KNOW YOUR TOOLS

How To Use A Voltage Tester/ Plug-in Tester

The Virtual Electrician goes over two of the most important tools an electrician or do-it-yourselfer will need to troubleshoot their electrical issue. The first tool is the presence tester also called a voltage tester. This is a favorite tool among electricians because it helps prevent getting shocked. It is also one of the easiest electrician’s tool to use. All you have to do is turn it on and stick it on the electrical wire. If it lights up and beeps, then that means the circuit is hot (hot means on). If it doesn’t do anything, then the circuit is off. You always want to check to see if the circuit is off before you work on it. Even if someone says it is off. Never trust anything but the tools in your hand.

The other tool the virtual electrician goes over is the plug-in tester. This is also a very useful electrical tool. The plug-in tester comes with three lights on it and if it is a gfci plug-in tester, it will also have a black button on the top of it. Stick the plug-in tester into an outlet. You will see one of six sequences of lights come on. The plug-in tester will tell you what those lights mean. You can also push the black button on top of the plug-in tester. If the lights go off then that means it is gfci protected. The button sends a ground fault through the receptacle. If the receptacle turns off then you need to find the gfci that is connected to it. Reset the gfci to turn back on the receptacle. If you push the button and nothing happens then that means that the receptacle is not gfci protected.