voltage detectors

[pcboffinuk]

Hi all...

I'm planning to invest a little money in some decent tools before I start doing the job for real (i.e. not in parent's houses! ).

Does anyone have a view on voltage detectors? I have a standard cheapo 3 in 1 detector, and a Black and Decker one that came in a set, but I have not found them that useful. I found at my Father's that the metal mode detected the conduit, but the AC mode rarely detected the voltage (presumably because of the depth they were buried in the wall)

Is something like the Bosch PDO here
worth the extra investment, or are they all similar in performance?

Also, does anyone have experience of the fuse finders that are available? Socket & See do several, including one that works with dead circuits to trace cables up to 50cm apparently, and tlc also have a Martindale one here


Any thoughts or experiences, good or bad, gratefully received

Gavin

 

[dingbat]

The Bosch tool looks like a step up from the usual detectors but a problem with all of them is faith - would you absolutely trust it to be accurate every time?

The Martindale fuse finder I can be more specific about because I have one. I have found it to be a complete waste of time; on the two occasions I have tried to use it I have abandoned it in favour of the tried and tested method of turning everything else off and investigating one circuit at a time.

Far better than reliance on these types of gadget is experience. Save your money and put it towards decent professional test equipment. (And a course, so you know how to use it.)

 

[plugwash]

i'd imagine earthed metal conduit (or a cable type like pyro or SWA) would act as a screen stopping the voltage detector from functioning.

experiance is not going to tell you where the last installer put his out of zone cables (even if they are cable types allowed to be outside the zones you still don't wan't to it them with tools unnessacerally ). It might be an idea to try your detector somewhere that is wired in T&E without conduit and see how well it works in each mode.