Thread: Clamp Meters
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Old December 25th, 2007, 12:05 PM
STEVETERRY STEVETERRY is offline
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Default Re: Clamp Meters

Quote:
Originally Posted by Diarmuid View Post
I'm not sure the make and model of ours, because it is at school, but I'll try and find out...
And if it can only be clamped around the live conductor, would I be right to suggest that in most applications it can't be much use? I guess if you had like a 3 phase system, with all the different phases on seperate inputs, then it would be ok... but as it can't be used for actual cables, for installed systems and such, it can't be used very effectivley?
Thanks for the help.
If you want to measure the current in a single-phase, two wire plus ground branch circuit or feeder, just make yourself a male-female adaptor with the outer jacket of the cable removed so that you can get the clamp around the insulated hot or neutral conductor.

BTW, the clamp meter does not care if it's measuring the neutral or hot conductor--the current is the same in both for a single-phase circuit.

For higher current feeder applications where you may be clamping around live conductors on equipment with the covers off, you are now under the rules of NFPA 70E "Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace" in North America. This defines the protective gear you must wear, and the various boundaries and voltages where different rules apply. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS without training and expert help!

Of course, this does not apply if you are clamping around insulated, single conductor feeder cables or branch circuit conductors outside equipment or switchgear.

ST
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