"Live" electrical socket

[myshkin]

Hi everyone

I wonder if someone can give me some advice. I just moved into a house where the previous occupants have replaced most of the original plastic-fronted sockets and light switches with brass or chrome effect ones. Now, I just went around the house with a cheap mains tester from B&Q - just to see if it registered any voltage on the front plates of the sockets/switches - and it did. Rather, a couple of the front plates and almost all the screws made the "12V" light up on the display and some also the "36V".

I am a bit inclined to get an electrician in to see if the sockets/switches have been fitted correctly - but do you think I am worrying unnecessarily? It's all greek to me, really.

 

[GaryMo]

A two probe multimeter / voltage tester? Where did you place the probes to measure voltage?

 

[Steve]

Depending where you put your probe(s) you might be getting eddy currents or induced voltages, or your earth might actually be floating and not tied to earth.

 

[GaryMo]

or your earth might actually be floating and not tied to earth.

That's my thoughts if he's measuring potential between faceplate and a known good earth.

OP?

 

[myshkin]

Thanks for taking an interest, guys!

I actually just touched a screwdriver-style voltage tester on the faceplate/screws.

 

[ebee]

Gat a competent person to test it properly

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I actually just touched a screwdriver-style voltage tester on the faceplate/screws.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=neon+screwdriver+site:diynot.com
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[ebee]

12V & 36V ?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's early....

 

[myshkin]

Thanks for that! I readily accept the advice that screwdriver testers are dangerous and have no intention of sticking one directly into the live. Incidentally I don't think this one is quite a "neon" tester as it has an LCD display with different readings that appear at different voltage levels - hence the 12V/36V.

But - does that mean that any reading I am getting is completely meaningless and I should stop being paranoid - or is it at least suggestive of something that I ought to get checked out?

Thanks everyone for your advice!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Thanks for that! I readily accept the advice that screwdriver testers are dangerous and have no intention of sticking one directly into the live. Incidentally I don't think this one is quite a "neon" tester as it has an LCD display with different readings that appear at different voltage levels - hence the 12V/36V.

So how does it work? How do you use it?

You're telling us it's registering 12V & 36V - those figures must be with respect to something else. Volts are the units used to describe potential difference - another term for voltage is potential difference.

And it's the difference between two things - you can't have one thing at "x volts" without it being "at x volts with respect to {whatever}".

So between what two things are you connecting your measuring device in order to measure the voltage, or potential difference, between those two things?

But - does that mean that any reading I am getting is completely meaningless and I should stop being paranoid - or is it at least suggestive of something that I ought to get checked out?

Dunno - more detail on the tool giving you those readings, and how it works/is used would help...

 

[myshkin]

I think it is like one of those neon screwdrivers that other posters have mentioned in that it measures voltage across the body. To make it operate you touch a metal contact with your finger...

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I think it is like one of those neon screwdrivers that other posters have mentioned in that it measures voltage across the body. To make it operate you touch a metal contact with your finger...

I readily accept the advice that screwdriver testers are dangerous and have no intention of sticking one directly into the live.