Testing Your Wall Plug Outlets

This tester is known as Ground Fault Indicator Tester, this can be purchased at any major hardware store. You may be living in a house and always wondered if the person living there before you wired your wall outlets correctly.

A year ago we purchased an older home and one of the first things I did is to go through the house completely checking all outlets.  To my surprise seven of the outlets were incorrectly wired.

A simple way to wire the outlet is to remember the black wire goes to the brass screw head, the white to the silver screw head and the ground to the ground connection.  Remember when you reinstall the plug to always have the ground wire at the bottom of the plug; this will insure that the ground plug is consistent throughout the house.

This Ground Fault Indicator Tester lights up to show you if they are wired correctly or incorrectly.

This is a description of the tester:

The 3-Wire GFI Circuit Analyzer expands testing of outlets to include GFI protected circuits. This device tests for 7 common wiring errors, as well as, tests the wiring of GFCI protected outlets. It Warns Against Faulty Wiring In both 3 Wire and GFCI Receptacles. Includes color-coded indicators and status chart to INSTANTLY Let You Know Which Wire Is Defective.

• Tests for 7 common wiring errors plus GFI circuits
• Built-in GFCI test button, test both standard and GFCI receptacles for proper wiring.
• Color-coded lamps and chart indicate status of circuit wiring.
• Compact size
• MFG Brand Name : Gardner Bender
• MFG Model # : GFI-501A
• MFG Part # : GFI-501A

Normally you will find this tester in yellow, check the Home Depot site for approximate cost.

Home Depot: