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Changed my mind about using a multimeter for every call
I used to think a voltage pen was just for a quick check, but after a tricky call in an old Denver apartment building, the pen's speed saved me. I found a reversed hot and neutral in a j-box in about 30 seconds, where fumbling with the meter would have taken longer. Anyone else find a specific job where the simpler tool was the right call?
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fiona7495mo ago
That pen wouldn't catch a bootleg ground though.
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perry.jesse4mo ago
Read an article from an old electrician blog that said bootleg grounds are exactly why these pens get a bad rap sometimes. They can give you a false sense of safety if you aren't careful, especially in older wiring where someone did a lazy fix. Still think they're useful for quick checks, but yeah, you gotta know their limits before you trust them too much.
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max_schmidt775mo ago
Ever have one of those days where you're just happy you found the problem at all? I once spent twenty minutes with my meter trying to figure out why a light wouldn't work, only to realize I never actually turned the switch on. The pen would have at least told me there was power there and saved me from my own dumb moment. Speed is king sometimes, even if the tool isn't perfect for every single situation.
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angelamurphy5mo ago
Yeah, that speed is a game changer on those old buildings. I had a call like that last week where a switch leg was tied into the wrong bundle in a crowded ceiling. The pen lit up and I traced it back in a minute flat. Like max_schmidt77 said, sometimes you just need to know power is present to point you in the right direction fast. It's not my only tool, but it sure saves the meter for when I really need the numbers.
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