What is leakage current? How to check and fix leaky current at home

Many families use electricity but still do not understand about leakage current or how to handle leakage current? To be safe in the process of using electricity, let’s learn the concept of leakage current, how to check and fix leaky current at home below!

What is leakage current?

Leakage current is a physical phenomenon that often occurs in electrical equipment. It wastes and excesses electrical energy, then transfers this energy outside the device housing and causes unexpected accidents and problems.

The main cause of power leakage

The electrical equipment you are using is too old

This will easily happen when you use too old equipment. An electrical device, when used for a long time, will lead to the state of the internal circuits and microchips being corroded, giving off high heat, creating conditions for leakage currents to appear.

Electrical equipment you put too close to the wall, near a wet place

The surrounding environment is also the main cause of leakage currents. If you place the device in a humid place, it will create conditions for high temperature as well as air humidity, making the device’s electrical cord degraded and many days will lead to more severe leakage.

Incorrect installation technique

During electrical use and repair, disassembly of equipment, parts and components will upset their positions, resulting in incorrect installation of electrical circuits. This renders electrical equipment inoperable and leads to leakage currents.

Due to external factors

Some external factors also cause leakage currents to appear, such as components being bitten by insects or rats. Since it occurs inside electrical equipment, it is very difficult to test and detect leakage currents.

How to check leakage current at home

Electric leakage pen

Electric leakage pen is considered the fastest and simplest way to check. You just need to use this pen to probe on the surfaces with underground current, if the light of the pen glows red somewhere, there will be a leakage current and need to be repaired immediately.

Check for electrical leakage with a multimeter

To be able to do this, you must make sure you understand the parameters and what they mean on the meter. Currently, there are many different types of multimeters, you should choose which type of meter is capable of testing leakage current to be able to use it.

Use clamp amps

Currently, the tool most used by electricians is the clamp meter. With a compact, convenient structure, it is easy to carry but produces results with high accuracy. You only need a little understanding of the parameters on the device to be able to use it to check leakage current.

How to fix electric leakage problem

Troubleshooting electrical leakage will be simple if you understand the process, but it is also very dangerous if you do not ensure protection problems. You need to wear shoes and sandals to avoid the grounding current and causing danger to you. You can perform the test by following these steps:

Step 1: Determine the location of the leakage by disconnecting the main circuit breaker, then zoning the range of leakage currents by seeing at that range, whether the electricity meter rotates or not, if not, it means the area that leaked.

Step 2: Unplug all electrical equipment (washing machine, refrigerator, …) in the area of leakage and conduct timely inspection and repair.

Step 3: Turn the power meter back on and check if the devices are working properly again.

Hope the above article will help you know what leakage current is, how to check and fix leaky current at home. Any questions please leave a comment below!