Safety Question

Quick question about safety:

I’ve read the docs regarding possible damage to the CT if they’re clamped onto active lines but aren’t plugged into the IotaWatt, and how that could also potentially be a safety hazard. The recommendation is to short the 3.5mm headphone connection if they’re going to be unplugged for more than a few hours.

  1. How would I go about shorting it?
  2. If something were to happen to the IotaWatt (e.g., hardware failure), but the CTs were still plugged in, would that prevent damage incurred from a live line?

Thanks!

I usually wrap a strip of aluminum foil around the jack.

When plugged into the IoTaWatt they are fine whether the unit is working or not.

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Would this work?

No, I don’t believe so.

Is this the case even if the unit is totally unplugged?

Yes, when you plug the CT in it is shored by the burden resistor.

It seems one would have to cut the wire and connect left and right to ground in order to use an extension or y to short. Found this great site to explain these jacks.

To be specific connect tip to sleeve.

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