5.5 Electrical Tools MUST HAVES
Summary
TLDRIn this video, host Josh showcases five and a half essential electrical tools for DIY enthusiasts. The tools include a non-contact voltage tester by Klein, a digital breaker finder, a versatile wire stripper and cutter, a wire twister, and Wago lever nuts. Each tool is demonstrated for its functionality, emphasizing safety, efficiency, and ease of use in various electrical tasks.
Takeaways
- 🔧 The video introduces five and a half essential electrical tools that all fit in a small bag.
- 📺 The host, Josh, runs a channel focused on DIY home building and saving money.
- 🔌 The first tool is a non-contact voltage tester by Klein, which detects AC current and has a silent mode option.
- 🧪 The tester does not detect voltage in neutral or ground wires but accurately detects hot wires.
- ⚡ The second and third tools are a digital breaker finder set with a transmitter and receiver, useful for testing outlets and finding circuit breakers.
- 🔍 The transmitter in the breaker finder also acts as a GFI outlet tester to check if outlets are wired correctly and GFI protected.
- 🔧 The fourth tool is the Klein catapult automatic wire stripper and cutter, which works on various wire gauges and has replaceable blades.
- 🔩 The fifth tool is a wire twister, which attaches to a drill to quickly and efficiently tighten wire nuts.
- 🛠️ The final ‘half’ tool is the Wago lever nut, an easy-to-use connector for wiring that works with both stranded and solid wires and allows quick connections and disconnections.
- 💡 The host provides detailed demonstrations for each tool and emphasizes their practicality for DIYers and homeowners.
Q & A
What is the first tool Josh introduces in the video?
-The first tool Josh introduces is a non-contact voltage tester made by Klein.
What is the voltage range of the non-contact voltage tester?
-The non-contact voltage tester is good for detecting voltages from 50 to 1000 volts.
How does the non-contact voltage tester indicate power detection?
-The non-contact voltage tester beeps and shows a red light when it detects AC current, which is the type of current that runs through houses.
What is the purpose of the transmitter and receiver tool Josh discusses?
-The transmitter and receiver tool is used for finding circuit breakers and testing GFI outlets.
How does the digital breaker finder function?
-The digital breaker finder functions by plugging into an outlet and using a receiver to locate the corresponding breaker in the panel box.
What is the purpose of the Klein catapult automatic wire stripper and wire cutter?
-The Klein catapult automatic wire stripper and wire cutter is used for cutting and stripping wires, with the ability to handle wires from 8 gauge to 20 gauge solid and 10 to 22 gauge stranded.
How does the wire twister tool work?
-The wire twister tool works by fitting onto a drill or impact driver, allowing the user to tighten wire nuts onto wires without manually twisting them together.
What is the benefit of using Wago lever nuts over traditional wire nuts?
-Wago lever nuts are easier to use and can be undone and redone without cutting the wires, making them more convenient for adjustments and testing.
What is the main reason Josh recommends testing a known hot wire with the non-contact voltage tester before using it?
-Josh recommends testing a known hot wire to ensure the non-contact voltage tester is functioning properly before relying on it to confirm an outlet is safe to work on.
How does the GFI outlet tester part of the transmitter and receiver tool indicate if an outlet is wired correctly?
-The GFI outlet tester indicates correct wiring by showing two yellow lights, and it can also trip the breaker if the circuit is GFI protected.
What is the main feature of the Wago lever nuts that makes them stand out from traditional wire nuts?
-The main feature of Wago lever nuts that makes them stand out is their ease of use and the ability to add or remove wires without the need for twisting or untwisting wire nuts.
Outlines
🛠 Introduction to Essential Electrical Tools
Josh introduces five and a half must-have electrical tools that fit in a small bag, perfect for new viewers interested in building or saving money on house projects. He provides a link to purchase these tools in the video description and emphasizes the importance of subscribing and liking the video for notifications. The first tool discussed is a non-contact voltage tester by Klein, which detects AC current from 50 to 1000 volts. It requires two AAA batteries and can be clipped onto a shirt for convenience. The tester beeps when it detects voltage, and a silent mode is available by holding the power button for a longer duration. Josh demonstrates how the tester works with white neutral and black hot wires, explaining the importance of testing against the black wire for power detection. He also shows how to use the tester on receptacles and cords, highlighting the need to check both sides of a receptacle and the entire cord for power.
🔍 Advanced Voltage Testing and GFI Outlet Testing
The video continues with a two-in-one tool: a transmitter and receiver for finding breakers and testing GFI outlets. The transmitter, when plugged into an outlet, provides codes indicating correct or incorrect wiring. It also tests if the outlet is GFI protected. Josh demonstrates this by plugging it into a GFI-protected kitchen island outlet and pressing the test button, which successfully trips the breaker. He contrasts this with a non-GFI protected outlet, showing that pressing the test button does not trip the breaker. The receiver part of the tool is used to locate the breaker in the panel box. It requires a 9-volt battery and beeps faster as it gets closer to the breaker. Josh notes a peculiar lighting phenomenon with the receiver that appears different on camera than in real life. Lastly, he mentions the Klein catapult automatic wire stripper and cutter, highlighting its versatility for different wire gauges and the convenience of its wire cutter feature.
✂️ Wire Stripping and Twisting Made Easy
Josh showcases the Klein catapult automatic wire stripper and cutter, demonstrating how to strip wires from 8 to 20 gauge solid and 10 to 22 gauge stranded. He emphasizes the tool's precision and the ease of replacing its blades. The video then introduces a wire twister tool, which simplifies the process of connecting wires with wire nuts. The tool fits various sizes of wire nuts and can be attached to a drill or impact driver. Josh illustrates how to twist wires together using lineman's pliers before tightening them with the wire twister for a secure connection. He also shows an alternative method without initial twisting, highlighting the importance of the initial twist for a better connection.
🔩 Alternatives to Wire Nuts: Wago Lever Nuts
The final tool discussed is not a tool per se but a helpful component for DIYers and homeowners: Wago lever nuts. These nuts are easy to use and can accommodate multiple wires at once, from 2 to 5 wires, and are suitable for 24 to 12 gauge wire. Josh demonstrates how to use the Wago nuts, showing their clear plastic back for proper wire placement and the ease of adding or removing wires by lifting the levers. He contrasts this with traditional wire nuts, noting that Wago nuts allow for easier testing and adjustments. Josh concludes by recommending these nuts for their utility and includes a link to a video on wiring a panel box for further information.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Non-contact voltage tester
💡AC current
💡GFI outlet tester
💡Wire stripper
💡Wire cutter
💡Wire twister
💡Wire nut
💡Wago lever nut
💡Circuit breaker
💡Voltage
Highlights
Josh introduces five and a half must-have electrical tools that fit conveniently in a little bag.
The first tool is a non-contact voltage tester made by Klein, detecting AC current from 50 to 1000 volts.
The tester requires two AAA batteries and can be clipped onto a shirt for convenience.
To operate the tester, hold the power button briefly to turn on or off, and hold for a second to mute the noise.
The tester beeps when it detects power on the black hot wire but not on the white neutral wire.
Before relying on the tester, Josh recommends testing a known hot wire to ensure it's working correctly.
The tester's end is shaped like a cord prong to slide into a receptacle for testing.
Josh demonstrates the importance of testing both sides of a receptacle to ensure power detection.
The second tool is a two-in-one transmitter and receiver for finding breakers and testing GFI outlets.
The transmitter tests GFI outlets without batteries and provides a code for any wiring issues.
The receiver requires a 9-volt battery and helps locate the breaker in the panel box.
Josh shows how to use the transmitter to test if a circuit is GFI protected by tripping the breaker.
The Klein catapult automatic wire stripper and cutter is the fourth must-have tool, versatile for different wire gauges.
The wire stripper can strip solid wire from 8 gauge to 20 gauge and stranded wire from 10 to 22 gauge.
The wire cutter can handle up to 10 gauge wire and has a feature to strip the wire automatically.
The fifth tool is a wire twister that fits on a drill or impact driver to twist wires together with wire nuts.
The wire twister simplifies the process of twisting wires together and can be used with different sizes of wire nuts.
Josh recommends twisting wires together first before using the wire twister for the best results.
The final half-tool is Wago lever nuts, which are easy to use and suitable for both stranded and solid wires.
Wago lever nuts provide an easier alternative to wire nuts and can be used for multiple wires at once.
Josh demonstrates how to use Wago lever nuts to connect wires and mentions their ease of testing and undoing wiring.
Transcripts
in this video I'm going to show you five
and a half electrical tools that are
must-haves that all fit conveniently in
this little bag and if you're new this
channel my name is Josh your channel is
all about building your house save a ton
of money be sure to subscribe ring that
Bell so you get notification every time
I release new video and Hammer that like
button for me that's all I asking turn
for making this video so at any point in
this video you want to purchase any of
these tools there's a link to them in
the description below let's get started
the first tool that I'd like to go over
is this non-contact voltage tester and
this is made by Klein as you can see if
we take a look at the back it's good
from 50 to a thousand volts and it only
detects AC current and not DC current so
AC current is what runs through your
house and if we pop this back off this
is where the batteries are stored as you
can see it requires two aaa's in order
to power the device and it came with the
batteries just so you know and this end
will also act as a place to where you
can clip it onto your shirt and in order
the power on the device we just hold the
power button down just for a second and
release and the green light indicates
that it's powered on and in order to
power the device off we just hold it
down for another Split Second and it
powered it off now if you don't want to
hear that noise when you power it on and
off and it also makes that same noise
when you're using it which I'll
demonstrate that here in just a moment
you hold this power button down for
longer than a split second for a second
or two and when it turns on as you can
see it did not make any noise and when
you go to use it it also will not make
any noise so if you want to use it
silently that's how you do it and turn
it off you hold it back down and you
turn off just like you did the first
time so now let's go use this so I can
show you how it works to demonstrate how
this tester works I put together the
white neutral wires here and the black
hot wires together here so you'll see
the distinct difference here now we're
going to power on the tester and if we
place this up against a white neutral as
you can see it's not beeping or anything
so you would think there was no power to
this circuit but if we go over to the
black hot wire it's beeping very easily
and it's on the same circuit as this
white wire and that's because this does
not detect the power or anything that's
in the neutral wire so you're going to
want to make sure when you're testing
out an outlet or a circuit that you're
testing it up against the black wire and
if we touch the ground wire as you can
see it's not going to detect anything
there as well and something you're going
to want to do before you rely on this
tester is go to a wire that you know is
hot for instance this to make sure your
tester is working properly before you
use it to rely on turning off an outlet
to work on it as you've probably already
noticed the end of the tester is shaped
like the prong of a cord that's because
it'll allow you to slide the end of the
tester into a receptacle and just so you
know if you bump this tester it's going
to show a red light and as if there is
voltage so if you tap it it's because
it's detecting the vibrate operations so
don't get confused thinking there's
power to something all because you just
tapped it against something so we're
going to slide it into this receptacle
on this side of it and as you can see
it's not beeping as if there's no power
but if we slide it into this side and
it's going to be and this is beeping
because this is the hot side of the
receptacle so you want to make sure that
you test both sides of the receptacle
before seeing if there's any power in it
if we plug it into the circular part
that's for the ground as you can see
it's not detecting anything so we know
there's power to this receptacle because
it's beeping in the hot side of the
receptacle and now if we plug in a cord
like this I want to show you something
that's really critical if you hold it up
to this side it's beeping but if we hold
up to this side it is not so it's very
important that when you're checking to
see if there's power to a cord go around
the whole thing
so that way you know if there's power in
it if you're not up against the power it
won't beep so very important to note
about this Con non-contact tester I
pulled this receptacle out of the wall
so you can see this demonstrated on a
receptacle so as you can see if you
touch these silver terminals there's no
beeping but if we touch the gold
terminals where the black wires are
located it's clearly has power now if
you're wondering how do you test the
switch it's the same idea you just touch
the terminals with the tester and it
will beep if there's power to it the
second must-have tool is two tools in
one we got our transmitter and our
receiver that's four finding Breakers
this is a digital breaker finder and
this part will come with it that you can
store on the end like this and what this
does is we plug this into an outlet and
then we'll take the one that's on the
other side that's the receiver and we're
going to find the breaker in the panel
box using this device let me show you
how it works because this is technically
two tools in one this counts as two and
three in the list of must have tools if
we take this end off the first one I
want to go over is the part that's the
transmitter and this transmitter acts as
a GFI outlet tester and what I mean by
that is we're going to plug this into an
outlet and you're going to get these
codes telling you if it's wired
correctly or if it's wired wrong and
then we can test the outlet at the same
time if it's a GFI this receptacle is
part of the kitchen this is the island
and it is GFI protected via the breaker
now this does not require batteries to
operate unlike the non-contact voltage
tester I just showed you so all we got
to do with this will slide it right into
the receptacle and this is a chart of
any wiring that may be wrong it's going
to show up and to give you a code to
address that issue but as you can see
this is correctly wired because we got
two yellow lights here on the end and
that's what's represented on the this
chart so because it's a GFI protected
circuit if we press this button it's
going to short out the circuit and if
this circuit was not GFI protected if we
press this button it won't do anything
and it won't trip it so if we press it
now
it kicked the breaker and it is
correctly wired and it is GFI protected
now this receptacle is not on a GFI and
if we plug this in it gives us our same
code as same correctly wired but if we
press this in
it will not trip the breaker so that's
something to keep in mind if you go to
test this on a circuit and it's not
tripping the breaker it's more than
likely not a GFI protected circuit I'm
not going to show you how to use the
digital circuit breaker finder and this
is the outlet tester that I was just
showing you how to use and this is the
outlet or receptacle that we're just
testing so I'm going to plug this back
into that outlet now we're going to head
to the panel box with the receiver I
just noticed a really crazy phenomenon
watch the light on this it's going to
light back up see that here in person
without the camera if you're looking at
with your own eyes the light stayed
solid the whole time but right now while
I'm making this video I noticed on film
it looked like it was going off but
right now it is still on in real life
very weird leave a comment below if
you've ever noticed such a thing I'm
over here at my breaker box with the
receiver and something to note it did
come with a 9 volt battery and requires
a 9 volt battery to power this and it is
inside the handle of the receiver and in
order to turn this on all we got to do
is press this power button on just for a
Split Second
and you see the green light come on and
you hear the beeping
that's what it sounds like when it has
not detected the circuit yet and all we
got to do with this the first thing I
like to do is go over each breaker like
this
and you see it's probably that one but
we're going to go through all of them
first
all right so the only one that it could
have been was up here right there so you
can see it's a red light it's beeping
like crazy and you notice the beeping
speeds up as you get closer to the
breaker so like I mentioned before that
circuit is GFI protected and the purple
test buttons or GFI Breakers so if we
kick this
it should have kicked the power to that
circuit
and as you can see it's not detecting
anything there and something to note
when you power this back on
it's not going to detect it as easy so
it's recommended that you turn this off
then turn it back on
in order to use it again so if we go
through here
it detects it way better so always make
sure you reset your receiver after you
kick the breaker off and on my number
four must-have electrical tool is the
Klein catapult automatic wire stripper
and wire cutter let me show you how it
works the thing I love most about these
wire strippers is the versatility of
them and right here is where the wire
cutter is located and as you can see it
can take up to a 10 gauge wire and how
this works is around back there's a hole
and all you got to do is slide your wire
right into it it's going to come out the
front here and then you squeeze it and
the blade is going to come out and cut
it right in the back where that Blade's
coming out through the hole and now we
just squeeze now for the automatic
stripping tool that's located up here on
the head it can strip anywhere from a 8
gauge to 20 gauge solid wire and a 10 to
22 gauge stranded wire and all we've got
to do if you take a look at the numbers
here see that 12 I got a 12 gauge wire
right here and in order to use it all we
got to do is just line up with that 12
and slide it through the back here so
all we got to do is go somewhere like so
so you want to strip that much off of it
we just squeeze real slow it's going to
pull that sheathing right off and that's
all there is to it and this thing is
very precise wherever that wire is
looped over the end of the edge here
that's where it's going to be cut so as
you can see we can place and just cut
that little bit off with no problem
another great feature to these you can
buy replacement blades if these ever get
worn out I have used these a good bit
and it has held up very well definitely
good build quality and they may not be
suitable for every situation but for 99
percent of situations this thing works
great number five on the list is a wire
twister this thing is really cool and
you're really going to like what you're
about to see let me show you how it
works if we take a look at the wire
twister up close as you can see it has a
quarter inch Chuck that can fit on an
impact driver or a drill and if you take
a look at the opening here it is slotted
and as you can imagine it's for the wing
of the wire nut to catch on to be
tightened down so if we take a look even
the smallest wire nut like this size
will fit down into it and catches on the
side very easily and if you take a look
at this number 18 wire nut it has wings
on it so I've noticed that the wings
definitely grip onto this tool better
and it is very simple how this works but
I want to show you putting wires
together here as well now if we take
this number 14 wire nut as you can see
it slides in there very easily and it
grips it probably better than the rest
of them so if you notice the wings are
definitely going to be helpful for using
this tool and now let me show you how to
connect wires together using this in
order to place this in a drill you
simply just slide it into the Chuck of
the drill like you would anything else
and then tighten it down and make sure
it's in there really well and now
whenever I put together wires using wire
nuts how always twist the wires together
using linemans so in order to do that
all I do is grab the end here and then
twist them together like so just to make
sure they're connected well
and now in order to use this tool we
take our wire nut slide it into the end
on the wire twister just like so and now
we're going to place it right over those
wires and tighten it down
and as you can see that tightened it up
really easy now that's just a cool tool
to have if you've got a lot of wire nuts
to do and as you can see it saves your
fingers from having to twist it together
like so and if this was attached to an
electrical outlet or something it would
have been easier to see how well that
torqued it down so now let's say you
wanted to put these together and you
didn't want to twist them together first
but I always recommend you do so but I
just wanted to show you how it would
work so we'd slide them all in like so
and then we'd tighten them down
so as you can see it's more of an
exaggerated thing when you don't twist
them together first just so you can see
now if we undo it we'll see the
difference between the first method in
this one and it's not Twisted together
nearly as good as twisting them together
like we did first so I always recommend
you use the lineman's first regardless
my final must-have tool really isn't
necessarily a tool but I felt like it
should be on this list because it is
very helpful for diyers and homeowners
and they are the Wago lever nuts these
babies are extremely useful and easy to
use let me show you how they work
whenever I buy these Legos I like to buy
an assortment of them so you have some
available for each situation as you can
see this is one that's rated for five
wires at once and then it goes clear
down to two wires and also these are
good for 24 to 12 gauge wire so anything
in between you can use the same nut on
which is very handy and they're very
simple to use honestly they're super
easy to use anybody can figure these out
pretty easily the good thing about these
as well is they can be used on stranded
wire or solid wire so let's take this
one that's rated for three wires and as
you can see all you got to do is open up
the lever like this and that's going to
allow you to slide a wire inside here
and it has a clear plastic back so you
can make sure the wire is placed
properly so all we got to do to put a
wire in it is take it and Slide the wire
right into one of those ports right like
so and then shut the lever and that's
all there is to it if we take a look in
the back as you can see we have
sheathing up to here and then it goes
into this bar to where all the wires
connect and then you have a little bit
of sticking out right here and in order
to place more wires in there all we got
to do is slide them right in and shut
the lever and so on and so forth as you
can see that was almost too easy and
this is so much easier than using a wire
nut that it's ridiculous to be honest
with you if we take a look here if you
look at these ports in the back you can
slide a tester in here even after it's
connected and you can also slide a
tester in from this side as well right
into that little slot if you wanted to
test it the circuit for whatever reason
using the wire nut and this is very nice
because you can undo your wiring much
easier than a regular wire nut as well
so let's say we had to add a extra black
for a power to switch or something all
we'd have to do is lift up the levers
and you can just pull this right out and
boom you're ready to go I mean it's just
such a nice device that I had included
on this list I know I only counted it as
0.5 of on the list but it was something
I needed to include because it's going
to be very helpful for anybody watching
in this video to know something like
this is out there to use if you would
like to know how I wired this panel box
check out this video
[Music]
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