Arc welded my meter probe

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ms136

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Earlier this evening I switched on the lights on my ceiling fan and heard a pop when the light bulb blew. The base of the bulb had a black mark on it as did the lighting socket. I tried to check the voltage with a Fluke meter and ended up welding the tip to the light socket base and throwing the breaker. Shouldn't the meter automatically add enough resistance in it(the meter) to prevent the arcing? I'm going to replace the lighting unit as a precaution before using it again. About a year or so ago I had a bulb in the dining room blow and actually send down a spark onto the table. Anyone else having bulb problems? Thanks.
 
My first suspicion is that your meter probe was also touching the socket (neutral) as well as the ungrounded terminal at the bottom.
 
That's a good possibility. It's one of those mini sockets(not much room for error) and I was on the ladder and trying to reach over the sofa to take the reading. Thanks for the reply.
 
I've metered a lot of sockets and never welded my leads. But, this isn't a task for a guy with shaky hands!;)
 
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