Cool new outlet tester

[Axtman]

I ran across this outlet tester at Home Depot the other day and bought it on a whim.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-GFCI-Receptacle-Tester-with-LCD-RT250/313832938

I'm not a big fan of Klein meters/testers, but this one it great!

I really like that there are two lights and the LCD tells you how the outlet is miswired or wired correctly. With the typical 3 bulb outlet testers you have interpret the lights.

If you can't see the lit up face just pull out the test and it will keep the reading for a few seconds.

Plus it will test GFCI outlets and tell you how fast it tripped.

Sorry, but this tester only works on North American outlets with 120 volts.

Also, I think this tester is only available through Home Depot.....for $19!!!

[Electro Fan]

ooooohh...

“Awesome tester. Love the lcd screen that clearly shows issues and it counts how many milliseconds it takes for a gfci to trip.”

- from HD review comments

[Electro Fan]

https://youtu.be/kaHqqcj4yHM

[GLouie]

How does it do with a miswired reverse polarity bootleg ground?

https://www.prosoundweb.com/analyzing-failures-in-ac-outlet-testing-what-it-means-for-pro-audio/

[Axtman]

GLouie,

Thank you for the link to reverse polarity bootleg grounds.

I make a reverse polarity bootleg ground with an old 3 wire extension cord and outlet. I purposely miswired it to see what the Klein tester would do. The tester did indicate a fault, but only indicated that the hot and neutral were reversed. It did not indicate a bootstrap ground probably because in the US grounds and neutrals are bonded at the circuit breaker box.

[james_s]

The standard 3 bulb testers seem simpler to use honestly. I can tell at a glance, 2 amber lights lit is good, if the red one is lit or either amber is not lit then something is wrong. It's faster than trying to read a busy LCD.

[wizard69]

Interesting device.   Which makes me ask does this take alkaline batteries that leak all over the place?    It is the first thing I ask anymore as I'm tired of replacing expensive tools when a cheap battery leaks.

[Axtman]

But it does have idiot lights and they are even simpler!

Green = Good. Red = Bad.

[Axtman]

One fault the Klein RT250 will test for is Open Ground and Neutral. This means that only the Hot wire is connected. This can be a very dangerous situation because one would think the outlet to be "dead" when it is actually "live".

The 3 bulb tester will not test for this situation because it needs a path to neutral/ground to complete the circuit and turn on neon lights.

[Axtman]

Here is the reading on the LCD screen.

[GLouie]

Personally, I now have both a cheap plug-in tester and a NCVT (non-contact voltage tester) in my toolkits. This is a rare, but potentially lethal problem.

My portable testers all get NiMH Eneloop AA or AAA, or 9v lithium batteries now. Too many alkaline leakage problems.

GLouie,

Thank you for the link to reverse polarity bootleg grounds.

I make a reverse polarity bootleg ground with an old 3 wire extension cord and outlet. I purposely miswired it to see what the Klein tester would do. The tester did indicate a fault, but only indicated that the hot and neutral were reversed. It did not indicate a bootstrap ground probably because in the US grounds and neutrals are bonded at the circuit breaker box.

[Axtman]

Energizer does have a "No Leak Battery".

https://www.energizer.com/about-batteries/battery-leakage

This is probably a topic for another thread. I used to be a Duracell fan but have had a few leak on me.

[Axtman]

I believe the lesson here is that when working with electricity, especially mains voltage, be sure and use different electrical testers just to be sure the circuit is off. You can never be too safe!

[coppice]

Energizer does have a "No Leak Battery".

https://www.energizer.com/about-batteries/battery-leakage

This is probably a topic for another thread. I used to be a Duracell fan but have had a few leak on me.

From that page:

"Energizer will repair or replace, at our option, any device damaged by leakage from Energizer MAX® Alkaline batteries either during the life of the battery or within two years following the full use of the battery."

Interesting. I wish I'd known that the last time an Energizer MAX battery destroyed something of mine.

[Axtman]

Here is a video on the Klein RT250 tester and other outlet testers.

[bc888]

Interesting. I just found the Triplett combination AC Line Splitter and GFCI Outlet/Receptacle Tester for the same price which I thought was pretty skookum.