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Posted

What's it mean again when the stove hood lights up the sensor whether the power is on or off

You could of found that just as easily by licking your finger and touching it (might not even have to lick your finger, but it's more professional looking that way.)

Posted

I read that when the power is turned on then that's what that means. If a wire was contacting it then wouldn't you get the same reading when it's off. Like touch hood with left hand, stove with right, then collapse on floor.

Posted

I read that when the power is turned on then that's what that means. If a wire was contacting it then wouldn't you get the same reading when it's off. Like touch hood with left hand, stove with right, then collapse on floor.

Not sure what you mean, too many nonspecific its and thats.

Chad is probably spot on. Just like when you approach an un-grounded outlet with one of those testers, it shows hot before you even touch the outlet.

For a complete diagnosis you need a more specific test. Wiggy, voltmeter, etc. Different inductive testers (brands) have been known to give different results.

Posted

The hot side of the feeder could be shorting to the hood ahead of the switch or the switch could be shorted.

Why I say this is that if the switch is operating correctly with a good 2-wire supply cable, the hood should not be energized.

Posted

I still call it out either way but a simple and quick (although not 100% safe, reliable, or recommended for documentation) is to touch the hood with your hand while NOT touching any other ground and testing with the non-contact tester. If you still get a voltage indication it is hot. If there is no indication of voltage then it is not bonded and you are just picking up induced voltage, not a direct connection. Again, just a quick and dirty indication, not documentation.

Posted

What's it mean again when the stove hood lights up the sensor whether the power is on or off?

It means that these sensors are close to useless because they can be so difficult to interpret.

When you find yourself wondering what's going on with a range hood in this situation, pull out a multimeter and find out for sure.

Posted

Originally posted by Denray

When you find yourself wondering what's going on with a range hood in this situation, pull out a multimeter and find out for sure.

Agreed,

They're cheap. Heck, you can get one from Harbor Freight for free just by buying a 99 cent V-hanger for your garage wall. Just watch the Sunday Parade supplement to the newspaper for a "7-function multimeter free with any purchase" coupon.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

Posted

Yes the voltage sniffer has its place. It gives you a quick heads up - this is live, or this is picking up stray current from a live circuit nearby. I don't care if some of y'all here call them cheap toys, they are helpful tools IMO.

If you bring the sniffer in to a receptacle slowly, you can so test the polarity. The hot side will trigger a response sooner than when you approach from the neutral side.

To use the multimeter to measure voltage, one leads needs to be grounded, hopefully at a convenient grounded receptacle, such as the range plug. You need 3 hands sometimes.

Posted
If you bring the sniffer in to a receptacle slowly, you can so test the polarity. The hot side will trigger a response sooner than when you approach from the neutral side.

I'm sure you already know this, but if you put your finger over the hot or neutral slot, you don't get the readings until the sniffer is in place.

Posted

This is where I wish someone would put together a brief multimeter tutorial for flunky morons (like me).

What would you like it to explain, besides the sensitivity that Denray experienced?

Give me some elements and I'll try to do that.

Marc

Posted

What would you like it to explain, besides the sensitivity that Denray experienced?

Give me some elements and I'll try to do that.

Marc

A simple tutorial about using multimeters in this thing that we do.

(Moderated comment) anything you might offer that was structured in a "MM's for HI's" concept would be neat.

Be creative. What things might an HI use a MM for, and a step by step.

I use mine for a few odds and ends, but a tutorial related to HI work would be neat.

Posted

This is where I wish someone would put together a brief multimeter tutorial for flunky morons (like me).

To read voltage:

Set the multimeter to the "voltage" setting.

Touch one lead to a grounded object.

Touch the other lead to the thing you want to measure.

Read the voltage on the display.

To read resistance:

Make sure that the thing you're going to read is not energized.

Set the multimeter to the "resistance" or "ohms" setting.

Place one lead on each end of the thing you want to measure.

Read the resistance on the display.

This setting is also good for reading "continuity" to make sure that one thing is connected to another.

To read amp draw (in the context of what we do):

You'll need a multimeter with a clamp-on ammeter function.

Set the multimeter to the "amps" setting.

Clamp it around just one wire in the circuit.

Read the amps that are flowing through the wire.

Posted

Yeah. Like that.

This is the sort of thing that would be generally helpful to the brethren. I use mine for a couple things, but it would be kinda cool to have a simple slide show, and this sort of explanation. Pictures and words are how I, and most people, learn.

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