Is there a new appliance in your home that has been acting up lately? You don’t know the reason why but you are pretty sure that it is not the appliance that is at fault because it is brand new. It could be the wire continuity leading to the appliance that is causing the problem. As someone who does not have any experience in handling the technicalities of an electrical gadget or the wires leading to it, you shouldn’t experiment on checking what is wrong and where it has gone wrong. It can be hazardous to you and for the appliance.
Should you decide to undertake the repairs on your own, you must be very careful. Checking the continuity of an electric circuit is not a matter of joke. You have to be accurate with your approach and have enough knowledge to not get yourself injured in the process. It would be best if you can hire a professional electrician to do the job. But, if you are curious to know how the continuity of a circuit is tested, then here is a quick guide that will help:
One of the reasons why your appliances are not working is that there is a break in the wires. A quick continuity check will help to understand if the current is traveling through the wire into the appliance or not.
- Before you perform any kind of test, it is strictly advised to unplug the appliance first. All continuity checks should be conducted after the appliance is safely unplugged. This will avoid the risks of getting an electric shock.
- If any of the electrical parts are connected to the wire, it will be easier to perform the test because you will have the entire circuit to check thoroughly in one shot. Make sure that both the control board has both the circuits connected together to it.
- After that, you have to gain access to the control board. The resistance of through to the circuit has to be measured. Before you do that, it would be best to trace all the wires back to the electric board. Suppose you have a circuit where the ideal range is 15 ohms. If the resistance through the bake element in the multimeter reads 15 ohms, then you can be sure that the wires have continuity. However, if it falls short of the 15 ohms mark, there is something with the wires.
- The question is, how will you identify which appliance will have what resistance? You will be able to find that in the tech sheet of the appliance. The easiest way to understand if the continuity of the wires is reaching the appliance is by checking the meter. If it is indicating “OL” or reaching 1 in the left, it means there is an open circuit. When that happens, power is not able to make its way through to the appliance. There is a fluctuation in the power and the appliance will switch on and off at regular intervals.
- If you find there is a break in continuity of the circuit, you have to replace the circuit altogether. Otherwise, it might affect the appliance. Since it is a daunting task to replace an electric circuit, you may want to double check with the running of the wiring system. In order to do that, both the ends of the wire that were connected to the control have to be disconnected.
- Now, you will have to check the continuity in the multimeter with a tone. Place one lead of the meter on one side of the wire while the other lead on the opposite side. The meter will show approximately zero ohms and also a tone if the wire has thorough continuity.
- You can also go on to check the continuity of the wire that connects to the metal frame. There are times when damaged or broken wires get in touch with a metal cabinet on the appliance. This can dissipate high levels of current that can be dangerous for the circuit and appliance. A word of advice; if you find that there is a continuity between the metal frame and the wire, never ever plug the appliance back until the wires have been completely repaired. You may get a massive shock if the appliance is plugged back in.
Although it is a risk to check electrical circuits if you do not have the knowledge, checking the continuity by taking safety measures can be done by any homeowner. All you need to have is a multimeter. Apart from that, the steps are pretty easy to follow. As soon as you find there is something wrong with the continuity, you can contact an experienced electrician to get the circuit replaced from www.directics.com.
When you see that the metal frame and the wires are connected, the circuit will need an immediate repair. Sometimes, repairing the wiring can do the job. It has to be spliced in the location where the metal frame and the wires start to collide. The wire has to be cut almost by a quarter of an inch so that 1/4th of the insulation is stripped off from the ends of the wire. After that, you need to attach the wires back with the help of a connector or wire nut. But, be careful while you do that. None of the strands of the wire should remain exposed after you have got the wire repaired.
It would be wise to use a ceramic wire to connect the remaining wires. Ceramic wires come with a high heat resistance. Some of the wires have a temperature rating capacity of 200 degrees Celsius. These are appropriate on most of the ovens and ranges. Try to splice the wires in such a way so that they do not fall short in the circuit. Another piece of advice; the wires that are repaired should always be checked for their continuity before the appliance is reassembled to the circuit.