How to Use a Digital Multimeter and Grounding
- 1). Turn off the electricity to the object you wish to test. Obviously if you are testing a battery you can't turn it off, but you need to disconnect it from whatever electrical device it powers. If you are are testing a circuit breaker, flip the breaker switch to the "Off" position.
- 2). Make sure you aren't grounded to the object you intend to test. This means you will want to insulate yourself by wearing rubber-soled shoes or standing on a rubber mat. Be sure not to touch any exposed metal pipes, fixtures or outlets with your bare hands that you intend to test.
- 3). Set the dial on the front of the digital multimeter to the function you would like. There will be settings for measuring in ohms, volts and AC output.
- 4). Plug the included leads into the labeled ports on the front of the multimeter.
- 5). Touch the ends of the leads to the object you would like to test. If you are testing a battery, run the positive (red) lead to the positive battery terminal and the negative (black) lead to the negative battery terminal. To test a circuit, touch the ends of both leads to the circuit.
- 6). Wait for the output to be displayed on the front LCD display of the digital multimeter.