Faulty electrics

[OwainDIYer]

Buy a multimeter if you want to do some actual testing.

A multimeter, although essential elsewhere, is not the ideal tool to check mains wiring. They are too high impedance and can give false readings due to inductive or capacitive coupling.

You really need something like this in addition.
http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fa...nd-continuity-tester/82617/kw/85-3533[/QUOTE]

Much better than a multimeter - far more robust and less likely to give a false reading becuase it was switched to the wrong range etc.

And when testing for live -

- test the tester
- test the circuit
- test the tester again

 

[ban-all-sheds]

This looks ideal for a household starter set - multimeter, voltage indicator and dedicated continuity tester, all in a handy case: http://www.amprobe.eu/de_DE/showproduct/115/Junior-Set/

PDF brochure: http://www.amprobe.eu/de_DE/downloadfile/115/beschreibung_1/

All in German, unfortunately, as is the blurb on each product:

Multimeter: http://www.amprobe.eu/de_DE/showproductdata/487/Hexagon_55/

Voltage indicator: http://www.amprobe.eu/de_DE/showproduct/116/2000_α_(alpha)/

Continuity tester: http://www.amprobe.eu/de_DE/showproduct/481/TESTFIX/

but it is sold in the UK - the company is now owned by Fluke, and I guess they haven't got all the websites sorted out yet - contact them (http://www.fluke.co.uk) for info on where to buy.

Right now the English specs are still lurking on the Internet Time Machine from when Beha was an independent company:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060920022629/http://www.beha.com/files_uk/multimeter/93549.pdf


Also see another discussion here: http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26282