The Klein Tool That Makes Home Electric Work Safer And Easier

When you have an electrical outlet that isn't working as expected, you should not ignore it. A malfunctioning or dead outlet carries a fire risk because it remains attached to the home's wiring system. Occasionally, testing your outlets for your home's safety is a smart idea. If your testing reveals a problem, you can then look for ways to fix a broken outlet. You could call an electrician or fix the outlet yourself as long as you're comfortable working with electrical wiring.

Before you change out a bad outlet, you may wonder if you need to turn off the circuit breaker for the outlet. If the outlet is not delivering any power, how do you know whether it's live? Rather than worrying about trying to figure out your circuit breaker box and turning off random breakers to try to narrow down the issue, you can use an ingenious tool that quickly tells you which circuit breaker goes to the outlet.

The Klein Tools ET310 Digital Circuit Breaker Finder is a two-piece kit that costs $49.97 on Amazon. The transmitter piece plugs into the dead outlet, and the other piece tests the circuit breakers. As Instagram user chrisgarage78 shows, you move the tester across the breakers' surfaces until its light turns red. You've then found the circuit breaker associated with the outlet. Not only is the Klein Tools ET310 extremely easy to use, but it has several add-on features that make it a nice tool to have around the house. Here's a bit more about the ET310's pros and cons.

If you'd like to test broken light sockets to see which circuit breaker they use, you can purchase a Klein Tools Circuit Breaker Finder Accessory Kit for just under $20 that plugs into Klein's transmitter piece. You can then screw the light fixture adapter into the light socket before running the testing tool over the circuit breakers. When the tool turns red, you've found the circuit breaker associated with the socket. The tool also emits a beep when finding the correct breaker in case you missed the light changing to red.

In addition to helping you track down the associated circuit breaker, the transmitting tool uses a light system to help you determine what is wrong with the outlet. For example, if the outlet has an incorrect wiring connection, the transmitting tool generates a specific light pattern. It can also run tests on GFCI outlets to ensure they work correctly. These extra features give the Klein Tools ET310 additional usefulness compared to other circuit breaker finders.

One disadvantage of the Klein Tools ET310 tester is that it only works on outlets connected to 120-volt wiring. It will not work for 220- or 240-volt outlets like you'd use for an oven or clothes dryer. The transmitter tool itself only works with a three-prong outlet, as it contains a grounding prong that you cannot remove. However, the light fixture adapter kit does include a two-to-three-prong adapter for testing a two-prong outlet.