Electric line tester

Introduction Tester is the most important tool that an electrician keep with him. It is used for testing the presence of electric current in a line. This consist of a screw driver with a hollow plastic handle, a neon lamp, a resistance and a spring are arranged and the handle is covered by means of screw cap with a metal clip. A neon lamp takes very little current to light, and thus can use the user's body capacitance to earth ground to complete the circuit.

How to use a tester Testers are one of the simplest solutions, used to test current and voltage continuity in any circuit. When using an electrical tester, power at the main switch or to the switch that needs to be tested should be on. The user is required to be on the floor while using the tester so that he can serve as ground when current flows. contnd..

In order to test the live wire, the user’s body must be in contact with the metal cap on the top of the screwdriver when the tester is put in contact with the wire. This completes a genuine electrical circuit and the bulb will light up once the tester senses voltage.

Disadvantages If the shaft is exposed a shock hazard to the user exists, and the internal construction of the tester provides no protection against short-circuit faults. Failure of the resistor and lamp series network can put the user in direct metallic contact with the circuit under test. water trapped inside the screwdriver may allow enough leakage current to shock the user. contnd..

The lamp provides no indication below the strike voltage of the neon lamp, and so cannot detect certain hazardous leakage conditions.