Why The Clamp Meter Is The Only Tester You Need | Pros and DIYers

39 thoughts on “Why The Clamp Meter Is The Only Tester You Need | Pros and DIYers”

• How do you measure THD

• I subscribed because the description of use is easy to understand

• I would add that I would not use Klein clamp meters for any serious DIY'er. Compared to Fluke, Ideal, even Southwire they have very bad lead connections that frequently work themselves loose. I have a Klein CL445 and while it has a lot of useful functions along with inrush current measurement for a great price, it is my least used meter simply because I have to constantly push in the leads while using it. I've tried swapping out leads and they still work loose, even buying a new set of Fluke leads just for it.

• Really nice educational video. Thanks

• You just taught a 71 y.o. electrician new functions that I never knew existed. eg the ncv function. and dc. clamp and adjusting to the earths magnetic field. just blows my mind how far we have come since the 60s.

• Informative video. Thank you for sharing.

• I really appreciate your video. You do not push sell 'click and subscribe' your channel. Why not? Because you are focusing your teaching instead of pleading for unrelated 'like'. 😀 For that, I subscribed and liked your video.

  Also, the real reason for my following is because actually bought CL800 during the pandemic without much knowledge other than DC voltage testing. 😀 Now I have learned more from you.

• thanks! video saved me! i thought clamps were for power lines only, ha…..

• This Video ain't no FLUKE! 🤔😆😊

• Excellent video!

• why all my comments get deleted by youtube

• 1:11 i have one maybe by ANENG

• Thanks for your video, it kicked me into buying one despite the price. I was looking for a amp meter for DIY car work and I don't like using multimeter in circuit to check the drain ammount, I pulled the trigger on a Klein CL390. Thank to your video I figured it would be worth the price when I become a homeowner, I can only hope Klein name brand will last a very long time!

• Why he fuck did i not get this video recommended a week ago when i bought a NCVT 😭

• This would be a better meter to use for measuring alternating current as it has a LOZ function that is a must for measuring voltage as it puts a load on the circuit to see if it actually measuring the correct voltage or ghost voltage.Klein Tools CL800 I actually prefer a Fluke meter that has a LOZ function. I have seen a lot of Electrician get fooled by this as a Appliance Technician.Some of them don't even know what a LOZ terminology is.

• You kind of do need a chicken stick… A.k.a. noncontact voltage detector. You can have boxes containing multi wire branch circuits, Shared and borrowed neutrals and you need something that can reach into the back of the box and keep checking.

• Does it test amperage in DC mode?

• Read about Klein Multimeters before you buy.
  Klein Multimeters are not recommended for professional purposes.

  If you just want to check if you have voltage or power and continuity, then it's okay.
  Buy "Fluke" the most accurate Multimeter with a Lifetime Warranty.
  Be safe!

• Great video

• Excellent video!

• I just do not trust the non contact voltage tester . They are OK on an individual line but when you have more than that in close proximity they can be a problem if the sensitivity is not set correctly. Besides , a good meter does it all .

• Bruh if my microwave don’t work I’ll call an electrician before even thinking about a multimeter (current diesel mechanic) electricity will kill you.

• Does this multi have a tach for testing rpm

• Question: in automotive electrical it's a big no-no to front probe a connector with those basic multimeter leads bc you can stretch open the female receptacles so that they no longer make good/solid contact when the male end of the corresponding connector is reinserted. Is this not true of the outlets in your home?

• Hi. I have a question. I live in a semi detached house. All our electrics are new… We fell out with the neighbors next door. We went on holiday & when we came back, they had built a fence 2inches over our boundary.

  Ever since this happened. We have had lights flicker? Interruptions on tv, mobile phones taking hours to charge up. And so on.

  We have had our electrics checked & everything seems fine.

  As soon as an electrician has been out. Things start happening again.

  Now I swear that the neighbors have something to do with this? By maybe latching on to our electricity through our conjoining walls?

  I have done my own problem solving by taking mobile phones, DVD player, set-top box to my Works & friends & family & all seem to work perfectly!

  Would this device let me know if our neighbor is messing with our electricity ⚡️?

  Take for example. I bought a brand new iPhone.
  Tried new leads & tried different chargers and so on.

  But the same thing keeps happening??

  I’m talking about if iPhone had a percentage of say 80% charge. I turn it off, plug charger in. Check in 30mins & it’s only reached 5 or 6% more. It’s like something or someone is juice jacking?

  Also I have used a 20w charger & still the same thing is happening?

  Racked my head about all of this.

  And I know sumat just don’t add up?

  Neighbors have started sniggering aswel.

  Last year we actually had another electrician out to again check electricity.
  I was mowing the lawn and everything was fine. The electrician left. Then about 5mins later the lawn mower cut out? Then came back on. Same thing with electric kettle. Switched it on & even before started to boil up, it turned off. I walked away. Came back tried again and everything fine?

  Any answers to my question or a device I could get would be much appreciated. It’s getting the evidence which is so hard .

  Thank you 🙏

• How does the outlet splitter "multiplies" the amps?

• can i use the splt adaptor with my fluke clamp with accurate reading?

• this doesn't sound kind or truthful.
  i appreciate education imparted by this channel. With proper study an amateur can do good work and save a lot of money

• This excellent video will prevent me, a homeowner with basic handyman skills, from burning up some expensive appliance, or burning my house down or me laying on a stainless steel table in the Pinellas County medical officers lab. I cannot thank you enuf! Thx E.H.R.

• Is their a Fluke version of this made in the USA?

• If you’re a homeowner do yourself a favor and DO NOT take the deadman’s cover off your panel and start sticking your hands or instruments in there.

• Picked up the Klein CL120 based on your review. Couldn't be happier. Thanks for sharing your insights!👌

• Buy a non contact voltage tester. It far more convenient than using the clamp meter for it. Both you and I know if it’s not convenient they won’t use it.

• Below, @yellow_panther asked "…how did you measure the in-rush or peak turn on amperage of the devices you were going to run with the generator?" As I began to respond to his simple question I decided to verify a detail or two, for accuracy, and… ended up going down a bit of a lengthy rabbit hole on this. I decided to post it anyway in hopes it helps some future reader with understanding inrush current, startup current, etc.
  In answer to his question: You would need a meter specifically designed to be capable of measuring "inrush current." This requires a sampling rate in the single-digit milliseconds. The Klein Tools CL120 manual (link below) says "Sampling Frequency: Approx. 3 samples per second." One measurement every 333 milliseconds wouldn't be able to capture the inrush current.
  It is important to define what you're actually wanting to know as the term "inrush current" is also known as locked rotor amps or locked rotor current and is not the same thing as "starting current." Locked rotor amps is defined as the inrush current received by a motor – or the instantaneous flow of current taking place when power is applied – while the rotor has yet to begin rotation. This will also be the current drawn should the rotor cease turning, becoming locked, either from excessive load or seized bearings. But now you know where the "locked rotor" part comes from.
  When power is first applied to a motor the rotor is stationary, as in not rotating or locked, and thus draws the "locked rotor current." The motor quickly starts turning and the drawn current decreases. The current continues dropping as the rotor gets up to full speed, at which point the current draw stabilizes at operational minimum.
  Some electric motor manufacturers will have this listed within their technical data pages as LRA, L. R. Amperes, LRC, or L. R. Current. For those that do not, it can be calculated: LRA=1000x(kVA/HP)/Voltage
  The number may be listed as actual Amps or as a multiplier, such as 6x, of the Rated Current.
  In an induction device, such as a motor, during the first instant power is applied an extremely high peak occurs before the magnetic fields can be created and impedance occurs, providing load. During this first instant the only thing slowing down the current is the preexisting resistance of the wires themselves within the windings.
  This instantaneous amperage value is not typically all that useful in day-to-day troubleshooting as it greatly varies by what phase angle point the incoming line sine wave was, the size of capacitors being charged, and the temperature of the windings, during the moment of power connection. For a motor this time is incredibly short, only a few milliseconds or cycles, during which the magnetic fields are first created within the windings. For a transformer, depending on size, this can be significantly longer, tens to hundreds of milliseconds or more.
  This is why a meter's sampling rate makes THE difference in measuring "inrush current." If the meter is sampling every 333 milliseconds it's likely to miss that initial peak value.
  However, starting current, present during acceleration of an AC motor, just as it has begun to rotate, takes place AFTER the inrush current has dropped off. This varies by starting method but can take from 1 to 20+ seconds. Measurement of starting current, not inrush current, is the more commonly required one in doing routine maintenance checks on motors and other devices. As insulation ages and breaks down within motor windings the starting current values will increase. Recording starting current measurements over time provides valuable health data and expected life span of the motor. The vast majority of meters out there cater to the lesser time-sensitive measurements such as this.

  Klein Tools CL120 Auto Ranging Digital Clamp Meter:
  https://data.kleintools.com/sites/all/product_assets/documents/instructions/klein/CL120-1390362ART%20-%20WEB.pdf

  Regarding generator sizing and handling those initial spikes from inrush and starting currents:
  Motors typically draw six to twelve times their full rated current. Likewise, motors with high inertia loads can also require up to three times their rated current during starting.
  Online are numerous generator sizing calculators where much can be learned about loads, such as this one:
  https://apelectric.com/generator-sizing-calculator/

  As well as calculators for Locked Rotor Amperage (LRA), AKA "inrush current." This site references a "code letter" which can be looked up from a table on the same page. Some manufacture's sites have the code letter listed in the LRC field.
  https://generators.smps.us/surge-current-calculator.html
  The https://www.smps.us/ site is an older one but there's a lot of good info. It's author, Lazar Rozenblat, is a retired electrical engineer with over 30 years of experience in practical power electronics design. I just learned about him today while looking a few things up.

  Here's an example of some technical specs for a typical 3 HP air compressor motor as sold in many hardware stores:
  Output 3 HP (2.2 kW)
  Rated voltage 115/208-230 V
  Rated current 29.4/16.2-14.7 A (Read: 29.4A@115V, 16.2A@208V, 14.7A@230V)
  L. R. Amperes 176/97.2-88.2 A
  LRC 6.0x(Code H) (Read: 6 x Rated current)
  No load current 13.0/5.60-6.50 A (Read: Amps drawn with motor shaft free-spinning unconnected)
  Source: https://www.weg.net/catalog/weg/US/en/Electric-Motors/AC-Motors—NEMA/Definite-Purpose/Compressor-Duty/Compressor-Duty/Compressor-Duty-3-HP-2P-F56H-1Ph-115-208-230-V-60-Hz-IC01—ODP—Foot-mounted/p/10698252

  I can't paste an image in here but on page three of this PDF they have an excellent graphic showing the current draw of a motor from inrush current (initial power on), through starting current (acceleration of motor), and into rated current (fully running):
  https://literature.rockwellautomation.com/idc/groups/literature/documents/br/ie3-br001_-en-p.pdf

  I hope all of this helps!

• Dang… if only we'd had a clamp-on ammeter back in the mid '80s! My friends and I used to go through hours and hours of troubleshooting whenever we installed a car alarm or sound system in our cars back then. All we had was the trusty old multi-meter. Which was fine for volts, ohms, and amps, but it wasn't much help at finding current leaks. I still have and use the same $125 multi-meter from 1985, too. But once you've learned how to use a clamp-on ammeter correctly, chasing down current issues becomes ridiculously easy! I rarely need the multi-meter anymore.

• Are the gloves you are wearing electric safety? If so, which brand is it or would you recommend for a DIYer? Thanks for all the videos you posted.

• Good video.

• Cool beans.

• Didn’t know the meter was also a tester for voltage holding down sel in any mode. Thanks!

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