What safety precaution should you take when using a clamp-on ammeter to check amperes?

When using a clamp-on ammeter to check amperes, it is essential to ensure that the test probes are disconnected from the input jacks. This precaution is vital for safety because clamp-on ammeters are designed to measure current without the need to make physical contact with any electrical circuit through probes. If the test probes are connected while using the clamp feature of the ammeter, it may lead to incorrect readings or potentially create a short circuit, which can pose electrical hazards.

This practice allows the meter to function as intended—by encompassing the conductor without interference from the probes, ensuring both accurate measurements and the safety of the user.

While wearing protective gloves and turning off power sources can be good general practices in certain electrical measurements, when specifically using a clamp-on ammeter, the key safety step is to maintain the proper configuration of the device by disconnecting the probes.