Non Contact voltage Tester

Joined
11 Feb 2016
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Monmouthshire
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United Kingdom
As title, which voltage tester would folks recommend please. I am not looking at cheap unless its good as well?
Thanks
litl
 
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They have their uses and they also have their faults. It's how you use them within their limitations that counts.
for example you find a cable under the floor and want to know if it's live before you cut it. Not totally reliable but probably better than just going in with the cutters.
If your working on a circuit though and test that the detector is picking up the current then fine to check that you did actually turn the circuit off before working on it, what's wrong with that. They can obviously malfunction, but so can any other test equipment or more importantly, so can the human brain.
 
Some people in the morque had used them.

Why do they use them?
Are you getting your electricians and morticians mixed up?

You don't want to be telling the wrong one that there was a flash, bang and now everything is dark and not live. That could be awkward.
 
I think part of the issue lies in the lack of 'instructions' that come in the box with these units - people just treat them like a magic electricity detector...which they kind of are but they have limitations. Personally I'm paranoid when it comes to electrics (house renovation so I'm looking at someone else's work) so I double check everything with a multimeter before I start undoing terminals etc.
 
It depends what you are and what you want to achieve.

If you are electrically biased and want to confirm the presence of voltage on an appliance or visible cable or wall furniture, get a decent fluke pen. If this option suits, make sure you dont get a resistive pen ( the ones for a couple of quid off the net where your finger makes the circuit- these are lethal). They can be very effective but dont specify a voltage level, they just confirm that there is a voltage present. It may be anywhere between its detecting range.

If you want to detect in wall fabric then go for a good make but dont trust it - some work very well but some really dont. Use it as a guide then cut saw or hammer very carefully and make sure the installation is RCD protected. If it isnt, get a friend to cut saw or hammer.

Bargains can be had but as the vast majority of tools are Chinese imports and some consisting of many salvaged components, spend that little bit more and buy Brit or German.
 

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