Tripping GFCI breaker, case study.

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Thanks again Marc. I will re-read what you have wrote here before doing anything. Maybe I will just check my own home first and get some reading and then I'll have something to go by. That is when my wife is at work.
 
bikeindy said:
you should rename this thread "megger 101"

In old homes where you are not sure that some DIY might have been DI themseves it is always wise to unplug everything.
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Marc, nice thread man. And nice threads. (see avatar):smile:

I too perform many service upgrades on older homes and am always leary when considering GFCI protection at the panel. After reading through this entire thread I'm getting ready to jump on the megger band wagon too.

Hope you all check in with some of your troubleshooting results.

Megger 101 is in session.

Class, take your seats please
 
Marc,
You can meg out wet stuff, hold the test button down (or set it for a one minute test) and watch the readings decrease as the test dries out the dampness.
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It is really drying the stuff out or just charging a large capacitor. I can't imagine that there is enough current to produce much heat when using a megger, but I have never really checked that out. I know that the Amprobe AMB-6D that I have only uses 1mA for a 1000 volt insulation test.
Don
 
dbuckley said:
I'm confused again, mainly as to ECs who don't have a megger.

When you do an install, don't you megger cables routinely? Or is this another UK / US difference :)
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If you're in the UK, you probably use your megger as much as any other meter. Here in the US, you'll find many electricians who've never heard of the instrument, and many more who have heard of it but are unaware of its usefulness. We have nothing even remotely like the UK Part P requirements.

Related to the UK, I find some of the best used Megger deals on the UK eBay site. They're a dime a dozen, so to speak, versus here in the states where they still command bigger money. I got the whole Martindale kit several months back. Sweet stuff.
 
I was out of the UK well before Part P bit, the focus of which was to prevent DIYers creating unsafe installations. But routine meggering was around when I was a kid in the 70s.

You've got the "whole martindale kit"; thats the three instrument set I would guess - that has the other obligatory instrument then, the prospective short circuit current meter. Does that get any use...?
 
dbuckley said:
You've got the "whole martindale kit"; thats the three instrument set I would guess - that has the other obligatory instrument then, the prospective short circuit current meter. Does that get any use...?
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I've not used ne'er a one of them yet from that little suitcase it comes in. More of a curiosity at this point. I don't expect I'll use that meter, unless there's a quantum shift in the way we start to wire and test.
 
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