Electrical Test Equipment Every Electrician Should Know

It’s an electricians job to be able to identify what’s going on in an electrical circuit, and sometimes this can be a difficult task. Having a firm knowledge of how to use various pieces of electrical test equipment can be the difference in solving a problem and making a guess. In this episode, I cover all of the pieces of test equipment I believe an electrician should know how to use. 🤘⚡️EU Learning System⚡️🤘 For Individuals --- https://electricianu.com/learning-sys... For Businesses --- https://electricianu.com/learning-sys... -Video courses on every side of the electrical trade (theory, code, safety, wiring, install, troubleshooting, leadership, and more) -Practice exams for 2017, 2020, 2023 code -YouTube videos categorized and searchable -Audio lessons -Forum -Business version has admin portal and ability to assign learning to technicians and monitor progress -Any business size from 2 techs to 2,000! 🎓💡CONTINUING EDUCATION💡🎓 Sign up here --- https://electricianu.com/continuing-e... -State Approved -Video Based ✍📝PRACTICE EXAMS📝✍ Get them here --- https://www.electricianu.com/electric... -2017, 2020, and 2023 NEC versions -Online Residential Wireman Exam -Online Journeyman Exam -Online Master Exam -300 Question Online Code Cannon (not license specific, all code) -Take as many times as you want -All of the above come with printable PDFs 🎤🎧PODCAST🎧🎤 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ldCwdx... Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 📱👍SOCIALS👍📱 TikTok -   / electricianu   Instagram -   / electrician_u   Facebook -   / theelectricianu   Reddit -   / electricianu   Rumble - https://rumble.com/c/ElectricianU Discord -   / discord   🎧🎹Music, Editing, and Videography by Drake Descant and Rob LeBlanc🎹🎧 SPONSOR ROGERS - http://www.rogersservices.com #electrician #electrical #electricity 1 Basic Multimeter/Tester For starters this is not “technically” a multi-meter. Fluke calls it a tester, but most of us in the field still call it a multi-meter, so for the sake of this article I’m going to continue calling it a multi-meter. It has multiple functions, which is why we call it a “multi-meter.” It can read voltage, amperage, resistance, and continuity. This Fluke T5-600 fits in your back pocket, has detachable leads that can be snapped into the tool, or used hands-free, and a backlit LED display. This model is one of the most used testers on the market, and because of its rigidity and reliability will continue to be so for quite some time. 2 Clamp-on Ammeter The clamp-on ammeter is similar to a standard tester or multimeter with the addition of a clamp/jaw that reads amperage on large diameter conductors. What the clamp provides is the ability to measure larger size wires for use on feeders and service-entrance conductors. In addition to measuring amperage, this tester also allows you to read voltage, resistance, continuity, and capacitance. 3 Pocket Voltage Tester The pocket tester is for quick and convenient AC/DC voltage testing. It’s not a high-dollar, 100-feature tester but it does allow you to test if power is present in a circuit. It fits easily in your pocket, so I personally keep one of these on me everywhere I go. This tester can test ranges from 0 - 240v AC and 0 - 17v DC making it extremely versatile as most electricians work in both of these ranges, most often. Do not try using this meter on 480-volt systems as it is only rated for up to 240v max. 4 Tick Tracer First things first - DO NOT USE THIS AS A REPLACEMENT FOR A MULTIMETER. Always double check with a multimeter before touching a wire. What the tick tracer is used for is testing for the presence of power. If you’re unsure whether or not there is power on a conductor or not, you can use this tick-tracer to tell you that. It doesn’t tell you anything beyond that. Some of these are auto-ranging so they’ll tell you if you have low voltage or line voltage present - but again….ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK WITH A MULTIMETER BEFORE STICKING YOUR HANDS ON A WIRE! his tool is battery powered so make sure you always have an extra set just in case yours are low. If you are going to use this tool, know that it uses capacitive coupling so it’s not sensing true “power” meaning it’s possible for you to get readings that make no sense. Not the most reliable tool in your belt however it is good for quick diagnosis when checked afterward with an actual multi-meter.