Had to remove a socket to do a spot of tiling, and found that the earth wire
to a spur socket was not properly connected, probably due to 3 sets of
cables in the box. After tiling I reconnected the earth. Now I would like to
check that the earth has in fact stayed connected. Is there a simple way to
do this for a non-knowledgeable diyer who has a £5.00 Maplins meter?

TIA

On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 22:07:36 +0100, "michael cane"
wrote:

Had to remove a socket to do a spot of tiling, and found that the earth wire
to a spur socket was not properly connected, probably due to 3 sets of
cables in the box. After tiling I reconnected the earth. Now I would like to
check that the earth has in fact stayed connected. Is there a simple way to
do this for a non-knowledgeable diyer who has a £5.00 Maplins meter?

TIA
Go back to Maplins and buy a Socket Tester, about £4-99. It plugs into
the socket, displays LEDs, and tests for more than just earth
connection.

--
Olav Marjasoo
Overlooking the Clyde, West Coast of Scotland

In article ,
Olav Marjasoo wrote:
Go back to Maplins and buy a Socket Tester, about £4-99. It plugs into
the socket, displays LEDs, and tests for more than just earth
connection.

IMHO, this does nothing a DVM won't, although it's quicker.

--
*No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In article ,
michael cane wrote:
Had to remove a socket to do a spot of tiling, and found that the earth
wire to a spur socket was not properly connected, probably due to 3 sets
of cables in the box. After tiling I reconnected the earth. Now I would
like to check that the earth has in fact stayed connected. Is there a
simple way to do this for a non-knowledgeable diyer who has a £5.00
Maplins meter?

Before the days that earth loop resistance meters were common, and things
were protected by re-wirable fuses, I used to put a short from line to
earth then switch on. If it blew the fuse, the earth was ok.

But there are hazards with this approach, so I'm not recommending it
today.

--
*Your kid may be an honours student, but you're still an idiot.

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

Dave Plowman wrote in
:


Before the days that earth loop resistance meters were common, and
things
were protected by re-wirable fuses, I used to put a short from line to
earth then switch on. If it blew the fuse, the earth was ok.

But there are hazards with this approach, so I'm not recommending it
today.

Given that you not only need low resistance, but the ability to take full
fault current, isn't it safer to do this than trust to an ohmeter?

If it blows a 13A fuse in a sshort circuit, surely thats an indication
there's a "prarper" earth.

mike r

Olav Marjasoo wrote:
=

On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 22:07:36 +0100, "michael cane"
wrote:
=

Had to remove a socket to do a spot of tiling, and found that the eart=
h wire
to a spur socket was not properly connected, probably due to 3 sets of=

cables in the box. After tiling I reconnected the earth. Now I would l=
ike to
check that the earth has in fact stayed connected. Is there a simple w=
ay to
do this for a non-knowledgeable diyer who has a =A35.00 Maplins meter?=


TIA
Go back to Maplins and buy a Socket Tester, about =A34-99. It plugs int=
o
the socket, displays LEDs, and tests for more than just earth
connection.
=

Agreed, and to test it better than that would need serious test gear. =


-- =

Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

In article 0,
Mike Ring wrote:
Before the days that earth loop resistance meters were common, and
things
were protected by re-wirable fuses, I used to put a short from line to
earth then switch on. If it blew the fuse, the earth was ok.

But there are hazards with this approach, so I'm not recommending it
today.

Given that you not only need low resistance, but the ability to take
full fault current, isn't it safer to do this than trust to an ohmeter?

If it blows a 13A fuse in a sshort circuit, surely thats an indication
there's a "prarper" earth.

Oh, I used to use a plug with no fuse, and expect the 30 amp ring fuse to
blow.;-)

--
*Pentium wise, pen and paper foolish *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn