stainless finish switch plates

[amckay]

I've just put up a stainless switch plate.
The plate itself is giving me a reading of 10-12v.
Its earthed, and I've disconnected the earth just to see if any difference in voltage but there isn't.
Checked cables, no nips on insulation, nothing touching back box, its not tripping RCD, even when I touch the plate.
I'm just wondering where this 10v is coming from.
Any ideas on where to start "faultfinding" on this one?
Trench dug, tin hat on.

 

[alanl]

Try testing with an analog meter, and see what reading you get then.

I'd put money on it as being 0V.

Inductance/capacitance/earth leakage at an accessory will all give a very low reading with a digital meter. There are volts there, but no amps (ok, it is such a very low milliamp current that any analog meter will not be able to read it)

 

[amckay]

Cheers pal.
I don't own an analogue meter, would an analogue multimeter do the trick?

 

[telectrix]

yes.....

 

[snowhead]

The plate itself is giving me a reading of 10-12v.
Its earthed, and I've disconnected the earth just to see if any difference in voltage but there isn't.

12volt measured between the Switch plate and where?

 

[Engineer54]

Cheers pal.
I don't own an analogue meter, would an analogue multimeter do the trick?

That's what he was talking about!!

Every electrician should own a cheap anologue multimeter to cover just this sort of thing....

 

[amckay]

I thought he was talking about an old style analog voltmeter, similar looking to an analogue IR meter.
I have a cheap digital pocket multimeter already, I'll pick an analogue meter up cheap from amazon I guess!

 

[Pete999]

I've just put up a stainless switch plate.
The plate itself is giving me a reading of 10-12v.
Its earthed, and I've disconnected the earth just to see if any difference in voltage but there isn't.
Checked cables, no nips on insulation, nothing touching back box, its not tripping RCD, even when I touch the plate.
I'm just wondering where this 10v is coming from.
Any ideas on where to start "faultfinding" on this one?
Trench dug, tin hat on.

10-12 volts between what exactly?

 

[DPG]

As they said above - relative to what? Daz

 

[7029 dave]

As ^^^^

 

[amckay]

Sorry Pete and snowhead.
10v was measured between two parts of the plate.
I got 236v from line to neutral and 12v between line and CPC.
It just seemed strange to me so I thought I'd ask you lot as I'm not exactly full of "experienced" lol

 

[alanl]

Then go back and disconnect it, then put on a plastic switch, with nylon screws, or find where the CPC has been disconnected.

 

[DPG]

Surely if you work for an electrical testing company there must be someone who knows the appropriate tests to carry out? Daz