Loading…
2
Wrote off that $12 multimeter from Harbor Freight for years, then my Fluke died mid-call
Had a dryer apart in El Paso last month and the Fluke just quit, so I grabbed the cheap one rolling around in the truck. It read the heating element and thermistor dead on against my backup meter, and it's still kicking three weeks later. Anybody else keep a beater meter in the truck just in case, or am I the last guy not carrying two good ones?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
charlest594d ago
Man I feel that pain, had a Fluke 87 crap out on me in the middle of a hot water heater job in Truth or Consequences and the only thing in the truck was a $15 Cen-Tech I got free with a coupon years back. It read the element and the thermostat right and I ended up using it the rest of the week before my good one came back from repair. Thing is, those cheap meters are accurate enough for most of what we do, you just can't trust the leads or the safety rating when you get into live 240 stuff. Sorry your Fluke gave out on you like that, nothing worse than a dead meter when you're already up to your elbows in a dryer.
4
cole3564d ago
What do you call a guy who trusts a free coupon meter with his life? Me, apparently, because I did the exact same thing with a Cen-Tech that came with a flashlight and some zip ties. Mine read a bake element at 22 ohms when the book said 20 to 25, so close enough for a Tuesday dryer call. The part that gets me is the leads, I've had the plastic crack right at the plug and still jammed it in there like an idiot. You're not the last guy, I've got a beater in the truck door pocket and a decent one in the bag. Half the time the beater is what I grab first anyway because I'm too lazy to dig.
4