I had an electrician come in and do all the wiring for me. I then finished the basement and am now wiring up all the outlets and switches.
I have one of those insulated screwdrivers that has a circuit censor built in. It’s supposed to beep if the circuit is live.
The problem I’m having is that it’s ALWAYS beeping on any of the wires regardless of whether or not the circuit is actually hot.
I can flip the breaker, test the wires with a standard circuit tester and it’s dead. Yet the screwdriver beeps. Flip the circuit back on, test with the circuit tester, it’s hot, and the screwdriver beeps.
So, is this just a stupid tool that’s not really doing what it was advertised to do, or does the beeping indicate some issue with how the system was wired up?
Replies
Chances are the neutral wire in that box may also be serving another circuit that is in use, so your screwdriver is seeing that current flow even when your hot wire is dead.
It's a stupid tool that picks up "phantom" voltage.
"I can flip the breaker, test the wires with a standard circuit tester and it's dead. Yet the screwdriver beeps. Flip the circuit back on, test with the circuit tester, it's hot, and the screwdriver beeps.
So, is this just a stupid tool that's not really doing what it was advertised to do, or does the beeping indicate some issue with how the system was wired up?"
Darrel my boy, Have you seen the new movie Step Brothers yet? I saw it Friday and your question reminds me of those two guys.
Thanks. ROFLMAO.
For several years I used a GB "wiggler", but I was finding that it was overly sensitive. It would detect everything within 12" and left me chasing "phantom hot" situations that were actually dead.
The GB was totally useless when it came to "sensing out" a junction box full of mixed circuit wires from past rewiring efforts of previous "electricians"!
I bought a $23 Greenlee with variable sensitivity themb control....now I can turn down the sensitivity and go into a mass of wiring connnections and single out the "hot" wires without a problem.
A screwdriver is a screw driver.
A wiggler is current detector.
A meter is a current quantifier.
............Iron Helix
I have that GB..it keeps telling me my metal roof is energized. I have a few wires running nearby on a rafter, but the whole damm roof is reading hot. And yes I REALLY tested by holding a ground wire and licking the roof panel. (G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You gonna play that thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
what does a hot roof taste like?
Mostly rust.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
You gonna play that thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32Ln-SpJsy0
Don't try that trick on a sub zero day!
Hey keep on subject !!Nobody asked aboot refridgmataters....
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"After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion" -Neil deGrasse Tyson
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If Pasta and Antipasta meet is it the end of the Universe???
Can your roof be hot on a subzero day?Without napalm?
And a hammer will end the false postives from that screwdriver of his...very quickly. LOL.
What's the big deal about carrying a small meter around? If someone doesn't know how to read one, they can buy theirs at an electronics store and have it explained to them by a kid behind the counter who designs and builds his own robots.
Edited 8/3/2008 8:07 am by Hudson Valley Carpenter
It ain't a big deal. I just had a momentary laps of 'consumer expectations'. I know that one shouldn't expect anything to work as advertised anymore. ;o)
I know that one shouldn't expect anything to work as advertised anymore. ;o)
For me the humor isn't about the tool being a modern piece of junk, it's the old scam about tools that are supposed to perform two or more useful functions.
Like the Veggie-matic slicer or what about big belt buckles which house some kind of killer Ninja throwing star?
In my mind, that's the kind of sales pitch that caught you off guard.
Mine was a fake Swiss watch, which cost me about $50 in today's money, when I was a teenager. The "diamonds" in the dial fell out and the watch stopped dead on the third day after I bought it from a guy driving a big Cadillac at a gas station.
I had a good laugh at that one and learned an important lesson too.
Edited 8/4/2008 10:05 am by Hudson Valley Carpenter
"For several years I used a GB "wiggler""A Wiggly is a SQ D trade mark for a solenoid tester.http://tinyurl.com/57pepesolenoid testers have two leads and have a solenoid that pulls against a spring for a crude voltmeter. You an tell the difference between 120 and 240. But not if you have 110 rather than 120.they draw enough current that will definitely not be affected by phantom voltage.BG has similar tester.http://www.buzzillions.com/dz_30682_gardner_bender_solenoid_voltage_tester_reviewsWhile the solenoid testers are still available many of them now use bar graph of lights. And some of them combine functions with a continuity tester and/or non contact tester.GD does make the Volt Check which is a combination light bar style "wiggly", condintuing tester, and non-contact tester. The voltage tester and continuity tester use the 2 leads. The non-contact tester sensor is the tip on the end.http://www.electricsuppliesonline.com/gabegvvochvo.htmlGB basic non contact tester is the Circuit Alert.http://www.bizrate.com/electricalsupplies/oid711111548.html.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
A great resource.....You always amaze me!
Locally the non contact current detector is affectionately a "wiggler" or "beeper".
So I follow the the lemmings right of the cliff in total ignorance!
I'll refrain from "wiggler" lest I get what I don''t expect!
Thanks for the info and links!
..............Iron Helix
FWIW it's WIGGY not WIGGLY but what does ACE Hardware know ?? and it was a nickname for Wigginton....
which SqD has apparently sold a license for to Klein,
( who is known for their voltage testers )
http://www.kleinconnection.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category4_10001_10001_-1_13522_Electrical-Testersthe main problem with a wiggy in industrial workis when you are when working on electronic equipment that contains SCRs ..... because the solenoid testers will damage those components, where a neon tester will not, another annoying problem for me is you have to be looking at the newer style tester which at times can be difficult, but some of Flukes' testers have a HOLD button, which can also be a PITA to presspersonally I always preferred the wiggy type since increasing voltages feel and sound different, since there is a huge difference between feeling 120 and 480 with them plus the arc that the probes draw at 480 are kinda big, I can only imagine what it looks like at the Canadian 575V.
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<left me chasing "phantom hot" situations that were actually dead.>
Boy, if that's not the story of my life!
Forrest
I was speaking in electrical terms...not social circumstance!
Although that is also true to life's experiences!
..................Iron Helix
If you still have the paperwork that came with it you may get a clue there. Other then that I can't find a tactful way to tell you that it's junk.
The only ones I like are the ones from Fluke. And I'm careful with even those.
I'm moving to the country, I'm gonna eat a lot of Peaches. Aug. 8,9,10th Follow me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19McuaPKjI8
those types of testers are at best intended for an initial check of a circuit, and should never be trusted to verify anything by themselves.
they are nice to have in your pocket and further troubleshooting should be done with a different tester or by someone who has a better understanding of the what the tools limitations are
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Yea, this is definitely 'yet another dumb tool'. It's not that great of a screw driver, either.Today I noticed it reading my Coax cables as being hot, even though they aren't actually plugged into any signal yet.
the fact of the matter is that even the big electrical names makes lots of useless stuff as well, to the point that word of mouth is the best endorsement....
unless it comes from some 1st yr. apprentice who is simply amazed by whatever his tool du jour is tic tracers are used to make us pause and check a circuit, but never verify it. which we have to do, because large contractors will FIRE you if you work on anything hot without the proper tools and equipment anymore,
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Actually, the screwdriver keeps beeping because you have it in reverse.
ROAR.
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