That's seems to be a really good device. After watching this film, I regret a bit that I bought a different model (I have short review of mine on my channel).
Some of them only test that Live, earth and Neutral are connected correctly. This one also tests earth loop impedance, making it more expensive. Thanks for the comment 👍
Enjoyed this video, good and clear as always. Could you do a video explaining earth loop impedance? I've just looked in UA-cam and was completely lost by the explanations I found - you would do so much better! Love all you post, even if it is not something I'm particularly interested in :)
+Yolanda Sinclair Thanks for the comment. I'm afraid I don't have the equipment to measure earth loop impedance as it's something only professional electricians normally have to measure. I'm sure there is a good video on UA-cam showing how to measure it by Pentagon electrics or something similar to that ;-)
sorry to be a kill joy but if you were a professional electrician you would know how to measure earth fault loop impedance. there are videos on UA-cam, some very good but this is not something you can just go and do, nor should you be doing. if you want to learn go on a professional course. like I said sorry to be a killjoy, I'm an electrician and I am fed up of going to jobs (although the dosh is nice!) because they saw it on UA-cam and thought it would be OK if they did it! and it is done wrong, not certified or is dangerous.
billy bunter I'm not sure what you are being a killjoy about? I've no desire to have anything to do with earth fault loop impedance, just to know what it is.
+Yolanda Sinclair OK. I will try to explain. simply put, earth fault loop impedance checks the integrity of the earth within the building and exterior to the substation. so if a fault occurs that fault can go via earth out of the building to the substation and back again to the consumer unit to "trip" the circuit breaker. when testing we measure both circuits to test their integrity, external being called Ze test and internal being called r1+r2. if we take these values we can calculate Zs, which is total earth fault loop impedance and compare it to tabulated values. in essence all we are doing is measuring the resistance of the earthing conductors. If the resistance is incorrect then the fault can not get out and back to the consumer unit to trip the MCB in the allowed time, therefore potentially causing a dangerous situation. Not sure if that is clear for you, but it is very interesting and is why I am protective and enjoy this part of my job. thanks
Informative video, and very useful for most of us. But don't you think it would be more in character of your channel to do the same tests with a Neon-bulb and/or a high-wattage bulb DIY-testers ?
+BR Gurunandan Those types of testers only normally check that the L, N and earth are the wired correctly, I have never seen one that checks the earth loop impedance?
+Ultimate Handyman OK, this is how I do it, ( and I am still alive ! ) 1) A neon-tester shows which wire is live. Should be Red, never Black, etc. 2) A 100W bulb connected between L & N must light to full brightness * 3) A 100W bulb connected between L & E must light to full brightness * * = Meanwhile, an AC voltmeter connected between a) N & E must show no voltage b) L & N/E show same voltage when bulb wires are inserted in socket or removed. Rather more cumbersome than plugging in a gizmo ;-) but many of us already have a neon-tester, DMM & a bulb with wires. And more faith in Ohm's Law than in a blackbox...
+BR Gurunandan Thanks for the explanation, what if the circuit is RCD protected? I think the plug in tester is just for homeowners and landlords to check their existing socket circuits and if they find that there is a problem they can then call in a professional electrician to investigate further.
+Ultimate Handyman I saw the video again, and realised you did not say anything about bypassing the RCD. I always bypass the ELCB if present ( I've never come across a RCD) before testing the Earthing for loose-contacts or high resistance. If there is a doubt, high or intermittent voltage present, then a higher current from a 1kW heater, say, will usually resolve the doubt. I'm not a professional electrician; this method will not satisfy any regulations, but it certainly spots problems. Yes, I see the huge convenience of the gizmo over the method I described. Though it's a bit like predicting the top-speed of a car without starting the engine ! :-) One of these days I'll verify that stickers stick on wet surfaces and maybe I'll become less skeptical ;-)
+jayja45 Yeah, it's knackered. I don't know why they installed normal sockets in a garage and plastic backboxes.I will replace them all with metal clad ones when I get chance.Thanks for the comment ;-)
+caskwith I bought it from CPC last week, when it was in the bargain corner for £35Just checked now and it's back up to £53I wish I could have got the video online faster but it takes me a while to film and edit them.Thanks for the comment ;-)
I picked a used one up on eBay the other day for £22 claimed to be in working order and in fair condition from what i could see in the picture I believe it was well worth it what would anyone else think of that?
+yensabi Absolutely, I don't think I would have bought it at £50 but I thought £35 was reasonable. Pity the offer didn't last long enough for other people! Thanks for the comment
I have a few issues with this, the Polarity check is fine and handy I have something like it myself, but the Loop impedance test is misleading and could give false information and rather dangerous. You will need and Ohm valve result and over-current protection (depending whats installed MCB fuse etc..) info from your reg's to decide if your EFL is safe.The RCD test is another its not correctly testing the RCD its verifying operation ok and probably a preset time of
I agree with an earlier comment, this is a gimmick and should no way be relied on. To do a proper earth fault loop impedance check a Ze reading should be taken and a r1+r2 taken, then calculated and compared to tabulated values. I presume that this plug does a Zs test but does not produce a numeric result. Potential problem with this is that parallel paths may still be connected and using them as an earth and not the main earthing conductor. So i guess if you are using this and are an electrician you would know this and check it, but not a diy'er! If you want to check effective earths get the right person with the right equipment to check it.
If people had to pay a leccy every time they wanted to check the impedance of a socket or extension lead, they wouldn't do it. This fills that gap. It's an affordable health check, which is way better than no check at all. In fact a lot of people won't even know what supply impedance is. The guy literally demonstrated the effect of an extension lead.
thanks love your videos , well explained
I’m glad you found the video useful
Thanks for the comment 👍
That's seems to be a really good device. After watching this film, I regret a bit that I bought a different model (I have short review of mine on my channel).
Nice job and video
Thanks!
Are the cheap ones death traps? Just wondering why some of them cost £50+ when others cost less than £10
Some of them only test that Live, earth and Neutral are connected correctly. This one also tests earth loop impedance, making it more expensive.
Thanks for the comment 👍
Enjoyed this video, good and clear as always.
Could you do a video explaining earth loop impedance? I've just looked in UA-cam and was completely lost by the explanations I found - you would do so much better!
Love all you post, even if it is not something I'm particularly interested in :)
+Yolanda Sinclair Thanks for the comment. I'm afraid I don't have the equipment to measure earth loop impedance as it's something only professional electricians normally have to measure. I'm sure there is a good video on UA-cam showing how to measure it by Pentagon electrics or something similar to that ;-)
sorry to be a kill joy but if you were a professional electrician you would know how to measure earth fault loop impedance. there are videos on UA-cam, some very good but this is not something you can just go and do, nor should you be doing. if you want to learn go on a professional course. like I said sorry to be a killjoy, I'm an electrician and I am fed up of going to jobs (although the dosh is nice!) because they saw it on UA-cam and thought it would be OK if they did it! and it is done wrong, not certified or is dangerous.
+Ultimate Handyman OK, no worries. I don't want to do any measuring, just wondered what it is and the videos I looked at are too technical.
billy bunter I'm not sure what you are being a killjoy about? I've no desire to have anything to do with earth fault loop impedance, just to know what it is.
+Yolanda Sinclair OK. I will try to explain. simply put, earth fault loop impedance checks the integrity of the earth within the building and exterior to the substation. so if a fault occurs that fault can go via earth out of the building to the substation and back again to the consumer unit to "trip" the circuit breaker. when testing we measure both circuits to test their integrity, external being called Ze test and internal being called r1+r2. if we take these values we can calculate Zs, which is total earth fault loop impedance and compare it to tabulated values. in essence all we are doing is measuring the resistance of the earthing conductors. If the resistance is incorrect then the fault can not get out and back to the consumer unit to trip the MCB in the allowed time, therefore potentially causing a dangerous situation.
Not sure if that is clear for you, but it is very interesting and is why I am protective and enjoy this part of my job. thanks
what is the difference between the Socket and see sok36 and sok34?
The sok 36 seems to have more features, such as RCD check etc.
Informative video, and very useful for most of us. But don't you think it would be more in character of your channel to do the same tests with a Neon-bulb and/or a high-wattage bulb DIY-testers ?
+BR Gurunandan
Those types of testers only normally check that the L, N and earth are the wired correctly, I have never seen one that checks the earth loop impedance?
+Ultimate Handyman
OK, this is how I do it, ( and I am still alive ! )
1) A neon-tester shows which wire is live. Should be Red, never Black, etc.
2) A 100W bulb connected between L & N must light to full brightness *
3) A 100W bulb connected between L & E must light to full brightness *
* = Meanwhile, an AC voltmeter connected between
a) N & E must show no voltage
b) L & N/E show same voltage when bulb wires are inserted in socket or removed.
Rather more cumbersome than plugging in a gizmo ;-)
but many of us already have a neon-tester, DMM & a bulb with wires.
And more faith in Ohm's Law than in a blackbox...
+BR Gurunandan
Thanks for the explanation, what if the circuit is RCD protected?
I think the plug in tester is just for homeowners and landlords to check their existing socket circuits and if they find that there is a problem they can then call in a professional electrician to investigate further.
+Ultimate Handyman
I saw the video again, and realised you did not say anything about bypassing the RCD.
I always bypass the ELCB if present ( I've never come across a RCD) before testing the Earthing for loose-contacts or high resistance. If there is a doubt, high or intermittent voltage present, then a higher current from a 1kW heater, say, will usually resolve the doubt.
I'm not a professional electrician; this method will not satisfy any regulations, but it certainly spots problems.
Yes, I see the huge convenience of the gizmo over the method I described.
Though it's a bit like predicting the top-speed of a car without starting the engine ! :-)
One of these days I'll verify that stickers stick on wet surfaces and maybe I'll become less skeptical ;-)
+BR Gurunandan
Thanks for the reply ;-)
Trust me stickers do stick to wet surfaces as long as you squeegee out all the water ;-)
Thanks again.
Looks like that white socket has had a bit of damage, go for MK metalclad in workshops and industrial environments.
+jayja45 Yeah, it's knackered. I don't know why they installed normal sockets in a garage and plastic backboxes.I will replace them all with metal clad ones when I get chance.Thanks for the comment ;-)
Useful info thanks, my purchase of a Kewtech 107 is on its way, which is as you may know exactly the same device. £38.70 eBay.
+David Cooper
Kewtech normally make decent gear ;-)
Thanks for the comment
Where did you find that! Best price I have seen is almost £50!
+caskwith I bought it from CPC last week, when it was in the bargain corner for £35Just checked now and it's back up to £53I wish I could have got the video online faster but it takes me a while to film and edit them.Thanks for the comment ;-)
That bleeping would drive me insane, there's no need for that at all. I'll stick with my Silverline socket tester!
+ForestCat
Yeah, it annoyed the crap out of me when I was filming it LOL
If you are working on your own and need to isolate the circuit the beeping is very handy
I've just checked. Sok36 is very expensive. Much more expensive than the models from aliexpress (few times difference upps).
It all comes down to quality, I guess.
Thanks for the comment 👍
@@ultimatehandyman Yes, it might be the case. But also as I can see aliexpress devices don't have all functions sok36 has.
I picked a used one up on eBay the other day for £22 claimed to be in working order and in fair condition from what i could see in the picture I believe it was well worth it what would anyone else think of that?
Nice little gizmo that chez , a bit pricey though at around £ 50 : )
+yensabi
Absolutely, I don't think I would have bought it at £50 but I thought £35 was reasonable. Pity the offer didn't last long enough for other people!
Thanks for the comment
Has anyone been able to pull it apart and disable the buzzer?
The buzzer is quite annoying!
I have a few issues with this, the Polarity check is fine and handy I have something like it myself, but the Loop impedance test is misleading and could give false information and rather dangerous. You will need and Ohm valve result and over-current protection (depending whats installed MCB fuse etc..) info from your reg's to decide if your EFL is safe.The RCD test is another its not correctly testing the RCD its verifying operation ok and probably a preset time of
+IrishHitman79 They have a website and are made by a large company, so you can easily tell them your concerns.Thanks for the comment ;-)
+Ultimate Handyman Ah im not that worried about it, just as a sparky we have to be a bit odd at times ha.
+IrishHitman79
LOL, thanks for the comment ;-)
I agree with an earlier comment, this is a gimmick and should no way be relied on. To do a proper earth fault loop impedance check a Ze reading should be taken and a r1+r2 taken, then calculated and compared to tabulated values. I presume that this plug does a Zs test but does not produce a numeric result. Potential problem with this is that parallel paths may still be connected and using them as an earth and not the main earthing conductor. So i guess if you are using this and are an electrician you would know this and check it, but not a diy'er! If you want to check effective earths get the right person with the right equipment to check it.
+billy bunter I agree, I know it gives a "rough idea" but its still to risky imo, as you stated a DIYer will take the info as a given.
If people had to pay a leccy every time they wanted to check the impedance of a socket or extension lead, they wouldn't do it. This fills that gap. It's an affordable health check, which is way better than no check at all. In fact a lot of people won't even know what supply impedance is. The guy literally demonstrated the effect of an extension lead.