Hi y'all,
Electure's thread on neutral fault testing got me to wondering--anyone else out there use the "Sure Test" branch circuit tester?
The unit looks like a plug-in polarity tester on steroids. It checks polarity, also line voltage, Vdrop at 15 and 20 amps (one model), load-on-line, egc impedance at 15 amps, and GFI time-to-trip at 6 mA.
It was first made by Commercial Industrial Electronics, and now by Ideal Industries. About $350.
I've been using one for a few years and have found it invaluable, especially for old work. Knowing what the Vdrop under load is makes me much more comfortable adding to an existing circuit--I have a good idea of the condition of the circuit back to the panel. The load is imposed for only 8 cycles, so it creates no hazard even if the circuit is in poor condition. A big drop between outlets clues me in to a bad splice or termination.
The egc impedance test picks up bootletg grounds (well, you do get a false positive if the recep is right next ot the panel). And I think it would also show a egc to neutral short.
Load-on-line feature can indicate whether there are shared neutrals--without opening a box. GFI test is a true check of GFI function, not the gross test that the GFI test button or simple GFI outlet tester provides.
There's another tester that does some of the same things, but it doesn't have an LCD readout. And yea, I know it's possible to do most of these tests with a multimeter and other equipment (for instance a large resistance load like a space heater), but the Sure-Test is a safer and quicker way to do it.
I've got no connection to Ideal or anything. Just wanted to see if anyone out there is using the unit or even aware of it.
Cliff
