How do you test a light fixture or bare wires?

dmxtothemax

So you want to know how to test wires ?

1 - If its a hot wire, Put an ac volt meter on it,
it should read mains voltage with respect to neutral.
If you dont have a neutral,
use an extention lead to a known good outlet.

Work your way along the circuit from the start
and test all points along the way.
start at breaker,
check at switch,
check at outlet/fitting,

If all these points test hot, with respect to
a known good neutral,
then its time to check your neutral line.
Only now, you are checking with respect to a known good hot,
via an extention lead if needed.

Please be super careful,
take all the usual safety pre-cautions,

firsttimeremode

We are working on the electric tonight and tomorrow night so hopefully we can correct this problem. Im replacing the ancient receptacles and switches, and replacing most of the breakers so almost everything except the fixtures will be new. We also have to run wire for the stove and dryer since someone stole mine. Ripped them right out of the wall

allthumbsdiy

Nobody is selling one of those simple continuity tester (two probes and a mini light bulb in the meter).

If you want to test to see if the wire is hot or now, you can try a non-contact voltage tester (I think I have Klein Tools NCVT-2).

Based on your other posts, I get the feeling that you are in a rush to get your wiring projects done.

If that is the case, I highly suggest slowing down and plan out your project to get it done right the first time. That means figuring out what types of wires to use, how to route it, how to terminate it properly, etc.

I understand that in Eastern Texas, there is no code enforcement but these rules are in place to maintain a margin of safety for you and your family.

I hope you don't take this as me lecturing you; I am simply trying to share what I learned from my past DIY electrical mistakes, that working with electricity is dangerous no matter how experienced you think you may be and it deserves respect.

Good luck

firsttimeremode

yes it deserves respect, i agree. And yes, i am in a hurry because this house must be finished by the end of this year, because that is the day i have to move in or be homeless. After electric is finished, i still have to replace my subfloor, all of the plumbing, the drains, and a few other odds and ends. Im running out of time, i didnt expect to have to do electrical repairs because the guy we bought it from said he had been living in it recently, which either he lived in it with extension cords or he is full of crap