Reddit Reddit reviews Power Gear 3 Wire Receptacle Tester, Outlet Tester, 6 Visual Indications, Light Indicator, UL Listed, Gray, 50542

We found 83 Reddit comments about Power Gear 3 Wire Receptacle Tester, Outlet Tester, 6 Visual Indications, Light Indicator, UL Listed, Gray, 50542. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Tools & Home Improvement
Electrical Equipment
Electrical Testers
Voltage Testers
Power Gear 3 Wire Receptacle Tester, Outlet Tester, 6 Visual Indications, Light Indicator, UL Listed, Gray, 50542
Detects probable improper wiring conditions in standard 110-125 VAC outletsProvides 6 probable wiring conditions that are quick and easy to read for ultimate efficiencyLights indicate if wiring is correct and indicator light chart is includedTests standard 3-wire outletsUL ListedLight indicates if wiring is incorrect
Check price on Amazon

83 Reddit comments about Power Gear 3 Wire Receptacle Tester, Outlet Tester, 6 Visual Indications, Light Indicator, UL Listed, Gray, 50542:

u/vesperholly · 154 pointsr/LifeProTips

Also if the house is pre-1960s, get this little gizmo and test for grounded outlets. Three-pronged outlets do NOT automatically mean they're grounded. It doesn't necessarily mean you need to rewire the house or anything, but it's something to be aware of.

u/Camera_dude · 61 pointsr/talesfromtechsupport

I've only had to repair an outlet a few times but this method is pretty safe:

Flip the breakers for the outlets in the room (do NOT trust the labels on a breaker box, lazy contractors often fail to label properly), then take an outlet tester and plug it into both outlets on the one you're working on AND a neighboring outlet. If it doesn't light up, you're good to start opening up the outlet.

Triple-check that the wiring is done right when you're finished and cable nuts/clamps fully secure all wires then power back on the breaker. Test again with an outlet tester before plugging in any electronics. IMMEDIATELY flip off the breaker again if the tester does not show the correct led light set.

The important part of doing any home repairs is never assume that something is off, or that there's no juice going to that wire. Check always anyway. 10 seconds of testing saves 10 days in a hospital.

u/jlt6666 · 47 pointsr/buildapc

Naw, just get one of these. Way easier and will tell you about upstream issues.

u/doctechnical · 43 pointsr/videos

> And one would think that the installer should test that kind of stuff.

If you had someone come to your house to install a big-screen TV, would you expect them to check the outlets to make sure they were wired correctly?

What I would do if I were you: Go to you local hardware store and buy an outlet tester like this - shouldn't be more than five or six bucks. Plug that sucker in and look at the lights. It will tell you instantly if the outlet is wired correctly or not.

If it isn't, call an electrician to fix that.

u/punkynyan · 30 pointsr/buildapc

Your home may be universally wired incorrectly...

Get one of these things at the hardware store and check: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/ameoba · 15 pointsr/buildapc

Get an outlet tester. If this wasn't a problem before, I suspect somebody did a shitty job wiring up your place. If the wiring is faulty... umm... I'm not sure how to fix it but, technically, it should be your landlord's problem but things might not work that way in Indonesia.

I wouldn't plug in the PC until you've got that figured out unless you're OK with with frying your computer to get in a few more rounds of DOTA.

u/cloudmech · 13 pointsr/applehelp

OP this is actually a problem you should get fixed soon. Stop by a hardware store and pick up an inexpensive outlet tester - it looks like a male three prong plug with lights on the other side and a little chart to tell you what they mean

Test your outlets to confirm they're grounded. As your Mac generates EMI inside it relies on the case for grounding - it can build up a low level of voltage you probably won't feel.

The reason you're picking up an AM station is that radio is a form of radiation and your giant aluminum box is getting hit with. Without a ground - it is one giant antenna funneling all sorts of emi radiation into the box. Not good for the of your computer and could pose a risk to you.

If you find it's not grounded, that's not up to code in most places - work with your landlord or building manger to resolve the issue.


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receptacle_tester

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002LZTKIA?pc_redir=1409579983&robot_redir=1

u/chortle-guffaw · 13 pointsr/legaladvice

The receptacle may be grounded. Buy a three-prong adapter. It will have a metal grounding tab on the end that can be screwed into the wall plate. Buy a receptacle tester at any hardware store and plug it into the adapter. It will tell you if there is ground or not.

u/AtomicFlx · 11 pointsr/amateurradio

You might want to travel with a plug tester like this. Would make for an exciting day to find the hot and ground swapped because some idiot didn't know how to hook up a plug properly.

u/randallphoto · 10 pointsr/buildapc

As long as you're not exceeding 2000+ watts in the same room, you'll likely be fine as most circuits in the US have 15-20amp breakers/fuses.

No real danger of a blackout or brown out, the computer will just shut off. You could always pick up a UPS backup if you're worried about that.

If you live in a place that has lightning I would recommend a good surge protector, not just a power strip.

Only possible super rare thing I've seen to worry about with electricity and computers is if you have a computer on one outlet and you connect HDMI or similar to a TV that's plugged into another circuit and if there's an issue with wiring in your house/apt it could burn things out. I use one of these http://www.amazon.com/GE-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle-Tester/dp/B002LZTKIA/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1398086820&sr=1-1&keywords=receptacle+tester to test circuits to be sure :P

u/immaseaman · 8 pointsr/HomeImprovement

Look into code, don't cut corners and get yourself one of these outlet testers to check your work. Like someone else said, hooking up sub panels and big jobs, have someone come in.

I'm lucky my brother in law is a very professional electrician, I always check my plans with him and I do all the work. He'll come and make the connection at the panel just to be safe, but after watching him I'd feel comfortable doing that.

u/credomane · 7 pointsr/techsupportgore

Well I was referring to one of these. Besides if you could plug OP's "finder" into the socket for a stove/drier you have other issues. Those should be using a 3 or 4-prong 240V outlet (in the USA anyhow).

u/rdepalma · 6 pointsr/Comcast

I think you might need an electrician. To me, it sounds like something is shorting the coax with the electrical outlet. You indicated when he tugged on the coax, a breaker tripped.
Right there, that set off flags as I was reading it. The problem may not be in the outlet right next to where he was working, but somewhere up the line from there.

I would start with a voltage tester like this
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA/ref=lp_14244481_1_12?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1487627980&sr=1-12
and go from there.

If the problem is electrical, comcast wont touch it (even if they caused it, but good luck proving that).

u/abhikavi · 6 pointsr/RealEstate

You can buy a little device very cheaply to tell you if three-prong outlets are grounded. If they're probably not even grounded the lazy way (to the outlet box) and simply have a wire missing, you could repair this yourself for <$10.

Obviously two-prong outlets will not be grounded. That's a convenience issue, but not a safety issue. The lack of GFI outlets in the kitchen (or bath, or anywhere near water) could be a safety issue, and that would be the one thing I think it'd be reasonable to ask the landlord to do. GFI outlets are ~$10 apiece and those can safely be grounded to their box as well.

u/nonya-in · 6 pointsr/AskElectronics

Since this is apparently affecting more than one device you should first check the outlet. Get one of these and test that the outlet is properly wired. It sounds like there may be voltage present on your ground (that would be bad). Or if you aren't comforatble testing yourself hire an electrician. This is potentially dangerous.

u/evanrly · 5 pointsr/audioengineering

Qbox, cable checker, XLR barrels [F-F,M-M,Phase reverse, -20&-50db pads, ground lift, ISO barrel], AC Wiring Tester, XLR Y's, 1/4 male to XLR-F and M, 1/8" to rca/xlr/1/4, NL4&NL8 barrels. Batteries, and more batteries.

Those seem to be my essentials, and get used the most. Probably forgetting something.

u/Aeroflux · 5 pointsr/oculus

It's overkill until the lack of having one bricks your PC power supply (or worse). I've had APC units for over thirteen years now. I use their surge bars for equipment that won't be bothered by a sudden drop, and a couple UPS units for everything else, including a front projector. You want to talk about dire consequences with a blackout, the projector bulb can pop without the cool-down phase. That's ~$350 a bulb.

Electronics aren't just sensitive to surge, line noise and under-voltage can also damage them. PC power supplies can regulate voltage to an extent, but I'd rather have something else step in when electricity gets funky. I remember one voltage drop caused half of my power adapters in the house to die. That was a good day for the scalpers at radio-shack.

APC has given me nothing but good experiences. One of the UPS units was toasted by a powerful surge--I used to live in tornado alley, we had storms that exceeded 600 lightning strikes an hour. It took them about a week (total turnaround) to replace it under warranty. They even offered to replace my really old UPS unit with a brand new one for cheap. Now I have a fast-reacting 900 joules capacity single-plug surge protector on the main UPS as a backup to the backup. Hey, it was ten bucks, why not?

Another thing I do is test the outlets with one of these every time I move to a new location. I've encountered enough bad wiring to pick up a healthy paranoia. :)

u/Koooooj · 5 pointsr/NoStupidQuestions

It's possible, but if that's the case then your house is wired seriously, seriously wrong. I doubt that you'd notice it with a phone charger.

When I moved into a house a couple decades ago it was wired very very poorly. Ground was hooked up on hot wires, polarity was reversed, ground was left dangling, you name it. The previous owner fancied himself a handyman and he really, really wasn't.

If you have reason to suspect that you have wiring problems then it's easy to check. Most big hardware stores sell a device like this which will automatically detect if your outlets are wired correctly when plugged in. They're only a few bucks which is likely cheaper than whatever device a faulty outlet might destroy.

If your phone seems to be taking odd amounts of time to charge first make sure that you're using the same charger in each (some chargers put out more power than others) and if you are then try a more scientific test (same software load, same amount of screen on-time, same start and end battery percentage). It's quite likely that it's just in your head, but the only way to be sure is to do some science!

u/molo1134 · 4 pointsr/buildapc

Ham radio operator here. Make sure you have proper grounding. That is, make sure you have a shielded PC case (NO BIG PLEXIGLAS WINDOWS), and make sure your power cord is properly grounded (3-prong plug into a 3-prong outlet). Make sure your outlet is appropriately grounded (get one of these). Make sure your home/building uses an appropriate ground rod at your mains feedpoint (where the power lines enter your building).

Then, ferrites on all cords leading to your audio amplifier (amplified speakers). That includes, the audio input, the power line and any speaker outputs.

u/badger-dude · 4 pointsr/HomeImprovement

Get one of these and test ALL the outlets. The three pong receptacles may not be properly grounded.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

With my 1950's house I got lucky. The house was wired with a ground wire but since this was before the days of 3 prong receptacles they tied the ground wire to each receptacle box (all metal boxes). Everything was grounded properly at the panel so all I had to do was just add a short piece of copper from a spare screw in each box to the ground screw of the new three prong receptacles I bought.

The sidebar link that was provided will give you other options aside from a full rewire job.

u/obsoletest · 4 pointsr/AskNYC

The bigger issue is what's in the wall behind the outlets. Two-prong outlets are connected to hot and neutral wires only. Three-prong outlets are connected to hot, neutral, and ground wires (contained in a single cable). Changing the outlet won't help, other than giving something three-prong plugs will fit into. The wiring in the walls would need to be replaced, which could be an expensive proposition. I'd also check those kitchen outlets to see if they're actually grounded. It would be unusual for part of an apartment to get rewired and not the whole thing. This type of device will answer that question quickly: http://www.amazon.com/GE-3-Wire-Receptacle-Tester-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA/ref=sr_1_3

u/scramblor · 3 pointsr/ToobAmps

Are you properly grounding the amp and is your house properly grounded?

You can get something like this on amazon for pretty cheap to test your outlets.

u/jmdbcool · 3 pointsr/pics

That's the cheapo version; spend the extra couple bucks and get the GE model which will last forever.

u/phracture · 3 pointsr/buildapc

If you are curious about outlets and want to safely check them to see if they are set up properly, buy one of these or an equivalent: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

Should be available at most hardware stores also. Not sure if they have these for other non american outlet types

u/notaneggspert · 3 pointsr/DiWHY

These are $4 and idiot proof. I honestly wouldn't know how to check ground/neutral with a multi-meter.

Edit: Splurge on the $7 tester with a GFCI test, even if you're not replacing your bathroom receptacle you can double check it works.

u/kc2syk · 3 pointsr/rfelectronics

Hi. There's a couple things you can do to reduce RFI. Like you said, you can use a shielded cable. It would help if you can connect both ends to ground -- but make sure your electrical mains entrance ground is correct and up to code. You should have a ground rod right below the entrance, and it should be connected to your panel. All lines should be grounded lines, and you should have 3-prong outlets for all circuits. Get an outlet tester to be sure all sockets are wired correctly.

Another thing you can do is add ferrites on all wires going into and out of the HVAC units (power, data, everything). These act as RF filters.

Now bluetooth and microwave ovens use the same frequency band (2.4 GHz). Its not unusual for some low level RF energy to leak out of microwave ovens, and overpower a low-power data connection like bluetooth. But if its more than a low-power leak it may indicate a faulty oven, or a bad ground.

Its possible you have a nearby intermittent transmitter that is affecting things. It could be an airport thing, or maybe a two-way radio like for police or fire, or maybe a neighbor with a CB radio or ham radio. If this is a licensed user and they have a correctly engineered installation, its up to your devices to accept interference. Proper grounding and filtering will help though.

I hope this gives you someplace to start. Good luck.

u/SrSkippy · 3 pointsr/HomeImprovement

Get an outlet tester. Use it on every receptacle affected by the work including those in other parts of the house that might be on the circuits directly affected.

Get a multimeter. Use the AC testing function on the part that shocked you. Connect the red wire to the right most socket on the meter and put the probe and where you touched that shocked you. Put the black wire in the center socket on the meter and put the probe in the ground pin of a nearby receptacle. If you get any constant AC voltage over 1V, you have an issue with the power supply within the dryer (most likely).

Also use the multimeter on your outlet the dryer is fed from. You should put the black probe in the ground, and the red in each of the three (or two if your dryer is older) other holes in that receptacle. You should get two of them that measure 120V AC, and one that measures 0 AC and less than 1 V DC. Then measure from one hot to the other and just confirm you get 240V AC. If you get these values and you saw a voltage when testing the inside of the dryer, the dryer is the issue. Anything else means the wiring is borked.

The $20 you spend on these will be less than 1/3 of the cost of hiring an electrician to come out and even think about the issue.

It could also be static buildup inside the dryer caused by a loose or severed grounding strap inside. Try to connect a wire from the inside to the carpet/floor in your home with an insulated wire if all of the above comes back normal - don't try this first in case there is an AC voltage issue...

u/nx_2000 · 2 pointsr/CasualConversation

Another thing about the outlets would be checking to make sure the three-prong ones are actually grounded. Socket testers are cheap, or you may already have a power strip with a ground light.

u/intronert · 2 pointsr/AskElectronics

Immediately tomorrow, go to Harbor Freight, or Fry's, or Amazon.com, or wherever and buy a 3-prong electrical receptacle tester like this, for example, and check your outlets. Then hire an electrician to come in an fix them.

Or just skip the tester, and get the electrician in before someone dies.

u/cerealport · 2 pointsr/synthesizers

Get a power bar with surge protector that has the "building wiring fault" LED on it, or get one of those "outlet checkers" at Home Depot etc. I.e. https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

Although those checkers can sometimes lie about the ground if something is plugged in that is tying the ground to neutral, where in that case my building wiring fault LED still told the truth.

Basically plug in and switch on the power bar / check the lights before plugging everything else in..

u/graffiti81 · 2 pointsr/fixit

Upvote for having a $5 tester. Everyone should have one.

u/drucius · 2 pointsr/homeowners

As for outlets: buy one of these outlet testers. The diagnostic lights will tell you exactly what you are dealing with. If your outlets are 3 prong but not grounded that is not a good situation and how to fix it depends on many variables (Basement vs crawlspace vs slab, attic access, are the boxes grounded but not the outlets). At least the diagnostics will tell you enough to know what you are dealing with and if you need an electrician.

As for checking breakers, I would suggest turning on all the lights in the house. Go to the breaker box, turn each breaker off, one at a time and make sure the label in the box matches what actually turns off in the house. Fixing the labels now might save you a hour in the dark in the future.

Similarly, look at all your plumbing shutoffs. Make sure they are not leaking. Turn each faucet on first hot, then cold, then close the shutoff in the basement and/or under the sink. Label ones you find in the basement, hot vs cold and what room/rooms they feed. Again this tells you if you might need a plumber (or DIY) to resolve some bad shutoffs (gate valves >15yrs old should not be trusted) and can help if(when) you have a serious leak in the future.

u/shadowblade · 2 pointsr/DIY

I also strongly recommend a receptacle tester. Good for quick checks like OP is talking about. It also indicates any wiring faults.

u/skintigh · 2 pointsr/cablefail

I've run into shit like that in dorms with mis-wired outlets. Invest in one of these and test every outlet before using it http://www.amazon.com/GE-50542-Receptacle-Improper-Indicator/dp/B002LZTKIA

You can even find them at stores for $2

u/LeaveTheMatrix · 2 pointsr/talesfromtechsupport

For first testing I just use one of these

Can carry it in your pocket and seems to be pretty reliable. (hasn't failed me in 10 years so far)

For extended testing, such as if that shows a problem or later develop a problem (damn mice) then I go with a standard voltmeter.

EDIT: Better link that shows what all it checks for.

u/5aculu5 · 2 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Check every outlet you plug into with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/GE-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle-Tester/dp/B002LZTKIA/

I plugged a headphone amp into an improperly wired outlet then connected it to my interface on another circuit resulting in a huge voltage drop against grounds killing all outputs on my interface and blowing a fuse. A small voltage drop between circuits will cause a shock, while an improperly wired outlet across grounds can kill.

u/B1ackMagix · 2 pointsr/techsupport

Run, don't walk, to your nearest home depot / lowes and buy an outlet tester for 5-6 dollars. Should look like this

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

It's fairly simple to use, plug it in, see what lights come on and go from there. I'm almost willing to put money on your outlets not being properly grounded and if that's the case, there are probably more. You'll want to test the outlets in and around your house paying particular attention to any area with water in it (bathroom, kitchen, outside).

The UPS won't provide a ground if there's not a ground on the outlet.

u/binarycow · 2 pointsr/homeowners

Grab an outlet tester. First thing is, it will test the outlet in the moment. But, if you leave it plugged in, you can have a constant visual indicator if the outlet is working (there's a light on it).

But yeah, replace the outlet.

Links: https://www.homedepot.com/c/how_to_install_a_receptacle_HT_PG_EL

https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/how-to-replace-an-ugly-old-electrical-outlet/

u/evaned · 2 pointsr/electricvehicles

> From what you've described it sounds like a ground error

Even though it may not change what you do, I think it's worth a quick check with one of those cheapo outlet testers (link to an example I got to via a quick Google search, no specific endorsement of that one). One of the things they test for is whether there's an open ground.

Note, these outlet testers are not perfect. There are faults and combinations of faults they can't diagnose or can't completely diagnose. In this particular case, if I pull something out of my ass I can imagine the EVSE doing a more rigorous test of the quality of ground, so just because the outlet tester indicates that there's no open ground doesn't mean it's a good enough ground.

I have vague memories of people saying that some EVSEs won't provide power if they don't have a good ground, so this could be it.

u/ArkyBeagle · 2 pointsr/audioengineering

These are not optional. I carry one in my gig bag ( as a player ) because I do not want to die:
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-Receptacle-Indications-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/wch_one · 2 pointsr/leaf

You can get a plug tester like this to diagnose if there's a wiring problem: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-Receptacle-Indications-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

If it's happened from other outlets, it could be that the whole circuit has a problem. When I first plugged in the charger I got with my Leaf, it had a blinking green light. I used one of these plug testers and confirmed that the circuit for the garage wasn't grounded at all.

u/salomoncascade · 2 pointsr/Portland
u/ioctl79 · 2 pointsr/electrical

No. There's lots of wiring mistakes you could make and still operate a lightbulb: reverse hot/neutral, open ground, neutral/ground short, etc. Get one of these to test the wiring connections:
https://smile.amazon.com/Power-Gear-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle/dp/B002LZTKIA?sa-no-redirect=1

Note: not an electrician.

u/hobbykitjr · 2 pointsr/HomeImprovement

With one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle/dp/B002LZTKIA

Also, same way as above could work, test the spike outside against the ground upstairs to see if they are connected. Alternatively pull the outlet out on the 2nd floor, should see a green or bare wire attached the frame of the outlet/green screw.

Also in your electrical panel you will see the grounding bar which would lead to a spike like in this picture..


Not recommending you do this if you are not comfortable w/ electrical work. Breaker should be off before you open up an outlet and tested before you touch. The panel should be locked off and only fully opened by a professional.

u/the_fritz · 2 pointsr/Guitar

You might also want to check the outlet for a ground fault. There is an inexpensive device you can get at the hardware store, like this:

http://www.amazon.com/GE-50542-Receptacle-Improper-Indicator/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/djimbob · 2 pointsr/Bass

You need to ground your amp. First, those outlets look pretty unsafe. You are hearing main line buzz (click the 60 Hz mains hum)

Really what you need to do is get an electrician to rewire the outlet with a proper ground and follow local electrical code. Not doing it is risk of death/electrocution/fire.

However, if it's not an option (e.g., renting or it's cost-prohibitive), you could get away with a plug adapters like the following:

https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-274-274-000-Grounding-Adapter/dp/B000H5WGJ6/

if properly installed (e.g., the junction box is metal and grounded, and so you screw that adapter into the outlet so there's a connected ground). As a last resort if you like to live dangerously, you may be able to clamp an electrical wire to between the adapter ground and a metal water/radiator pipe (again if you are sure there's no non-metal connector anywhere along the pipe), if the pipe is grounded. You probably would want GFCI circuits if you are doing this, because if there is a ground fault (say from a bad appliance being plugged in), you don't want you metal water pipe to suddenly become live and potentially electrocute you and/or start a fire.

Once the outlet is grounded you should test with a ground tester (like $5) and verify you have a real ground and no other issues.

There could additionally be other grounding problems if the wiring in the guitar is bad or the cable is also bad, but you will have bad buzzing if you don't fix the ground first.

EDIT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nakpj_Mee0Q

u/roofuskit · 2 pointsr/DIY

Any hardware store carries something like this for $10 or less. https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/gar187er · 2 pointsr/NoStupidQuestions

Yup. It has a 3 lights and tells you if it's good, or has an open neutral, or bad ground.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/Tolookah · 2 pointsr/HomeImprovement

If I understand correctly, there's a chance that blackened bit is keeping that side of the connection to the dryer from being a good connection. (that black sooty carbon is a decent insulation when you don't want it to be). without pictures, it's hard to tell if the cord has problems, but that's where I would look first.

Related for others, do they make a receptacle tester for the 4 prong outlets? I'm thinking something similar to this https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/480v_bite · 1 pointr/DIY

As far as the electrical goes, its easy to do but, for the love of God, turn the power off while working on it! Networking your house ain't worth your life!! Watch some YouTube videos on how to wire the the receptacle.

Buy this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002LZTKIA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451424239&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=receptacle+checker&dpPl=1&dpID=51hlg2obNeL&ref=plSrch

After you wire the receptacle, turn the power on, and plug this in. It will show you if you made any mistakes. Just read the instructions.

The hardest part you're going to run into is getting from the crawl space to the attic. Try and find a plumbing drain. Plumbers generally cut the holes way bigger than needed and you can slide in beside them.

Another option is using a fireplace if you have one. The framing around it should be loose enough for you to fish wires down beside it.

The easiest thing you can do is run a PVC pipe on the exterior of the house in an inconspicuous spot and paint it to match your house.

Save yourself a million headaches by pulling a pull string along with your wires for subsequent runs. Twine is cheap.

Feel free to ask me anything else you might be curious about!

Source: am electrician.

u/adapt2 · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

> Firstly, that ground wire must be sufficiently large

I am guessing I will have to measure the thickness of it with a caliper.

In terms of checking all the outlets to find which ones are truly grounded, would I use a tool like this?

u/Stompie · 1 pointr/HVAC

Typically as other people have stated generators run only the necessary systems. Usually only the refrigerator is considered a needed appliance in the backup generator world.


Not HVAC related but just because the outlet in the box is 3 prong doesn't mean it is actually a grounded outlet. If this is a major point for you then it'd be worth getting that checked out. A simple outlet tester will indicate if new wiring or wiring with a ground was actually run.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002LZTKIA?pc_redir=1395427616&robot_redir=1

u/NCC1941 · 1 pointr/buildapc

If your surge protector has a 'grounded' indicator that isn't lit, that likely means the outlet it's plugged into isn't grounded. So plugging the computer into the wall won't ground it either.

You can use something like this to test your outlets. You just plug it in to the outlet, look at how it lights up, and reference that to what it says on the label.

Alternatively, you can just take your surge protector and plug it into different outlets until you find one that's grounded, and use that one.

u/pancaaakes · 1 pointr/fixit

Once you've checked to see that the gas to the appliance is on...

Have you tried working the oven or broiler (if it has one)?

It sounds like it could be a gas valve issue with the stove/oven itself.

Further: You may want to consider testing the outlet that it's plugged in to with a receptacle tester. If the polarity is reversed on the outlet, the gas valve may not open, which is a safety feature. Sounds weird, but I've run in to that issue a handful of times.

Edit: Added further info.

u/arv_foh · 1 pointr/livesound

It's possible. Go to a hardware store and buy one of these and check to see if the outlets are grounded. Just because the outlet is 3 prong doesn't necessarily mean the outlet is grounded. Also check to make sure nothing in your chain has the ground prong broken off, like a power strip or something before it gets to the wall.

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/RugerRedhawk · 1 pointr/DIY

Not sure if this will help solve your particular problem, but I personally plug one of these: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B002LZTKIA/?tag=dp-us-20

in after every receptacle install.

u/neums08 · 1 pointr/buildapc

Something like this http://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle/dp/B002LZTKIA/ can show if the outlet is wired properly. "Open Ground" would indicate that the outlet is not properly grounded and will make the PC more sensitive to static shocks and surges.

My old apartment had a grounding issue and any time I plugged in a USB device, built up charge in the device would cause a surge and crash my PC.

In the mean time, try using an outlet in an entirely different part of the house.

u/tielknight · 1 pointr/TEAMEVGA

Well that should rule that out unless they screwed up the wiring. If you want to be 100% sure you can always grab a outlet tester.

Otherwise it sounds like you just have some really really bad luck and I hope they'll get their heads together and fix it for you as they should have just sent you a new unit after the 2nd time.

u/heavymcd · 1 pointr/Guitar

Testing the outlet is easy, I think something like this would work?

Power Gear 3-Wire Receptacle Tester

50542 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LZTKIA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6CmHzb4P7QZQV

That's perfectly safe to use.

As for risk to yourself, I'm not an electrician so I can't speak authoritatively to any additional risk from an ungrounded amp. I'm pretty sure there is some added risk though. Low, but still.

u/wabbiteh · 1 pointr/DIY

I am not an electrician, nor am I experienced with home wiring.

You can buy a tester for your outlets. That said, it would probably be more prudent to get an electrician in. You're going to need to call one anyway.

Anyway, the 120V/240V/0V thing refers to the split-phase power delivery system common in North America. In this system you have two hot wires, instead of just one. One of those hot wires is the inverse voltage of the other (so if we say that ground is 0V, then when the first hot wire is at 120V, the other hot wire is at -120V). If you connect ground to hot, you get a certain voltage (120V). If you connect the first hot to the second hot, you get double that voltage (240V).

As to what is happening in your case, I've no idea. In a proper wiring setup, the ground wire (and thus all things connected to the ground wire, like the case of an appliance, your junction boxes, etc.) are directly attached to a big metal thing stuck deep in the earth.

u/TwistedD85 · 1 pointr/crtgaming

Always nice to have one of these around for a quick check.

u/Sphingomyelinase · 1 pointr/DIY

The green screw is irrelevant unless the ground wire is connected. You have to figure out which is which.

An outlet tester will help; connect each wire
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/KenZ71 · 1 pointr/HomeNetworking

Me thinks one of these would be a good idea

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LZTKIA/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_5LGEzb90DQ3QT a receptacle tester.

u/Talks_To_Cats · 1 pointr/buildapc

I'm not an electrition, so this may not be a perfect explanation. but the ground pin gives your device a way to discharge static electricity or overvoltage by giving the electricity a way to "escape" from the system. Remember the First Law of Thermodynamics:

> Energy cannot be created or destoyed, only transfered.

So if you want to deal with a voltage spike, you can't just eliminate that electiricity. It has to be transfered, converted, or similar. In the case of modern homes, it is transfered into the earth via a third ground wire. Ordinarilly the path of least resistance will be your electronics, and power will flow through that instead of the ground wire. In an overloaded circuit that path of least resistance should be the ground. So it effectively works as a primitive form of voltage control.

From this site

>A surge protector used at a non-grounded receptacle is a glorified extension cord, and provides no additional protection, only a false sense of protection.

Something like this outlet tester will let you know if your house is wired up correctly or not. Just because an outlet has 3 pins doesn't mean that third pin is necessarily connected to anything.

>If an outlet isn't grounded, what can it do to your gear

Overcharge and destroy it. Possible fire risk.

For something that's off, it generally won't matter, so don't freak out if your vacuume or toaster only has a two-prong outlet. But for something you might use in a storm and that uses a substantial amount of electricity (i.e. a computer, air conditioner or heater), or that is particularly sensitive, that ground wire is important.

You'll find most modern TVs and light fixtures don't have a third prong. I am not 100% sure why but I assume it's because they have such a low power draw.

>and how would one go about addressing that?

The only real way is to hire an electrition, rewire your outlets yourself (be safe! Turn off your circuit breakers first!) or choose a different, grounded outlet. There's no quick fix or adapter to "ground" an outlet that I know of, at least not that are safe and to code.

You'll find

u/snowywind · 1 pointr/talesfromtechsupport

I'd just go get one of these guys if I had no other test equipment available.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

They're $5-10 at pretty much any hardware store.

u/Eccentrica_Gallumbit · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

> If the other circuits have a ground, there's just a wire come loose somewhere, which would not be difficult to track down for an electrician.

Not necessarily. They could have replaced some of the outlets with grounds, and didn't have access to a ground in this outlet for some reason or another.

OP definitely needs to let management handle this. Best you can do is get an outlet tester and see if you have another grounded outlet accessible.

Remind maintenance that if the outlet is not grounded, it should be either a 2-prong outlet, or have GFCI protection in order to meet NEC.

u/Bryzum · 1 pointr/electricians

Use one of these, I might also recommend opening one or two outlets with the power off to make sure it's not a bootleg ground.


https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-Receptacle-Indications-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

u/rrredditor · 1 pointr/Guitar

If you really mean 120 cycle hum, (not the usual 60hz hum) then it is potentially a filter cap issue. The mains power is 60hz but after rectification it is 120hz. At that point the filter caps are supposed to smooth that 120hz ripple.

First step is still to eliminate the possibilities and take it to another site with different power/interference/etc. I would also get an AC outlet checker, like this one, and check the wiring. I've seen some messed up house wiring.

Lot's of potential interference in any modern home. Could be lights, computers, etc. If it's fluorescent lights, try keeping old incandescent bulbs in the music room, maybe.

u/-Dreadman23- · 1 pointr/diysound

This is probably part of the issue.

Do you have a voltage meter?

You could try connecting the ground lug of the receiver to the ground pin at the wall socket. Or convert the receiver to 3 pin plug.

It would be good to verify with an outlet tester that everything is wired correctly (they are supper cheap) https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-Receptacle-Indications-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA

Many people will disagree with me, and with valid reasons. But if the outlet is wired correctly, there really isn't anything wrong with removing the ground pin from the sub.

You would obviously want to use a GFCI outlet for all that equipment.

Ground loops and the really difficult stuff, and sometimes it is actually an engineer defect in the equipment.

That PDF file recommend in the other comment is very good, and you should read it even if most of it seems advanced. They do a good job of explaining the concepts.


Let me know if you have specific questions about what to measure.

u/wonderyak · 1 pointr/guitarpedals

In addition to the other two suggestions regarding ground loops, make sure your amps are plugged into two different wall sockets.

You may also want to get a cheap outlet tester just to test things out.

u/B-Rabbit · 1 pointr/buildapc

You can buy an outlet tester like this to check.

u/phcorrigan · 1 pointr/audioengineering

As others have said, it's likely a grounding issue. If you are in the U.S. or Canada, get one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Gear-Receptacle-Indications-50542/dp/B002LZTKIA/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1524350592&sr=8-18&keywords=electrical+outlet+tester

It will tell you if your outlet is wired correctly. If it isn't, that is likely your problem. The solution would be to fix the outlet, which should be done for safety reasons, or temporarily move to another properly-wired outlet and see if the problem goes away.

u/profmathers · 1 pointr/HomeMaintenance

I'm lazy, I just use a $6 plug-in outlet tester.

Power Gear 50542 3-Wire Receptacle Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LZTKIA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_G9i2xb8HMR1DW

u/technicolormotorhome · 1 pointr/HomeImprovement

Get a $5 outlet tester.

http://www.amazon.com/GE-50542-3-Wire-Receptacle-Tester/dp/B002LZTKIA

Worth its weight in gold. You'll be surprised how often it comes in handy - just testing if an outlet is live, e.g.

u/cPHILIPzarina · 1 pointr/vintageaudio

One of these might be helpful to you:

Power Gear 50542 3-Wire Receptacle Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LZTKIA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Y9hYxbPG7ZZG1

u/sticky-bit · 0 pointsr/videos

> If you had someone come to your house to install a big-screen TV, would you expect them to check the outlets to make sure they were wired correctly?

If the installer was using an existing outlet, I would expect a 3 second check with one of these. The cost-benefit for those three seconds of work are enormous, even if it's not the installer's fault.

u/PigSlam · 0 pointsr/techsupport

I had a computer case that was to blame for this kind of issue. I replaced all the guts twice with spare parts I had lying around, moved it to different outlets, etc., tried other computers on the same outlet. Finally, I replaced the case, and everything was fine. I assume it was some kind of grounding issue. If I were to guess,
I'd suggest you probably have a grounding issue with your apartment wiring. You could test for this by getting one of these. The shocks probably aren't going to help your equipment. What do you have for flooring? Did you move to a drier climate than you lived before, or to a place where you have carpet instead of a non-carpeted floor?

u/alias_enki · 0 pointsr/HomeImprovement

An outlet tester jammed into the existing outlet might be a good idea. It can help diagnose WTF is going on inside that box. I know enough to diagnose that and get things straight, not sure if OP is in the same situation. I definitely recommend grabbing some white/black colored tape to mark the wire if OP is comfortable IDing the wiring. Dealt with cloth wire where I live, I feel the pain. 100% agree, pigtails to the outlets and wrap tape around the terminal screws to minimize risk of shorts. Tape is cheap.