157

I didn't think of that but I do have an old energy meter so may give that a try. Thanks.

 

[plugwash]

A normal current clamp (whether a clamp meter or one of those "energy monitors") is only useful if you can get it around an individual core. It won't read anything (except maybe a small amount of residual current) if it's clamped round a complete cable. Depending on how the wiring is done it may or may not be possible to safely get it around an individual core I would certainly NOT advise removing covers to do so.

There are some expensive meters that claim to be able to measure current in multicore cables, but I suspect even they won't work with concentric or similar cables.

 

[Stuart Frost]

A normal current clamp (whether a clamp meter or one of those "energy monitors") is only useful if you can get it around an individual core. It won't read anything (except maybe a small amount of residual current) if it's clamped round a complete cable. Depending on how the wiring is done it may or may not be possible to safely get it around an individual core I would certainly NOT advise removing covers to do so.

There are some expensive meters that claim to be able to measure current in multicore cables, but I suspect even they won't work with concentric or similar cables.

Ah, that's a disappointment. I can't get around the cores and wouldn't even think of doing so. If it just showed some current that would be good enough to confirm to me that it's live as that is all I need to know. I don't need a measurement.