earth leakage tripping

[AndyD]

I have one and I use it as a backup tester. It works well and does what it's supposed to. I also have one of these which is the same as this one (rebranded) which is on the Test Meter website. I actually have 2 of them because they were on a offer for <£60 when I bought them.

I use the di-log one for everyday use because I prefer it, it seems to have a higher sample rate which gives better results when using the 'peak hold' feature but it's swings and roundabouts because the Kew tester has a larger diameter clamp which is handy because you often need to clamp two wires simultaneously.

Another tester I have that can measure down to 1mA accurately is this one. I like Chauvin Arnoux testers a lot, as a brand I hold them in high regard. It's not marketed as an earth leakage clamp meter but it's ability to maesure 1mA makes it a contender anyway and there's lots of advantages with this one, firstly it uses a flexible clamp that unclips entirely at one end so it's easy to thread it around the wires you need even if they're inaccessible. Secondly it's RMS and it's got good accuracy. Thirdly it's a 45mm clamp so it's bigger than most earth leakage clamps and there's also a version of the same tester available for an extra hundred bucks that has a massive 70mm flexible clamp. Finally it's available at a good price from RS Components who'll deliver to your door in SA so you don't have to worry about customs and excise whacking you with import tax etc and you don't need to persuade a buddy to smuggle it over for you in his underwear when he's coming here on holiday from the UK .

[ACEsterhuizen]

Thanks Andy, bought and delivered this one. It is surprising small, i mean tiny :-). Now to figure out the correct way to use it, the instruction manual's english is french to me. :-)

I clamp around live and neutral at bottom of earth leakage. In theory it should read 0 amps if there is no leak somewhere? So it will show the sum of all leaks in the system under the RCD, thus if it shows a leak i can start eliminating circuits to find the culprit?