got a neon tester screwdriver? yes? then read this

[Tony6]

Paul C

That was a good but of info

It sound like i was told a load of b******s after all said and done

so im back to using them

Judge a man by getting hit on the chin and getting back up again to fight another day.

 

[plugwash]

if you used the neon, there would be ground so a voltage would show up

so what is ground if not earth?

neon screwdrivers are so high impedence that if placed between a live conductor and your body even if you are on wooden steps there is still enough cacpacitve coupling between you and the body of earth to make neons glow

its one of those things that you wouldn't expect to work but it does

proving dead with a multimeter or even a test lamp is all fine and dandy when you have a known good neutral or earth to clip the other end to but when you don't it suddenly becomes a lot less usefull

 

[oilman]

proving dead with a multimeter or even a test lamp is all fine and dandy when you have a known good neutral or earth to clip the other end to but when you don't it suddenly becomes a lot less usefull

Which is why the ritual of checking power to an appliance has been removed is so long winded if using a voltage indicator.
First check there is power to the appliance.
Switch off power.
Check power no longer goes to appliance.
Find power supply and check voltage indicator still works.

This also indicates the confidence level for active measuring devices. Fewer components, fewer things to go wrong. Neon screwdrivers have only two.

neon screwdrivers are so high impedence that if placed between a live conductor and your body even if you are on wooden steps there is still enough cacpacitve coupling between you and the body of earth to make neons glow

It seems to work this way round, with the driver touching the conductor and the operator up a ladder, but not as was stated earlier, with the operator standing on the ground and power lines somewhere around. This is because the capacitance between the screwdriver tip and the conductor is just not big enough. If the claim of needing 1mA was correct, the required capacitance may be difficult to achieve.

 

[L.Spark]

So long as they have GS38 approved test leads

LOL, you just couldnt resist adding that

BTW PW, Volt Stick/Trace for them time's there's no neutral

 

[DaveZetec]

I usually use these lamps as a backup test - Turn the breaker off and then attack the live with the neon jobbie first, just to be "double" sure. I've had problems with breakers not working, and fuse wire wrapped around the prongs of the socket for the fuse in an older CCU. Likewise, I've had more than one multimeter read zero for no good reason, without warning.


As far as the risk of the resistor going closed circuit is concerned, we have a number of levels of safety above this. First of all the current limiting neon light. This will usually stop much more than a few mA passing even off a good live feed. Secondly, the jolt from this few mA at about 170v will give you a good enough jolt to nock the tester out of your hand.


Personally I own 3 or 4 of them, they come in handy for a reasonable little screwdriver for wiring lamp roses at a push!

I might conduct a little test today and see exactly how much current passes into myself when using a test lamp, although I expect it will be so low that my multimeter will spook the reading.

You can study regulations all you like, but theres no substitute for a good understanding of electricity and some common sense.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You can study regulations all you like, but theres no substitute for a good understanding of electricity and some common sense.

How ironic that you should say that...

 

[DaveZetec]

You can study regulations all you like, but theres no substitute for a good understanding of electricity and some common sense.

How ironic that you should say that...

It wasn't intended to mean "don't study regulations"

although after reading your reply to my thread, I'll eat my own words

 

[L.Spark]

To be honest I just laugh at all of this, If you want to be able to get registered under trade bodies then they want to see GS 38 Approved test equipment, not a neon screwdriver.

Now I personally couldn’t care less who uses what, although it's blatantly obvious the major users of neon screwdrivers are DIY/hobbyists.

I also am not registered and won't be getting registered so I could use what I like (Till the clock ticks again) and look at this from two sides of the coin, however I choose to use a GS 38 Test lead I Have because that's what I’ve always used and found most useful, and as far as I’m concerned a orange glow just won't do.

I have several test leads one of which I use the most & will give me indication of AC and DC voltage, and set ranges starting at 5V up to about 600V.

This is far more use to me than a neon screwdriver!

 

[croydoncorgi]

At risk of prolonging this beyond all reasonable endurance....
I use a neon screwdriver NOT to test for live on conductors I'm about to touch but to check the wiring and operating state of boiler controls. In particular, it's USEFUL that the neon strikes at less than 240V and is looking for P-P rather than RMS. On some types of motorised valve, the motor is deliberately 'locked' with the valve half-open by being fed half-rectified mains! That's the way it works! And yes, the neon will show that the motor is 'energised', which is EXACTLY what I want to know. Trouble is, boiler manufacturers seem to be moving over to 24V AC and 24V DC controls and there's no 'one-handed' tester for me to use!

When I'm going to touch a conductor and only have a neon screwdriver to hand, I always confirm live, pop the breaker / isolator / whatever, then check not live. That way, I've stayed alive so far.

 

[TeesdaleSpark]

I use one of these

http://www.cuthbertsonlaird.co.uk/datasheets/fluke/Details_T100series.htm

which has an in built "neon screwdriver" and is also GS38 compliant. As pointed out your usual test lamps aren't much use if all you are presented with is one wire in a box - how do you know if its live or not?

As for the neon screwdriver that was dropped in the water - well I wouldn't recommend dropping any kind of instrument in the water and then using it.

 

[ebee]

and to think the ODPM Part P thingy shows a neon screwdriver.
Pathetic.
Bin all mains tester neon screwdrivers now.
Consign them to history

There`s a new law comming in
"Anyone found in possession of a neon screwdriver will be strapped to a 1 farad capacitor that has been charge up via a 1000v insulation tester"
Now that`s justice in action

 

[Abed]

I think there has been too much fuss about this subject, I mean using or not using a voltage tester screwdriver.
To my more than 40 years of experience, anything can be dangerous if you are not expert in using it. Multimeter is as dangerous as voltage indicator. The best way is to rely on a qualified electrician!

 

[Scud]

This one turned into Ben Hur didn't it? I work for DataserveUK, a meter operator, and we work now the way we always did. We use Drummond Test Lamps only, in conjunction with a test lamp proving unit, to prove a dead circuit. We do use neon testers, but their function is limited to proving polarity at the cable head where there is no independent earth.

I had to smile at Trainee's simple faith in the author of his personal 'bible'. Trainee, Jordan has been shortlisted for a literature prize for one of her children's books. Do you think of Jordan as highly literate, or as a massive pair on legs? It's a bit of a laep of faith for you to hit a bunch of sparkys with a combined length of service of about a million years with a guy who isn't even working as an electrician. "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." (Or write).

 

[securespark]

Before using one I always flick my finger across the tip, just in case there's a problem.

Here speaketh the man who trusteth the device...

 

[Spark123]

Back in the dark old days before part p too