Intrepreting multimeter results

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rossbryant1956
Posts: 471
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:08 pm
Location: Montgomery Village, MD

Intrepreting multimeter results

Post by rossbryant1956 »

I have been battling what many think is a stray voltage problem in my tanks. Weird pH probe readings, salinity probe being off etc. I purchased a digital multimeter from Home Depot and am trying to figure out what it means when I use it. Using it for testing AC it has two settings, 200V and 600V.

I have two tanks, nothing hooked up to them right now but main pumps (eheim 1262's). When I test one tank I get a reading between 1.0 and 2.0. Testing the other tank returns the same value. One of the tanks has a grounding probe on it, and if plugged in, it comes out as 0.00. The only real difference between the two settings is decimal point accuracy

What readings should I see? Can anyone help me understand all of this? Thanks in advance.
Roscoe's Reefs - Starting Over Again:

Building new 29g Nano after landlord went berserk over my 4 75 gallon tanks, Multiple RA's, Water mixing stations, etc. Your help welcomed in remembering all I've forgotten.
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Sacohen
Posts: 1833
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 6:25 am
Location: Davie, FL

Re: Intrepreting multimeter results

Post by Sacohen »

The lower the range, the more accurate it is going to be with small amounts of voltage.
I would use the 200V range.

When you test the black probe in in the ground of an outlet and the red probe is in the water, correct?
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