Often I will test polarity of a newly installed light fixture by touching the tip of my non-contact tester (Fluke VoltAlert 1AC) to the hot contact in the bottom of the light socket. If it beeps I know that there’s power and that polarity is correct.
Yesterday I installed and tested a ceiling fan light fixture with 3 intermediate bases but the tester would not sound its alarm. I touched the threaded outer shell of the socket too, but got no response there either. I thought for a moment that there might not be any power to the socket, but when I installed a light bulb it worked.
Does anyone know why my tester can read voltage on the bottom contact of a medium base socket but not an intermediate socket?
BruceT
Replies
IMO those testers were never intended to use as a troubleshooting tool, period !
they can make you aware of the presence of voltage but they are not foolproof,nor should they be used as the last word, as your light bulb proved.
So to me this is one of those times when you just need to say oh well, if you know you did the work correctly what difference does it make ?
those things have a purpose but checking my own work is never on the list.
they should be kept in your pocket, in fact the only time I carry one is when demolition going on, the rest of the time it is in a bag along with about seven others
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This is not a direct response to our query, but I was surprised by my Fluke non-contact tester when the battery died between the checking of two circuits. I always test it on a known live circuit before I test out anything I want to work on. I tested one circuit which said it was live and then touched a second one with no response. I was surprised as I thought the second circuit was also live, so went back to my known hot circuit and again got no response. Put in a new battery and then both circuits test as hot. I have another tester which periodically gives a little flash to show that it is working. I had found this slightly disconcerting, but I may start using it instead of the Fluke.
Well, you know their motto: If it works, it's a Fluke.
There is no absurdity that human beings will not resort to in order to defend another absurdity. -- Cicero
they can be frustrating at the wrong time, like say when there are 30 or 40 pipefitters and boilermakers standing around while you try to find the non existant hot circuits, or trying to find out why some guys 5280' of extension cord keeps going dead...
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They'll also give you readings when there's some real low fantom voltage present.I always keep checking them against live circuits, but if I start getting weirdness, I'll pull out the digital meter to confirm...JT
+1. Always have a DMM for failsafe.
Just replaced a light fixture yesterday that was hot with the switch off...(they switched the neutral...)Just goes to show - don't trust the switch!JT
There ya go!
I am assuming that some way that you know that the local pull chain, if it has one is one.
My first guess is that it with the small diameter of the shell that it acted as sheild and most of the field was constrained to too small of an area.
Another possibility is that if this has a builtin remote control that without any loads (bulbs) the triac that is used as the switch stay triggers.
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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.