fault finder

[westside]

hi people,
My boiler was not working ,so when engeneers came out and checked fuse, the boiler when switched kept blowing fuses.
So another electrician came out and done a test on wiring from boiler point. Straight away he found the problem and exactly were it was by using a gadget for fault finding. It was a nail that had gone through two wires up stairs.
DOES anyone know what he was using and can you by them?.
(by the way ,ididn`t put the nail through as only just moved in). TRUE

 

[bathjobby]

Well, you were there, we weren't, so no.

 

[breezer]

could have been a variety of things.

i.e "megger" (insulation resistance tester) or digital multimeter

you can get a meter from maplins

 

[plugwash]

that wouldn't tell you exactly where the fault was though.

i belive there exists kit that can find where along the length of a cable a fault is by measuring its RF response but i doubt it comes cheap.

could also measure the resistance through the fault path with a low ohms meter. if you did it from one end it would only work if the fault really was dead short. from both ends you could work things out a bit better with some resistance in the fault itself but this method still wouldn't work if the fault had a high resistance.

 

[breezer]

Agreed it wouldn't tell where the fault is, but i have yet to see a gadget that says "there is a nail in the wall over there"

I also doubt the electricain had a device such as you mention, i must admit they do exist, BT use them, and years ago the cctv guys on the same site as me, knew they had a short, the resident sparks had such a meter as you describe, they connected it and told them how far away the short was.

I should suppose the electricain used nothing more than a meter and intuition, which to the unkowing is clever, but everyone working with electrical wiring etc should have a meter

 

[nstreet]

Got one last week, brilliant!!

 

[breezer]

i would get that recalibrated, it is off and still thinks there is a nail

 

[pdcelec]

.

i belive there exists kit that can find where along the length of a cable a fault is by measuring its RF response but i doubt it comes cheap.

ballistic galvonometer

 

[westside]

thanks for replies,
sorry guys, he guess was it was a nail, but his what ever multimeter it was directed him right to the spot under the floorboard.
just wondered what type of multi it was and how much?

 

[breezer]

any decent multi meter will be ok for what you want, cost, well lets see........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

i am still thinking....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


it really depends on which one you get, read my earlier post

 

[ebee]

hi people,
My boiler was not working ,so when engeneers came out and checked fuse, the boiler when switched kept blowing fuses.
So another electrician came out and done a test on wiring from boiler point. Straight away he found the problem and exactly were it was by using a gadget for fault finding. It was a nail that had gone through two wires up stairs.
DOES anyone know what he was using and can you by them?.
(by the way ,ididn`t put the nail through as only just moved in). TRUE

Was it the same bloke who put the nail in in the first place?
and that would be why he knew where it was