Outlet Tester Bad?

[etherhuffer]

I was checking outlets with a simple three light tester. It showed a bad ground. Hmmmm Went through house, all outlets show no ground. Hmmmm...
Used a multimeter and checked between hot side of plug and ground. 120V no problem.

Ergo sum, bad tester. Not sure how old but I don't trust it now, trust my multimeter. Anyone have this happen?

 

[sparky 1971]

It happens. I just tossed one out that showed open neutral when that wasn't the case.

 

[mm08822]

There's not much to those testers. Open it up....probably find a broken trace or spent led.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Buy a new one

 

[etherhuffer]

Found my second one that I had buried. Yep, the tester was bad. Tossed the bad one.

 

[nadogail]

Found my second one that I had buried. Yep, the tester was bad. Tossed the bad one.

Receptacle Testers are consumables.

 

[dave*99]

I was checking outlets with a simple three light tester. It showed a bad ground. Hmmmm Went through house, all outlets show no ground. Hmmmm...
Used a multimeter and checked between hot side of plug and ground. 120V no problem.

Ergo sum, bad tester. Not sure how old but I don't trust it now, trust my multimeter. Anyone have this happen?

Yes you have a bad tester....
But do keep in mind a multimeter typically has a very high input impedance. Testing between hot and ground will often indicate 120V even with an open ground.
Some multimeters have a Low-Z which reduces their input impedance (some are 3000 ohms) and this will read an open ground correctly.
Fluke 113

Some folks use a solenoid tester (Wiggy etc.) for this test.

 

[mm08822]

My Wiggi equivalent will trip gfci devices when connected hot-grd. I rarely use a 3-light tester b/c it's just one more thing to carry.

 

[acer66]

I was checking outlets with a simple three light tester. It showed a bad ground. Hmmmm Went through house, all outlets show no ground. Hmmmm...
Used a multimeter and checked between hot side of plug and ground. 120V no problem.

Ergo sum, bad tester. Not sure how old but I don't trust it now, trust my multimeter. Anyone have this happen?

Interestingly enough that just happened to me also for the first time after many years of using them.

Send me rummaging around in the wiring etc. of my house.

Never thought they would go bad but another time GJ came to the rescue!

 

[etherhuffer]

I would love to own a Fluke meter, but don't do enough of this to warrant one. Just homeowner stuff. I was chasing a low voltage situation in a bathroom. Older house. When I put my hair dryer on the voltage would rock up and down and the lights would dim in unison. I thought I had a bad connection or weak breaker. Not so. Idiot me, my new hair dryer is 1875 watts, and this being an older home the bathroom only has a 15A circuit. Changed to a lower wattage hair dryer and the dimming was gone. And, the dryer seems to have some circuit in it that lets it rock up and down for some reason. 2 days of sleuthing for a problem that really didn't exist. Thanks everyone for your help though.

 

[dave*99]

And, the dryer seems to have some circuit in it that lets it rock up and down for some reason.

Maybe you hit the rev limiter.

 

[etherhuffer]

Maybe you hit the rev limiter.

Ha ha! there must be some protection circuit in that thing of some sort.