High voltage testing

[sansonet]

I have electric fence charger and wanted to test it, but model is with continuous voltage while my fence tester is for intermittent models. I tried anyway - display switches between 0 and 0.8 every second.
Tester details are here, I have digital model
Fence energizer specs are: 1.2 KV +/- 20% open circuit
I have multimeter with specs: AC voltage: 400mV / 4V / 40V / 400V / 500V http://www.dx.com/p/uni-t-ut136d-2-0...7#.Vy-IYIKMWCh
Decided to try it anyway, and it shows 1557V - see attached picture
I wonder if I can trust it since voltage way above what multimeter should be able to test, I tried fluke multimeter and it not reads it at all.

[eccerr0r]

Re: High voltage testing

Hard to tell. Some meters like perhaps your fluke has low frequency response and won't register high frequency AC (if that's what it generates.) Others will give you peak instead of RMS voltage which depends on the waveform of the voltage. Lots of questions here...

[sansonet]

Re: High voltage testing

I found older tester, similar to one on middle in PDF file in my first message "multilight tester", it lights up 1st (625), 2nd (950) and 4th (3300) bulbs, no light on 2000 or 4650 bulb. I dont think its because bulb is bad - all bulbs are working on regular intermittent fence charger, maybe it is way this charger producing electricity? It supposed to be safe for humans and big animals, despite high voltage. But I was reading that it could kill small animals like rabbits, squirrels, etc.

[eccerr0r]

Re: High voltage testing

"safe" is the key word.

Those testers should be using neon or other gas discharge lamps. Those are a fairly good way to tell if it's working or not. Now without knowledge of how it's designed specifically or whether those bulbs are bad (though neon lamps should not burn out readily)...

But in any case it looks like it's working. If it's truly "safe" why not touch it to test :-)

[stj]

Re: High voltage testing

the reason the fluke didnt work is because it has safety parts that short the input if it hits 1Kv - your lucky if it didnt blow the internal fuse.
(very lucky, because they arent cheap!!)

[sansonet]

Re: High voltage testing

Now without knowledge of how it's designed specifically or whether those bulbs are bad (though neon lamps should not burn out readily)...

But in any case it looks like it's working. If it's truly "safe" why not touch it to test :-)

I tried that tester on my big fence charger and they all was blinking - this charger has pulsing voltage.
I try to not touch those on purpose, but did hit wire accidentally many times in the past, that was pulsing charge but depending on wire location there was between 2000-5000 Volts, not too bad, just zap and pain in skin where it touched it, or maybe Im more resistant to electric charge because some people are really scared of them.

[sansonet]

Re: High voltage testing

the reason the fluke didnt work is because it has safety parts that short the input if it hits 1Kv - your lucky if it didnt blow the internal fuse.
(very lucky, because they arent cheap!!)

I knew it can blow fuse, but I guess I didnt care that much, for some reason Im using that cheap Chinese multimeter more often than Fluke, which Im using only if need double check something or need be sure readings are 200% correct Its older model too, 29 series.

[stj]

Re: High voltage testing

gotta respect that UNI-T reading 1.5Kv without damage when it's rated at 500v!!
better ones are rated at 1Kv but i dont know if they have any safety parts like the fluke fitted.