In message , John Rumm
writes
Brian Sharrock wrote:

A useful DIY adjunct to a clamp meter is a shortish plug and socket
extension cord. One can then clamp between the plug and the socket
(which obviously feeds the device under test) and see whether current
is flowing. fr'instance switch the heaters ON and see whether the
washing machine's heaters are working. It can save hours/minutes of testing.

Might be worth mentioning that ones special extension lead needs a
length of outer insulation stripped from it so that you can clamp round
the individual wires rather than the whole cable. (otherwise you end up
measuring the sum of the current flowing in and out of the appliance
(hopefully nil!)

Another handy trick is to make a small coil of say ten turns in one of
the wires. Clamp round that and you will read ten times the actual load
- hence adding a decimal place of resolution to your meter.

John, do you mean clamp around the whole coil or through the centre of
it?

--
Si