Grrr! Voltage detector poor quality control.

[SamV]

So I am doing a little electrical work trying to diagnose a wiring problem. Naturally I can't find my reliable non contact voltage detectors. I have three around somewhere. I suspect offspring for their disappearance. So off I go for number 4. I used to sell electrical supplies, so I tended to know which ones were decent or not. I always used to test them for customers before they left. I had seen several that did not work well. So did I do that? Nope. I waited till I paid for it and got home. Does it detect voltage? Yes. From about a foot away. It is perfect for knowing that there is a live wire in the room. Which wire? Not a chance, but it is there somewhere with all the other wires within a foot or two.
Why do these companies care so little about quality? Back to return. By the way, not a cheapie model,

 

[JFB]

I hope the poor guaility was not a Fluke.

 

[blume357]

I'm by no means an expert, but are you sure it is the detector.

I have a friend who has a 240volt chop saw that was causing problems... it would shock you if you were sweaty and standing on the ground and touched the frame... it would set off my voltage detector if you got within 3ft of it on a hot humid day

 

[Hellraiser]

I've always wondered whether they had one of those voltage detectors mounted to see for the person sittin' in an electric chair.

 

[SamV]

I'm by no means an expert, but are you sure it is the detector.

I have a friend who has a 240volt chop saw that was causing problems... it would shock you if you were sweaty and standing on the ground and touched the frame... it would set off my voltage detector if you got within 3ft of it on a hot humid day

Well moisture can have an effect on a detector. After I posted I decided to try it a bit more. It is a two range model, one for low voltage and one for high. I tried it on a lot of known wires both low voltage and regular household. Also multiple outlets. It would miss one of the two hot lines on 240v outlets or identify it as low voltage. It would read a line as live one second and then on another try, it would not light up or beep. Apparently, my floor joists have detectable voltage but not the romex cable going through them. And as before, it beeps way too far away from wires too be of any use. I have seen other detectors do this. I have had some that never ever seem to err, but lately i seem to come across a lot more like this from many brands.
No it wasn't a Fluke, it was a Klein. I have had a couple of great ones from them, but not his one.

As to the chop saw, obviously it has a grounding issue. I would find that worn insulation point and fix it. I had an electric dryer do that to me. I found a wire that had slipped out of its protective channel and vibrated against the sheet metal until it had worn a bare spot. The dryer was 15 years old. I suspect the wire may not have been in the insulated channel from day one but it took that long for it to wear through the insulation. That is why God made GFCI outlet and breakers.

 

[Taterman]

Wow, Klein is usually really good stuff, almost all my old electrician tools are Klein.