UsableThought said:
I'd suggest that the cheapie detectors are perhaps the worst of the available choices.
OTOH they'll find 99% of anything an average homeowner can fix by himself.
And a RPBG, the dangerous mis-connection, will announce itself first time you touch an appliance that's plugged into it.
If a fellow's got an old house with only two wire Romex (no Earth conductor) and all his three prong outlets were "bootlegged"(a new term to me) by some unscrupulous prior owner, then as you say the cheapie won't show that. First receptacle he opens will make it obvious, though. Anybody sneaky enough to do that would probably do a good job so as to not get caught.
If the third prong isn't "bootlegged' the cheapie tester
will find it.
My utility room is wired that way, no ground wire but not bootlegged.
That room was added, i found out, by a scalawag contractor forty years ago who'd got a pile of two wire romex sans ground real cheap.. Some of it wound up in my utility room. He just left the ground prong unconnected.
When i found that, which i did because the three light checker showed open ground, i replaced his three-prong/
non-"bootlegged" outlets with old fashioned two prong ones and put in three-to-two cheaters. That way it's obviously a workaround for obsolete wiring that lacks an earthing conductor.
I grounded the washing machine to the copper water pipe . Noblesse Oblige.
Most electric tools and appliances nowadays are double insulated and come with two prong cords so the obsolete wiring in that one room isn't much of an inconvenience. Re-paneling that room is on the "Do List" , will rewire when walls are open for that .
Rest of the house, built around 1960, is 12/3 grounded. I did find more than one hot-neutrals swapped, though.
To check ground integrity i make a "poor man's test fixture",
consisting of a 100 watt lightbulb in a lamp socket,
center of socket connected (through a switch) to hot of course
and barrel of socket switchable(a separate switch) to either neutral or earthing conductor.
Lightbulb should light with neutral selected to neutral, of course,
and also should light with neutral switched to earthing conductor unless it's on a GFCI circuit.
Voltage measurements between Neutral and Earthing conductor give me a clue as to condition of those two paths.
I've found and fixed a lot of loose connections in old buildings that way.
But that's something you shouldn't try unless you're very familiar with electrical safety. So i think every homeowner ought to have one of those cheapie receptacle checkers in his toolbox or desk drawer and know how to use it.
It's not perfect but way better than not looking at all.
I got some 12/2 Romex sans ground by accident.
Found it's got the /U insulation for wet locations so am using it for low voltage lights out to the Barbecue/Tiki area.. That's all it's good for.
old jim
PS Thanks for those links they're real practical.
A fellow should print out that "Circuit Detective" one on how to use the three light tester and keep it with his tester.
In this day and age homeowners should understand household wiring.
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