How to see if there's DC at my AC outlets?


Can I simply take a voltmeter, set it to DC, to see if there's DC on my AC lines?

I have Joule Electra monoblocks with an external variac, and it has a tendency to hum / buzz rather loudly at times. I am wondering if its related to DC being present at the outlet. It's not due to ground loops, that I can tell.

Thanks!
1markr

Showing 3 responses by herman

Did you try going around your house and turning everything off to see if it stops? If you are in an apartment it could be your neighbors stuff.

Does the variac hum with nothing plugged into it? If it only hums with something plugged into it then something might be loose in the Variac, but I still think noise on the line is the most likely culprit.
"1ST Setting your voltmeter to DC and plugging it into and AC outlet will probably smoke the unit."

There will be no smoke, that will be fine if you want to try it.

"2ND Direct Current is not ever present in Alternating Current line nor visa versa."

Sorry, that's not true.

The buzz may be caused by noise on the line. A common culprit is a dimmer switch. I used to have an isolation transformer that buzzed loudly when the light in my stove hood was dimmed.
El, I have a Variac that has never buzzed that I noticed, but it is rated at 15 amps and I probably never got close to that limit.

Mark, now that I think about it, why are you using a Variac?