# Receptacle Contact Tension Tester



## KayJay (Jan 20, 2008)

How often do you use a receptacle contact tension tester on your service calls?

I bought the Woodhead 1760 several years ago and really like the idea of being able to test each receptacle contact individually, but unfortunately I don't get anywhere near as much use out of it as I thought I would. 
Mainly because most Resi and Commercial customers just don't give a crap about preventative maintenance regarding things like loose receptacle contacts, even when you show them.
They generally find it more cost effective to wait until both the receptacle and cord cap melt into a homogeneous pile of acrid black putty, before taking action. 

It seems that unless you do actual facilities maintenance for hospitals and institutional buildings, this type of retension tester will probably never get much use at all.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Receptacle tension doesn't mean a thing.

Nothing at all.







































































(These are not Photoshopped images as I DO NOT have Photoshop. They were, however, reduced from their original 3872 x 2592 pixel size down to 640 x 480 pixels so 1. dial up members can see them sometime today and 2. they fit on your screen.)


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## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

KayJay said:


> .... They generally find it more cost effective to wait until both the receptacle and cord cap melt into a homogeneous pile of acrid black putty, before taking action.


I kind of look at that in two ways. On the one hand, it does bug me that I can point out things that are wrong and they ignore it. On the other, when a lot of those things eventually do fail, I often got much more work than they bargained for because the fault acted in a worst case scenario taking out far more than they would have imagined, caused a fire, etc.


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## wptski (Jun 30, 2008)

Have seen many three pronged cords that only make contact with the ground pin because of the weight of the cord. If one pin is tight enough, it feels like all are tight but not always so.

I have the tool also.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

If you do not have a receptacle tension tester, and you do service calls, you're cheating yourself out of an easy 50 bucks from every home you get in. A quick check of the bathroom receptacles, kitchen counter receptacles, and if there's an obvious receptacle for the vacuum sweeper will normally reveal that some of them are way below spec.


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## I_get_shocked (Apr 6, 2009)

Looks like 49 cent lowes receptacles. You get what you pay for


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

I_get_shocked said:


> Looks like 49 cent lowes receptacles. You get what you pay for


I didn't know Lowes made receptacles. I thought they were a retailer, selling Cooper stuff.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I_get_shocked said:


> Looks like 49 cent lowes receptacles. You get what you pay for


Regardless, there's a lot of homes with these installed. It's like a little pot of gold for an electrician if he can figure out a professional way to test and present a case for replacement of loose receptacles.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> Regardless, there's a lot of homes with these installed. It's like a little pot of gold for an electrician if he can figure out a professional way to test and present a case for replacement of loose receptacles.


Everyone is free to use the pix I put in post #2............

















Note to Marc: Maybe if you didn't do your resi service call in your PJs, you'd have a bit more credibility.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Great. Yet another thing I need to buy. Where does it end? :blink:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Peter D said:


> Great. Yet another thing I need to buy. Where does it end? :blink:


You don't have to buy it. Maybe one in every 10,000 service electricians probably owns one. I just happen to think that you can make it pay for itself pretty quickly.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Peter D said:


> Great. Yet another thing I need to buy. Where does it end? :blink:


In most cases, when you die.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> You don't have to buy it. Maybe one in every 10,000 service electricians probably owns one. I just happen to think that you can make it pay for itself pretty quickly.


No, that's just it. I _do_ have to buy it. I was just lamenting on how many gizmos one needs to be a serviceman. But like you say, they pay for themselves. :thumbsup:


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

480sparky said:


> In most cases, when you die.



Nobody asked _you,_ Tool. :no:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Peter D said:


> Nobody asked _you,_ Tool. :no:


Of course, Peter, you're going staight to h-e-double-toothpicks, so you're gonna be an electrician for all eternity.










And remember, that's *Mr.* Tool to you!


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

Peter D said:


> Nobody asked _you,_ Tool. :no:


Get it right..... he is "a tool" I am "The tool"

~Matt


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

TOOL_5150 said:


> Get it right..... he is "a tool" I am "The tool"


You're right. I'm sorry.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

480sparky said:


> Of course, Peter, you're going staight to h-e-double-toothpicks, so you're gonna be an electrician for all eternity.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Them's fightin' words, tool boy!


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Peter D said:


> Them's fightin' words, tool boy!


 
Which ones?


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## rexowner (Apr 12, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> You don't have to buy it. Maybe one in every 10,000 service electricians probably owns one. I just happen to think that you can make it pay for itself pretty quickly.


Just bought one online. I am pretty sure I can get $60 in
value back in short order.

Thanks for the tip.:thumbup:


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