I've never known the Fluke Volt Alert to give a false "dead" reading. I test mine the same way that Bob does.

BTW, if you want to be thourough, you should also test your meter on a known live circuit after you use it to check for voltage on a circuit you want to work on. You never know exactly when your meter will quit working.

Tom

Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.