My client happened to be an Electrician and he decided to open a few receptacles while I was going through the kitchen.
I normally just check with three light tester but may decide to upgrade after his find.
Check it out here…
[ATTACH]
Note: pay attention to him confirming that the conduit is open and not capable of being used as a ground unless the break is found.
Turns out he could not locate the issue while there as it may be in a wall.
Many of the items we check for can be sampled with the Sure Test… easy
YEP,I may go spill for the $200 or what ever they are now.
I do not get the McMansions ,so never bothered since I have little worry on voltage drops in Bungalows.
We cannot see the meter display in the photo. Are you saying that the conduit in the wall was not grounded?
Robert… pic 2 of 2 looks like a “bootleg” in my book. The neutral comes up and around the ground screw. Pic just threw ya is all.
They’re closer to $300. False-grounds show up clear as day.
Does your insurance cover him Bob?
Often times, the “bootleg” isn’t that obvious. You will also find instances where the receptacle appears to be wired correctly and the connection to the neutral is a junction-box upstream of the outlet.
This is my standard narrative for this condition.
Several of the interior receptacles tested to have a false, or “bootleg” ground. This is a potentially hazardous condition where the neutral conductor is also being used as the equipment-grounding conductor, which could introduce voltage onto what would normally be non-current carrying components. This condition should be evaluated by a qualified electrician, and serviced accordingly.
I know you mentioned it before. Which tester do you use?
Correct.
He said there must be a break in the conduit.
Bear in mind we do not use ground wire in the Chicago area much on branch circuits since conduit is required with only short 6 foot runs of BX allowed by code.
Yeah ,my funeral insurance.
He was doing this without me knowing it but lets not get into thread drift.Yesh.
Why are you wanting to sell me some?
I of course called the police and had him arrested immediately.
Ideal SureTest 61-165
There are brands that compete at much lower prices ,are there not Jeff?
Just busting your chops. I find it a challenge sometimes to keep my clients from participating.
Hey it was great to have him there.
I love clients working along side me and usually the guys do as I often take a educational approach and everything in the report is very clear.
Nobody ever calls and asks what my report means.
Never happened yet and hope it never does.
Personally, I am not the jumpy everyone is out to sue me type.
I have the same approach… just don’t like them taking things apart or climbing on the roof. :shock:
Yeah they like to climb up with me.
If they are fast enough for me to not catch them, they know what they are doing.
I warn but do not babysit.Now if they want to be the ones that turn the valve and take liability for the actions after I warn them that is another story.
My guess is half my clients go on to become successful Home Inspectors .
Possibly, but I am not aware of any comparable tool.
I wouldn’t buy anything else either…
The Ideal is handy when you inspect older buildings, never know what may have been altered when, or not installed correctly to begin with.
I don’t use it unless I have a feeling the Shaq suits the need for a lil advanced testing.
They take a lot of guess work out of the equation.
I did see the neutral around the ground screw, I was just wondering why someone would do this when the metallic box is normally grounded by the raceway especially in Chicago where most everything is wired in conduit. Bob cleared that up when he said that there was a break somewhere in the conduit.
