wander lead for fluke 2 pole tester

[Harry Bloomfield]

come on @Harry Bloomfield it's only simple if you know it pal! Not all of us on this DIY forum are seasoned pros like you
This method has been appreciably simpler for me to comprehend and following in comparison to using the earth cable.

I think the point is that if you are struggling to follow and understand such a basic concept as this, then should you really be messing about with wiring at all?

[EDIT] John I wrote that, whilst you were responding. It does seem we have similar concerns about the OP's ability and safety.

 

[JohnW2]

Would the croc clip pinch on to the probe and risk damage? I was after something that I can apply the probe to - on this end. Thanks for your patience.

I think that you are 'overthinking' this and worrying about non-problems. There isn't really any significant risk of a small crock clip damaging the probe (just as a crock clip would, in general, not damage anything it was clipped onto), but if you are worried, you could connect the wire (e.g. with nut, bolt and washers) to anything metal and then touch the probe onto that. Personally, I would probably just use a crock clip.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Jupiter01]

I think that you are 'overthinking' this and worrying about non-problems. There isn't really any significant risk of a small crock clip damaging the probe (just as a crock clip would, in general, not damage anything it was clipped onto), but if you are worried, you could connect the wire (e.g. with nut, bolt and washers) to anything metal and then touch the probe onto that. Personally, I would probably just use a crock clip.

Kind Regards, John

Roger that!
Thanks again

 

[JohnW2]

I think the point is that if you are struggling to follow and understand such a basic concept as this, then should you really be messing about with wiring at all? [EDIT] John I wrote that, whilst you were responding. It does seem we have similar concerns about the OP's ability and safety.

Whilst he obviously has limited knowledge, I don't think he has difficulty in understanding when things are explained carefully. I'm far less concerned about 'safety', since his thinking/approach seems to be ultra-cautious - even to the extent of fearing that crock clips might damage his tester.

As someone said, I'm sure that there are some (maybe many) electricians (and certainly 'electricians') who would have difficulty getting their head around the concept (and/or 'acceptability') of using an installation's earthing system for continuity testing, and that there would be at least some who, for various reasons, would not consider doing that.

Having said all that, one caveat is that, as far as I can make out, we do not know what 'long-distance continuity testing' the OP plans to do, and why, and how he is going to interpret (and maybe act upon) his findings. However, again, I strongly suspect that he will continue to be 'ultra cautious'.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Having said all that, one caveat is that, as far as I can make out, we do not know what 'long-distance continuity testing' the OP plans to do, and why, and how he is going to interpret (and maybe act upon) his findings. However, again, I strongly suspect that he will continue to be 'ultra cautious'.

I interpreted (I think accurately) the OP as he having a need to check the continuity of mains cables around his home and his having bought a continuity gadget to do that. What concerns me is that he might be attempting to do this, yet seems to have so little knowledge of even the very basics - as later became so very obvious to me. If the OP understands so little about the basics - then his messing about with potentially live cables raises concerns.

 

[Jupiter01]

I interpreted (I think accurately) the OP as he having a need to check the continuity of mains cables around his home and his having bought a continuity gadget to do that. What concerns me is that he might be attempting to do this, yet seems to have so little knowledge of even the very basics - as later became so very obvious to me. If the OP understands so little about the basics - then his messing about with potentially live cables raises concerns.

You still seem upset with me not taking up your earth cable method. Come on pal, your reminding me of my 8 year old. There’s no need to be so patronising.

I value your responses on this forum and you’ve helped me many times. I humbly suggest to you that I am actually a competent diy’er and yes that includes electrics. I have been punching above my weight with what I have done with electrics. So much of it can be credited to the input from this forum.

Please don’t interpret my tendency to ask questions and quest to understand techniques as incompetence.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I value your responses on this forum and you’ve helped me many times. I humbly suggest to you that I am actually a competent diy’er and yes that includes electrics.

That is the crux of the issue, as I see it - you are claiming to be competent in electrics, yet you had a need to ask how you could extend the probe on a continuity tester - claimed competence and the need to ask such a basic question simply do not sit well with me.

No I am not upset in the slightest that you failed to use the earth method to extend your probe, that was more a discussion about testing methodology between myself and John, as a quick way to identify wires. Ignoring my suggestion to use the earth would certainly have been appropriate, on an incomplete 2nd fixed installation. Rather it raised my concerns when you also struggled with the concept of using the 26m extension.

 

[SUNRAY]

Whilst he obviously has limited knowledge, I don't think he has difficulty in understanding when things are explained carefully. I'm far less concerned about 'safety', since his thinking/approach seems to be ultra-cautious - even to the extent of fearing that crock clips might damage his tester.

As someone said, I'm sure that there are some (maybe many) electricians (and certainly 'electricians') who would have difficulty getting their head around the concept (and/or 'acceptability') of using an installation's earthing system for continuity testing, and that there would be at least some who, for various reasons, would not consider doing that.

Having said all that, one caveat is that, as far as I can make out, we do not know what 'long-distance continuity testing' the OP plans to do, and why, and how he is going to interpret (and maybe act upon) his findings. However, again, I strongly suspect that he will continue to be 'ultra cautious'.

Kind Regards, John

Quite frankly I stopped posting to prevent 'too many cooks...'.

I'll hapily offer my opinion that , the last thing J01 needs (as a novice - my opinion based on the level of questioning and ideas) is conflicting advice especially as one side (which is perfectly accurate) confuses the hell out of far too many long time served electricians who stand absolutely no chance of ever understanding it.

I'll repeat it has been one of my very common/regular techniques for a long time but on far to many occasions I've had to run the 'wander lead' (something I've never thought to carry, or even equip myself with) because the person allocated to help (but sometimes the boot is on the others foot and it's me sent to help them out) is incapable of understanding/following instruction and even worse they are usually the 'fully qualified electrician'.

 

[Jupiter01]

yet you had a need to ask how you could extend the probe on a continuity tester

Think your being too judgmental. I was just wondering if there was a device where I could push the other end of the meter probe into. Something like this and I appreciate this is not intended for this.


I don’t want to get into a back and forth with you @Harry Bloomfield. As I said, you have helped me on multiple occasions.

 

[SUNRAY]

Think your being too judgmental. I was just wondering if there was a device where I could push the other end of the meter probe into. Something like this and I appreciate this is not intended for this.
View attachment 248061

I don’t want to get into a back and forth with you @Harry Bloomfield. As I said, you have helped me on multiple occasions.

Not knowing your particular product but you've shown a product with 4mm banana sockets, do you require something like this:
https://www.cricklewoodelectronics....hFCLnUXGCilWmq0WZC-821zZMi2EhjDhoCkJgQAvD_BwE
Or this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/7004962829?iid=282564788134
If that is what you're intending, I think I'd stick with the suggestion of a croc clip. That way it wouldn't matter which way round the wander lead is.

Commercially produced wander leads tend to have a safety 4mm plug each end, for example;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/11429270...001&customid=6db9c97355d09ad9750b9b9762f3cb74
Or on a cable reel with a 4mm safety socket:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114394133708?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=1110002&algo=SPLICE.SOI&ao=1&asc=234475&meid=3068cf2288db4305b26b0d21da2cfa78&pid=101196&rk=1&rkt=11&sd=114292704448&itm=114394133708&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=PromotedSellersOtherItemsV2WithMLRv3&_trksid=p2047675.c101196.m2219&amdata=cksum:1143941337083068cf2288db4305b26b0d21da2cfa78|enc:AQAGAAACAHgfVxty6Q284vPOsf2c1ugnZvWy0hlRLzQUT7d%2BekNUVTxScVwGOzvYXBiMFgGVUq5hibTbhKOzpH0EtlWlZ6mXMRXxw%2FZh1dP1QK%2Fmfn6jZLwqHeG8yvT2rpq1tQF%2FhhNolLjaz1LYjco2jziUEDrCNY7FWEt66hyjHGRCk3VUE1b956FjB6brg2kRWmSajQSmlanEaG1qeBsNgsIYTASD%2BMN8g8Wo2%2FZds3utzdD9420%2FuUSZZvgYBu473DesFod0TDXmkx2Bq9wFhemAEydlsczUsPQRX8XmK1ns5rkE4LbJOA7hXpfSTR%2F1pJSva7DUKyIxal8LEBAItdZoROhn1%2Fm4PBg2CQnkVpq82ZvfkA3ompM5BwlXKOvC34aFcbMlCZ6AAjHY2GOs7mJ3WIqy%2FCzk4zMMwsCJvyVdWM%2B1FRr6V3zJi3YPUXVa7hHtNFhV1s4B97rmmIsorXWtGXSZ47oNt41AxnF5fxgljw7UB1Hiu7kV%2FbglLC9rkaNKD85feXB4FFHdPqEyaYS3XbjGg7rugVE7EI%2B61luoAo69jbG%2FD0BboROyRxbtK2GLxGbd%2FiOrkjDy3xqjNNTQ5nSFjBZxWu%2FaewHFYliUMYgQwxXj7sKEMC8YZy4K%2Bt7GrMUOlSbmgaF75LwBosC%2BaVIDO9g0alunZ%2Bo6LMsdwzjP|ampidL_CLK|clp:2047675

 

[JohnW2]

I interpreted (I think accurately) the OP as he having a need to check the continuity of mains cables around his home and his having bought a continuity gadget to do that.

As you say, that much is pretty obvious.

What concerns me is that he might be attempting to do this, yet seems to have so little knowledge of even the very basics - as later became so very obvious to me.

As I said in my 'caveat', we do not know the 'which' or 'why' of the OP's cable tracing exercises, nor how he will interpret or act upon whatever he finds.

If the OP understands so little about the basics - then his messing about with potentially live cables raises concerns.

As I've also said, I am probably (in this particular case) less concerned about that than you appear to be, since I would be very surprised if he does not continue to apply his seemingly ultra-cautious approach to everything he does.

It is, after all, not as if he was not already doing 'continuity testing'. He said that he had, had "been using an old cable as his wander lead" and was asking if there was a 'less messy' way than that.|

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Think your being too judgmental. I was just wondering if there was a device where I could push the other end of the meter probe into. Something like this and I appreciate this is not intended for this.
View attachment 248061

No, that is intended to be connected to a three phase plug, for three phase testing a quick means to make a connection to carry out tests on a supply. Do you have a three phase supply? Even supposing you had, it would be of absolutely no use to you for continuity testing.

 

[JohnW2]

... I'll hapily offer my opinion that , the last thing J01 needs (as a novice - my opinion based on the level of questioning and ideas) is conflicting advice especially as one side (which is perfectly accurate) confuses the hell out of far too many long time served electricians who stand absolutely no chance of ever understanding it.

That's precisely the basis of the approach I've been taking. As I've said, the reason I haven't been advocating 'the other approach' is not that I would never use it myself but, as we have both said, because it is not 'as easily understood' and hence, as you put it "the last thing J01 needs".

I'll repeat it has been one of my very common/regular techniques for a long time ...

I think one of the issues is that it depends upon 'who one is and what one does'. "Cable tracing" is not part of the routine testing of an electrical installation or of work undertaken on an installation as regularly undertaken by electricians, and hence, for example, is not (to the best of my knowledge) mentioned in things such as GN3 (and may not even be taught on 'inspection and testing courses'). I am therefore not surprised that a good few practising electricians are unfamiliar with the activity and, should they find themselves having to do it, would be most comfortable utilising a 'simple and obvious' approach.

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

No, that is intended to be connected to a three phase plug, for three phase testing a quick means to make a connection to carry out tests on a supply. Do you have a three phase supply? Even supposing you had, it would be of absolutely no use to you for continuity testing.

...Something like this and I appreciate this is not intended for this.
View attachment 248061.

 

[JohnW2]

Think your being too judgmental. I was just wondering if there was a device where I could push the other end of the meter probe into. Something like this ...

As has been said, there are any number of things around into which you could 'push the other end of the meter probe', but those actually sold as 'meter lead extensions' (which could easily be adapted to your purpose, if they had the 'right size' connectors) will generally have 4mm male/female connectors (i.e. pugs/sockets) on the ends.

What exactly are the dimensions of your 'meter probe' (and/or what model of Fluke tester is it)?

Kind Regards, John