TIL the hard way that my multimeter was giving false readings for 2 months

Last Thursday I was chasing a no-start on a fridge compressor and kept getting continuity when there wasn't any. Turns out my cheap multimeter's leads had a cracked insulation near the probe tips, causing intermittent shorts. I swapped in a set of leads from my backup meter and suddenly the reading made sense. Anyone else had a tool lie to them like that and waste hours?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericj451d ago

Man, I wasted a whole weekend once because my test light was grounding out through a frayed section of cord near the battery terminal. Your mileage may vary, but I always give my leads a good twist and pull test now before diving into anything.

wells.olivia1d ago

Wait, a frayed cord was grounding out through the BATTERY TERMINAL? That's crazy, how did you even find that?

leo_fisher1d ago

Oh dude, "your mileage may vary" isn't really the right phrase for electrical problems. That's more for like gas mileage opinions or stuff that's subjective. What you described is actually a REALLY common issue with test lights and frayed cords. I've seen it happen with cheap test lights where the insulation gets all cracked and worn near the clip end. Once the copper is exposed and touches the battery terminal, it basically bypasses everything and gives you a false reading. It's not so much a mileage thing as it is a straight up safety hazard. That's why I ALWAYS wrap electrical tape around the cord near the clip on any test light I buy.