Doing home improvement yourself can seem difficult, especially if you’re inexperienced. When working with electrical items, you’ll want to be especially careful. One of these situations to pay attention to would be if you’re going to be rewiring a switch or outlet for a light fixture or fan yourself. Generally speaking, black are hot and white wires commonly don’t have power on them; but here at UniqueVanities.com, we like to err on the side of caution—and TEST FIRST!
The best way to check would be to purchase an inductive voltage tester, or pen tester. With this product, you don’t really have to even touch the bare wire. Just turn it on, hold it up next to the wire and it will light up if it’s hot or not. Yes, it’s that simple! Another item that could be used would be a multi-meter or volt-meter, but they’re a little more involved, and generally not as easy for the do-it-yourself-er. Pen testers can be bought at Home Depot or Lowes, and are cheap and easy. And most likely, if you’re remodeling your home, you’ll probably be using it again! So, safety first. Don’t get zapped! Check your tester on a known live circuit first and then test your wires before you start hooking up any of those wall sconces you’ve been storing forever!
Content Provided by: Julia Ritzenthaler