Megger Meter

[50 Hertz]

Do any of the electrical ladies or gentlemen of the forum have a recommendation for a continuity / earth testing meter? (I sometimes call them megger meter, but I think thats a brand name). I've got an outdoor wiring project in progress and want check it out before connecting up. There are plenty on eBay, but just wondered if anyone had a particular recommendation.

Thank you.

 

[neptune]

A megger is an expensive instrument. I used one years ago when I had my washing machine repair business. Later, I used a PAT [portable appliance tester] instead as it worked as a megger as well as doing other jobs. It would be hard to justify the cost of a megger for just one project. If it is a new project, you will presumably be using new wiring, so as long as it is connected correctly, there should be no problem.A multimeter will test continuity and earth resistance. Nowadays mains circuits are protected by an RCCB, so if faults develop later, the RCCB will trip. Obviously, the thing to guard against is rain ingress.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If you only want to test that you wired it correctly, one of these is the easiest, but if you want to get something for testing your bike, you need a decent multimeter:
PRO MAINS PLUG UK SOCKET TESTER 13A with Buzzer & LED | eBay

 

[shemozzle999]

By all means wire it yourself but get it professionally tested - get the certificate and avoid sleepless nights.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

When you sell your house, you have to declare any changes to the wiring. You need certificates for anything that you declare.

 

[50 Hertz]

It's garden wiring. I've buried 400 metrs of SWA cable for lighting and power. I'll probably end up getting it tested for the certificate or if ever I sell the house, disconnect the circuit and leave it up to the new buyer to either rip it out, certify it or re-connect it. I'm leaning toward getting it certified even though I don't think I'll ever move. I'd still rather test it myself as well because I don't trust some tradesmen and I want it safe.

I find all this certification a bit of a licence to make money. I installed a log burner a couple of years ago and had that, "certified" by the local council building services dept. That cost £200 and I can honestly say that I understood the regs better than the inspector. I had to draw his attention to mandatory items that he hadn't checked. He finished the survey by saying the only thing wrong with it was that his wife would want one if ever she saw it. An easy £200 for the council.

 

[shemozzle999]

400 metres!!!!!! blimey have you got your own test track in the garden

 

[Scimitar]

I agree, much of this certification is nonsense and purely to create work for members of trade bodies - jobs for the boys, in other words. Their desire is to create closed shops of various trades, and make it compulsory for 'code-testing' like in the US or Germany.
Fortunately, saner heads have prevailed until now and you don't need to jump through regulatory hoops if you're doing it for yourself, for the most part.
It is instructive that the most deadly of the home services - that of gas - is allowable to be DIYed if the person doing it is 'competent'. 'Competent' boils down to having a clue and not blowing up the house or your neighbours. No bang, must be competent,
I've been wiring and gassing myself for years and haven't killed anyone yet; mind you, I do have a clue.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You only get a certificate if your work complies with the regulations, which it probably won''t unless you know them in detail. All I know is that buried cables have to be armoured and buried to a certain depth. It's always best to check the regulations first. Everything is complicated these days.

I put one of those bayonet-fitting gas pipes on a new cooker so that I could plug it in to the gas. When the guy came to certify it, he failed it for not having a chain tying it to the wall. He just happened to have a length of the cheapest chain with him, which he fitted with two self-tappers for £20.

 

[shemozzle999]

I remember a trip over the water to Kilkee in the 80's- I was staying with a rugby mate in his parent's holiday bungalow - his mother telephoned and asked us to look at the electric cooker.
After pulling it away from the unit we found a hole in the wall with a twin and earth cable coming out of it the outer insulation had been stripped off leaving what would have been originally two insulated wires and the earth attached to the cooker. Unfortunately the cable was under sized and had burnt the insulation back to about 1 inch from where they would have come together, but it was OK because one of the feed wires had melted and was dangling against the wall.
Needless to say we ended spending a day pulling though a correctly sized cable all the way back to the distribution box.