# My meter exploded!!



## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

610 volts on a 600 volt meter, not this dude. Glad your OK.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Your meter is only good for 600 volts if your measuring 600 volts then you should be using a meter that is good for at least 1000 volts such as a T-5 1000.

Thankfully you're okay..


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

yeah right a 600v cat3 meter should explode at 610v 
i wont buy this brand anymore and try to get a 1000v one but they don't seem very common for small dc amp clamp on reading


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## Fredman (Dec 2, 2008)

oliquir said:


> yeah right a 600v cat3 meter should explode at 610v
> i wont buy this brand anymore and try to get a 1000v one but they don't seem very common for small dc amp clamp on reading



You wouldn't think so, but I would never bet my life on it. :no:


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## Tonedeaf (Nov 26, 2012)

If you are measuring 610v ac, your meter was seeing peak voltages of 860v


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

i know but cat3 600v is for 600v AC not for 600v peak


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

oliquir said:


> i know but cat3 600v is for 600v AC not for 600v peak


 The cat rating is only for transients. 
6000v peak impulse transients (20 repetitions)

btw:: Glad you didn't get hurt badly.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

Apparently meter Connie's aren't big on service factor. Guess you have to go to an auto parts store to get another jar of Lucas brand electrical smoke so you can put the smoke back in the meter. :laughing:


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

this is not an autoparts store meter, check http://www.extech.com/instruments/ they are specializied on meters like fluke is


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

Why would you be in a 600V panel without PPE?


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

it was in a machine control panel (1 contactor, 3 vfd and a plc), not on a distribution panel, i know i should wear ppe


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## kinglew (Mar 16, 2008)

*meter blown up*



oliquir said:


> it was in a machine control panel (1 contactor, 3 vfd and a plc), not on a distribution panel, i know i should wear ppe


are you sure leads did not touch by accident . glad your ok


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

if my lead have touched together meter would not have exploded, it would have just make a short-circuit at terminal block and melt probes


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

just writed to company this morning and about 1 hour later already got message, they want to check the meter since this is anormal. at least they give good service!


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Tonedeaf said:


> If you are measuring 610v ac, your meter was seeing peak voltages of 860v





Wirenuting said:


> The cat rating is only for transients....


 The category rating is based on the maximum RMS system voltage that the meter is designed to read.

A 600V Category rating means it can be safely used on a 600V systems, and safely tolerate sustained peak voltage of 848V.

While I don't know what caused the failure, I'd be pretty surprised if a 1.6% overvoltage did it.


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

Big John said:


> The category rating is based on the maximum RMS system voltage that the meter is designed to read. A 600V Category rating means it can be safely used on a 600V systems, and safely tolerate sustained peak voltage of 848V. While I don't know what caused the failure, I'd be pretty surprised if a 1.6% overvoltage did it.


I know he had a 600v meter and the 600v does not make it a category 3 meter. 
Since he was working above 600v he should have used a 1000v rated meter with a category 3 rating. That would have given him protection at 8000v peak Impulse transients (20 repetitions). 

I agree with you on the slight over voltage blowing it. It should have withstood it. I would hope. 
Maybe because it was a spin dial and had worn contact points? Or maybe he was hit with a longer/higher transient? 

It's a lesson to us all how quickly things go wrong.


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## 8V71 (Dec 23, 2011)

Condensation or a long ago spilled drink on the board?


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## uconduit (Jun 6, 2012)

I had a protek analog meter "blow up" on me trying to read to voltage on this 1500 volt fly swatter i got as a gift. It didn't blow with drama, it was the flashing flat LED lamp and it just sort of went "pip" and hit me in the forehead.

I use Fluke meters. Exetec competes on having the most features for the money. Anyone see a modern fluke meter blow up before?


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

8V71 said:


> Condensation or a long ago spilled drink on the board?


 That would be my guess. I was on a job recently and mentioned to a site electrician that it was starting to rain and his Fluke clamp meter was sitting in the bed of his truck. He just sort of laughed it off "It'll dry out." :blink:

But it's unavoidable that every day testers tend to see some abuse: I had one go bad from what I believe was condensation due to sitting in the boxes on my truck. Thankfully it just started reading erratically and never blew up.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Probably a fault or contamination on the PCB.


Doesn't look like there is much going on in there in the way of input protection though. Give me my flukes any day.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Jlarson said:


> ...Doesn't look like there is much going on in there in the way of input protection though. Give me my flukes any day.


 I was thinking it, but I looked up the manual for a T5 and it didn't saying anything about fuses. I checked my T+Pro and there's nothing on it, either...

I'd like to hope there's something in there to stop severe overcurrent, but I'm not sure there is.


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## uconduit (Jun 6, 2012)

Why would the T5 or T+/Pro require fuses? Neither measure current in series.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

uconduit said:


> Why would the T5 or T+/Pro require fuses? Neither measure current in series.


 Neither does OPs meter. 

My point was that I'm not sure if even Fluke has any special redundancy in place to prevent dangerous overcurrent if the normal circuitry short circuits.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Big John said:


> I was thinking it, but I looked up the manual for a T5 and it didn't saying anything about fuses. I checked my T+Pro and there's nothing on it, either...
> 
> I'd like to hope there's something in there to stop severe overcurrent, but I'm not sure there is.


They only use fuses for in line current measurement modes. For voltage movs, ptcs, fusable resistors. Fluke tends to put a lot of creepage room in their PCB designs too. Along with isolation cutouts.


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## jza (Oct 31, 2009)

Not surprised, I've seen quite a few Extech failures, so far this is definitely the most catastrophic. I think FLIR (their parent company) should stick to making IR cameras.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

Ex tech is pure junk.......you won't find one on my van.....


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

mcclary's electrical said:


> Ex tech is pure junk.......you won't find one on my van.....



Wait a minute here, we have seen pictures of your van. No one can find anything in your van....


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## PetrosA (Feb 18, 2012)

In my experience, the guys as Extech will most likely get you hooked up with a new meter and hats and all kinds of goodies - they're great with customer relations. That being said, if you work often with >600V systems, I would look into an instrument made by a company that designs and builds their own stuff, and it might be safer if you chose a DMM rated at least CAT3 1000V and get a low range, high accuracy clamp for it. It will cost more than that Extech you had, but it will be a safer combination.


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## JohnR (Apr 12, 2010)

Now you opened it, you voided the warranty. No more new meter. Bad boy!:laughing:


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

PetrosA said:


> ...Chose a DMM rated at least CAT3 1000V and get a low range, high accuracy clamp for it....


 That's how I roll. That way I can have a meter that has a lot of functionality like a 289 and I can still get AC and DC current measurements across a huge range without needing a bunch of extra meters with redundant functions or that have less capability.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

This is why I spent a little extra on my first tester and got a T5-1000.


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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

oliquir said:


> While troubleshooting a machine, i was reading voltage at a contactor (almost new contactor perfectly clean, no loose wire,...). i read first phase, it gives me 610V (perfectly normal) when i tried to read other phase,... boom, i had a big flash in the face and in the meter (just had some small burns to hand and burned hair (yes i know i didn't have all the ppe, but at least have protection glasses) it has trip the main 30A breaker
> 
> meter is a cat3 made for 600V reading (not a cheap walmart one) i have read voltage like that for over 5 years without problem. i don't really know what happen, probably an arc in the meter first than it made a short circuit and melted the probes. i will surely send picture to meter company, this is not normal and dangerous  i was lucky breaker tripped and limited arc intensity


Never heard of extech. Does that mean they used to be in tech? Looks like you could fit a # 2 in the jaws of that clamp...


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## jza (Oct 31, 2009)

PetrosA said:


> In my experience, the guys as Extech will most likely get you hooked up with a new meter and hats and all kinds of goodies - they're great with customer relations. That being said, if you work often with >600V systems, I would look into an instrument made by a company that designs and builds their own stuff, and it might be safer if you chose a DMM rated at least CAT3 1000V and get a low range, high accuracy clamp for it. It will cost more than that Extech you had, but it will be a safer combination.


That's exactly what they're going to do. They'll send you a new meter, likely the next one up in their line and claim that they've worked all the bugs out of this one. But in reality, it's just a piece of ****. I would ask for a full refund.

I routinely use my 600 volt rated Fluke 337 on 600 volt systems, I've even encountered some over voltage issues with it, and it never exploded.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

The 337 is a totally different class of meter when it comes to quality and protection.


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## jza (Oct 31, 2009)

Jlarson said:


> The 337 is a totally different class of meter when it comes to quality and protection.


Beautiful. Do you have anymore pictures?


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

I'll look. Somewhere I have pics of the guts of every fluke model we ever bought. :laughing:


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## ACA (Sep 3, 2013)

Not a big fan of these Extech meters. Bought a kit with a clamp on, a standard multimeter, and a tick tester. Tick tester died within a couple weeks. Clamp on never turns on unless I throw it on the ground first. Took it apart and it's cheap chinese **** on the inside. I'm buying myself a fluke for christmas.


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

JohnR said:


> Now you opened it, you voided the warranty. No more new meter. Bad boy!:laughing:


i dont really care meter is over 5 years old


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## ilikepez (Mar 24, 2011)

That is frightening. Glad you are ok.


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## ScooterMcGavin (Jan 24, 2011)

This is why our company only allows catIII-1000/cat4-600 Fluke meters. The cat rating is a little misleading. 

There are no hard and fast rules as to how a company has to make their meters in order to say they have a certain cat rating. In an electrical safety class I took, they showed us videos of cheap meters and good (Fluke) meters of the same cat rating and subjected them to voltage spikes. The cheap ones exploded at low voltage levels and the Flukes just popped at voltages far exceeding the required voltage withstands. 

There is a reason Flukes cost more money and as important as meters are, I wouldn't trust my life to any other brand.


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## PetrosA (Feb 18, 2012)

scameron81 said:


> ...
> 
> There is a reason Flukes cost more money and as important as meters are, I wouldn't trust my life to any other brand.


If you want high dollar, try this:

http://dranetz.com/multimeter-handheld-multifunction

Fluke is cheaper.


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## uconduit (Jun 6, 2012)

PetrosA said:


> If you want high dollar, try this:
> 
> http://dranetz.com/multimeter-handheld-multifunction
> 
> Fluke is cheaper.


I wouldn't mind having a Gossen, but those multimeters START in price where Fluke meters STOP -- at around $500. If the German multimeters didn't cost $500-$2000 a piece than that would be cooler. The worst part about it is that the top of the line 6.5 digit Gossen doesn't even look as expensive as the Fluke 289 and the Fluke DMM is pretty much overkill already, lol.

All joking aside, I cracked open my Fluke T+Pro and discovered that there is no conformal coating on the circuit board and thus I would not recommend using one if liquid were ever spilled on it enough to get inside and I would avoid using it if there was a sudden temperature change that would cause condensation inside it. (Like if you just brought it in from outside in your trunk and there was like snow around).


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## PetrosA (Feb 18, 2012)

uconduit said:


> I wouldn't mind having a Gossen, but those multimeters START in price where Fluke meters STOP -- at around $500. If the German multimeters didn't cost $500-$2000 a piece than that would be cooler. The worst part about it is that the top of the line 6.5 digit Gossen doesn't even look as expensive as the Fluke 289 and the Fluke DMM is pretty much overkill already, lol.
> 
> All joking aside, I cracked open my Fluke T+Pro and discovered that there is no conformal coating on the circuit board and thus I would not recommend using one if liquid were ever spilled on it enough to get inside and I would avoid using it if there was a sudden temperature change that would cause condensation inside it. (Like if you just brought it in from outside in your trunk and there was like snow around).


They're outrageously expensive and I wouldn't even know where to steal one! 

Gossens are like the multimeters that 10 year old geek engineers would design while waiting for their science teachers to catch up with them. "And it needs a laser gun, and retracting wings, and a bazooka in each lead, and..."


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