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When I test for amperage on the hot wire at breaker, with 4 tower fans going, 3 lights, Christmas lights, a computer, a TV, an Xbox, a router and an air purifier it shows 0.45 on the universal AC setting, then when I switch it to the 20A setting it shows an amp draw of 6.5, 200A shows 6.9 and 600A shows 0.00

The amp meter is just one of those 35 dollar ones that's rated at 600V Cat II 400A, I'm just not sure if this is a normal reading or if I just need to purchase a more reliable meter because I thought the universal AC setting was suppose to work with Amp

There's no configure button or setting on the meter

hello moto
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I would say test again with a good meter. A meter you don't trust is worse than worthless. A cat II rated meter technically isn't safe to use in the panel. More practically, I don't feel junk meters are safe to use period.

batsplatsterson
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    Nope, your life is not worth $35. Never buy cheapo meters, they can blow up in your hand/face. – Gunner Dec 21 '19 at 00:00
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What do the directions say? Most of the one's I've read over the last 55 years say to start at the highest scale and work your way down. Your readings seem to be good at the 20Amp scale. Most all meters are going to have a degree of tolerance and even if you have one calibrated it won't be certified 100% correct. I always make it a habit of checking my meters against a known load. Try taking a reading with just one tower fan going and compare it to the nameplate.

Batsplasterson is right about a cat II not really being a main panel meter. Think about upgrading.

JACK
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