Replacing an overhead light.
Using a light based electrical tester. In the ON postion it glows hot. In the OFF postion there is still a faint glow.
Is this an indication of other more serious problems?
House is knob and tube.
Replacing an overhead light.
Using a light based electrical tester. In the ON postion it glows hot. In the OFF postion there is still a faint glow.
Is this an indication of other more serious problems?
House is knob and tube.
There's a constant source of clean water for you to use, and all you have to do is collect it.
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Replies
With a neon tester that is perfectly normal, especially for K&T wiring.
Be careful, though. Often with K&T the neutral will be switched instead of the hot, so don't assume the fixture is "cold" even though the switch is off.
Edited 10/1/2005 1:27 pm ET by DanH
Yes, K & T is an indication of an electrical problem ;-)
Put a meter on it for definate results. I love my light tester but as they get older or if they are cheap they get bleed over. A good meter reading is the best way,
A high-impedance meter will have the same problem -- reading 50 volts on such a circuit. This is caused by capacitive coupling to the disconnected wire.
In some older houses (K&T) that do not have ground everywhere, there can still be a voltage even if the power is cut. May have something to do with multiple breakers using a common neutral, maybe not.
The problem IS the K&T. My insurance company would not insure our 1910 house until we removed all of the visible stuff (in the basement). Mostly, it seems, the stuff that is covered up in the walls & ceiling stays in pretty good shape, but a hazard exists for exposed wiring. Imagine someone hanging a shirt from the wire with a metal hanger while their hand still is on the dryer...
But if your right index finger is touching the dirt and your left toe is touching the hot in an overhead box . . . you're too crazy to worry about it.
I apologise for anything that may have came out of my mouth last night.
"But if your right index finger is touching the dirt and your left toe is touching the hot in an overhead box . . . you're too crazy to worry about it."
I'd like to see a picture of that. Is this like a one fingered handstand?