Questions tagged [testing]
The testing tag has no usage guidance.
88 questions
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Tool/cable for testing refrigerant lines for crushing (not leaks)
I have a flat in a new building and I want to install AC. The construction company has already installed the lineset for a multisplit system. These are brick walls, covered with plaster and finished ...
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Plumbing Rough Leak Test Method
Just finished expansion pex rough-in new construction, residential, using a water well as service.
For the purpose of testing I've bypassed the water heater and temporarily bridged, or connected, the ...
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Test for arsenic / toxic enamel color (Scheele's Green / Schweinfurt Green)
I've come across a beautiful art nouveau stove by Deville & Cie of Charleville, France, prob. enameled iron in a beautiful green, around 1900-1930 (lay guesstimate)
Is there a way to test for ...
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Can I use a 120v load tester to test a 240v circuit by testing each hot wire separately using the ground wire as the neutral?
I have an old house and want to make sure that the wiring for all of the 240 baseboard heating units are still up for the job and not likely to overheat or have any conductance issues. No obvious ...
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How do I find a leak in PEX plumbing?
I've finished my PEX supply-side plumbing rough in.
I put a Schrader valve into a push-connect fitting and attached it to one open end and threaded a pressure gauge into another push-connect fitting ...
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Testing closed refrigerant lineset/equipment with pressurized air instead of nitrogen
Can you test a closed refrigerant lineset/equipment with pressurized air instead of nitrogen? I am guessing not but what would happen if you did?
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How to test RJ45 ethernet cable failing to connect?
My home network setup is that I have a simple network switch fed by a cable modem in my utility/data room and then 6 RJ45 cables going out of it to different rooms of the house. I like to have wired ...
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Does a gas pressure test lose pressure without leaks?
Context
I am adding one branch with two sub-branches to my gas line to supply a fireplace and a range stove.
I am testing the branch for leaks. I have a cap on one side of the branch, a valve shut off ...
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How do I get my DC motor ceiling fan to work again?
We purchased a home with a Fanimation Slinger v2 72 inch fan. It worked fine for months. Then it intermittently turned itself off, or ran slow for another 3 months. now it will not turn on at all.
...
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RCBO Test button stuck in pressed position
I pressed the Test button on this RCBO and it worked as expected, tripping the RCBO, but the button got stuck.
It wouldn't spring back to its normal position.
The home owner said it wasn't pressed by ...
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Older Magic Chef Dishwasher Won't Drain - How to Test Motor/Pump Assembly?
I have a Magic Chef CDB4000TQ0 dishwasher that is not draining. Based on my research, a common cause of this is a faulty pump/motor assembly (part # WPW10247394 for entire assembly; motor part # ...
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Covering basement floor containing asbestos
I have a house built in 1968 and in the basement the floor is covered with 12X12 vinyl tile.
I had sent the sample for asbestos testing and it came back negative for tile itself however the black ...
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Ash/soot test after a fire
Pardon me if this is not a correct community to ask this question.
My town was affected by the recent Marshall wildfire in CO.
Some streets are gone, it's surreal here. Our street is saved, but there ...
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Is clamp meter misreading or am I using it incorrectly?
I just bought an Ideal 61-737 Clamp Meter from Lowes and watched several instructional videos on how to use it.
I'm interested in using the Non-Contact Voltage (NCV) feature which allows me to touch ...
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Why does non-contact voltage tester chirp when it touches my skin? [duplicate]
I am getting a voltage tester (70v-1000 vac) go off (chirps once) when it touches my arm. If I move it up and down my arm it will chirp every few inches. Is this normal? And no, I'm not sitting in an ...
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HVAC condenser capacitor testing
After some research, I decided to try to fix an intermittency problem with my AC by replacing the capacitor as a likely yet inexpensive (mistake if not the) cause. The capacitor has three terminals, C(...
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Best way to test light switch and socket?
I want to test the switch and light socket for an outside light which stopped working. The switch and light socket (bayonet style) are similar to the ones in the photos below.
What's the best way to ...
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Using rj45 connectors for home alarm wiring
I'm setting up my home alarm (a dsc 1832) using cat5 cables (these were the closest I could find in my country to the specs recommended by the 1832 manual).
I've had to make some splits since the cat5 ...
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How to tell whether metal junction box is properly grounded?
I have a detached garage that is powered by a circuit breaker in the main house’s breaker box, which is properly grounded. The outlets in the garage have metal junction boxes, fed by metal conduit ...
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Help me test my electricity usage monitor?
I just got one of these; I love it and it seems accurate. But I would like to check its accuracy.
Can anyone think of an appliance with very predictable constant power consumption that I could use to ...
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What is the deltaT test for a PTAC AC?
I have a PTAC AC that blows cold air, but barely cools the room. The landlord is claiming its because the room is the livingroom and its an open to the kitchen and hallway.
I know that the rule of ...
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Is my surge protector really a surge protector?
I dont know if this is the right place to ask this question or not. Ive recently bought a surge protector(those small square ones) and im gonna connect it to my Computer. Now the thing is that im not ...
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Pressure testing radiator system with expansion tank
I would like to pressure test a closed hydronic radiator system that has an expansion tank on it. I can detach the furnace, shut the water supply, and then mount a gauge with a nozzle on it that I can ...
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Should I be worried about radon while I live on the 9th floor?
I've recently heard of this threat to our health and I'm trying to educate myself on how to best protect myself and my family from it. I've been living for the past few years in a rented apartment in ...
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Confusing results- 3M lead test kit
Besides the obvious orange color, does it also look like there's a pinkish hue to you? I'm confused about these vinyl mini blind results.
The parts that aren't obviously orange, do they look pinkish ...
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How can I test the maximum current an outlet will provide?
I want to know how much power is still available on a circuit.
I went to the electric supply store but they could not locate the device I described...
I want to plug a device into an outlet and slowly ...
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Is there any way to test the water pressure at a structure, and if necessary from a specific output (hose bib)?
Reading about irrigation sprinklers (example product), I see a certain recommended PSI. With interest in powering an existing irrigation zone from the hose bib attached to the property, it seems ...
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Testing an uninstalled outlet [closed]
Is there some way to test an outlet to see if it's good and works without going through all the effort of installing it, like maybe with DC from a battery so that the LED lights? That may not be a ...
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PCM air test results, fiber count different from f/cc, why?
We recently have removed old vinyl flooring and the people that performed the abatement did a pre, during and post clearance air tests using the PCM method.
The pre and post tests resulted in 0.016 ...
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Reading electrical clamp tester higher voltage/amp 400A
A sub panel CH 60AMP 3 Pole breaker keeps tripping. I'd like to test the AMPs on the three wires. My clamp tool measures 7.9A while on the 400A AC setting. That seems awfully low to trip a 60 AMP ...
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Test gauge plug on domestic gas system
I am in the U.S. I know that it is a good idea to have a capped or plugged nipple outlet somewhere on your interior gas pipe system where you can mount a test gauge that can be pumpted to a certain ...
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What happens when using a GFCI Tester on a non-GFCI outlet?
I have an outdoor power outlet of which I'm not sure if it's GFCI or not (House was built in 1978). The outlet does not have Test/Reset buttons, but I don't know if outdoor outlets even have them. ...
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Testing TV aerial connection
I have been putting in some TV aerial co-ax cable into my house (in the UK). Before I put the floor down, I would like to test it to make sure I've connected it well enough. Due to the routing ...
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Testing for MSRA/Staph in your home [closed]
I am unsure if this is the proper place to ask this, or if the Biology StackExchange would be better, but I thought to start here first!
My situation is that I have been suffering from skin problems ...
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What's wrong with my replacement fan motor?
I have one of those integrated bathroom 3-in-1 ceiling units (light, heat and exhaust fan).
Recently the fan spontaneously stopped working. I took the unit down to inspect the fan motor and took it ...
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Testing dishwasher drain hose after snaking cloggage but before putting back
My dishwasher (Samsung DMT400RHS) stopped working (it would turn itself off 10-15 min after start) and I determined it was because the drain hose/assembly was clogged so it couldn't flush out. I took ...
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Can the Distance of a Subpanel affect Outlet Tester Results
I got help with wiring my cabin here:
Requesting Evaluation of Power Plan at Rural Cabin
and here: Cabin Wiring Plan Revisited
I also put a follow up comment there, but now I'm not sure that was the ...
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Natural Gas Furnace Installation Shut off valve Direction
The furnace installation directions specifies a shutoff valve with a 1/8" NTP plugged hole for test gauge. I bought this valve and am ready to assemble the pipes but I am uncertain about which side of ...
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How to test two-prong retrofit outlets downstream of GFCI
Given old two-prong (ungrounded) wiring where a GFCI is installed nearest the panel and other two-prong outlets are attached to the load side of that GFCI, how does one confirm that all the outlets ...
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Test for lead over wallpaper
If the walls are covered with wallpaper, eventually to be removed, can one test for lead in the paint under it without stripping the wallpaper? Or does one first have to strip everything, and then ...
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How can a GFI installed on an ungrounded two-wire line be verified?
From an online source:
Your outlet tester may do double-duty as a GFCI outlet tester, simulating a ground-fault by the push of a button on it. There is a limitation here. Unlike a good GFI, which ...
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What to do with a new duplex outlet when the tester says Hot & Ground are Reversed?
I switched out a regular outlet with a LeGrand Radiant Duplex Outlet, connecting all of the wires (2 White, 2 Black and 1 Green) exactly as the previous outlet was wired and according to the ...
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HVAC blower motor runs for a few minutes then stops
I have a Trane X80 furnace with a Nest gen 3 thermostat. This combo has worked flawlessly for a summer and a winter. I just switched back to "cool" and the fan and compressor come on, but the fan ...
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What could cause a false positive report from a line tester?
I'm in India where the domestic supply is 250v @ 50Hz.
I've been working - gradually replacing the solid-core wire/s with stranded wires purchased recently.
To my surprise the line tester showed a ...
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Unexpected voltage with switch turned off
I am doing some work on a ceiling light and I notice that, even though the light-switch is off, my voltage tester shows voltage present.
Answers to other questions (below) explain about phantom ...
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Electrical device for testing continuity of long home-run wires [closed]
Does anyone know the name or have a link to an electrical testing device for verifying home-runs to electrical box?
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Testing electrical outlet wiring, arising from wikipedia
The following paragraph appears near the end of this article:
Simple three light testers cannot detect two potentially serious house wiring errors: (1) neutral and ground reversed at the receptacle....
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How do I Test a Dishwasher Pump Motor
My Whirlpool WDT720PADM dishwasher stopped functioning properly last night. It will run through a full cycle, filling, draining, heating, soap door opens and steam vent opens at the end. While running,...
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Thermocouple measured okay, but replacing it fixed the problem?
So the pilot on my furnace wouldn't stay lit. I tested the thermocouple with my multimeter and got 29 millivolts which meant it was still working.
Assuming I was in over my head, I called the plumber ...
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Refrigerator cycles off/on, comes on fully when condenser fan is unplugged
I have a refrigerator which cycles off and on fairly rapidly, about once every two seconds. This has been occurring intermittently for some time. Today it finally failed to come on.
I finally got it ...
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