Summary: Amprobe’s Electrical Test Kit provides a complete set of testing tools to help diagnose basic electrical circuits and determine when to call in a pro on that fix-it chore. Tom Kraeutler of The Money Pit shows you how to test outlets, find live wires and more.
TOM: Hey, it’s Tom Kraeutler from the Money Pit Home Improvement radio show, and I’m on the floor of 2011 National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. Now, this is a show where over one hundred thousand new products are introduced. And I found a really cool product from Amprobe that I want to tell you about now.
It’s Amprobe’s Electrical Test Kit. What makes this really special is that there are three electrical products in one. You have a socket tester. You have a non-contact voltage tester, and you have a digital meter, all in one. A multi-meter that does it all.
Let me show you how you can use this product. First of all, with the socket tester, simply put it in the socket. If you get the two lights that light up, this means that you have a properly wired socket. Now, there are many times when you would wire a socket, and it would work if you plug something in, like a vacuum cleaner, but it could be ungrounded or wired backwards, and that could be very dangerous.
Now, you can, also, use this to test ground fault outlets. Simply plug it in, then use the test button. This will tell you if the ground fault circuit is wired properly. That’s going to protect you against electrical shock.
Now, if you have a wire that runs through your house, you’re wondering if it’s hot, that’s why you use the non-contact voltage tester. So you take this detector, turn it on, bring it up to the wire. If it’s a hot wire, it’s going to light and blink and beep just like that, letting you know you’ve got a hot circuit, and one you have to be careful of.
Now, the digital multi-meter is the final piece of the package. This is terrific for all sorts of electrical projects around your house. You can be repairing an appliance, wondering a fuse is bad or not, checking continuity on a hot water coil in a water heater. Lots of things that you can think of electrically that you’re doing in your house, whether it’s AC current or DC, even like a power tool that you’re working on. This digital multi-meter will help you figure out if it’s working right, and if it’s not, what needs to be done to fix it.
The entire kit though is available for under thirty-five dollars at Lowes, the Amprobe Electrical Test Kit.
If you want more tips on products like this and so much more, visit our website at moneypit.com.
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