outlet tester gives odd reading

[jokerl90]

Using a Sperry GFCI Outlet Tester I'm getting a odd result from the lights on it.(one red, two yellow) The outlet is in a sun room and the power to it is controlled by a light switch inside. With the light switch off nothing lights up on the tester. (as it should be) With the light switch on, the tester has the red light dim, the middle yellow light bright, and the other yellow light dim. Any ideas what this could indicate? Thanks

[HayZee518]

gfci tester

the outlet tester should be used on an outlet with nothing plugged into the outlet. because it'll read "through the load" it should be used without a load.

[jokerl90]

Thanks for the reply. There is nothing plugged into the outlet except the tester.

[HayZee518]

outlet tester

your post said a gfci tester. a standard receptacle tester doesn't read leakage current, just polarity or reversed hot and neutral.

[HayZee518]

sperry tester

here's the sperry tester -
the indication on the tester shows it to be correct two yellow lit. check your wiring for tightness and maybe further upstream for a loose connection.

[jokerl90]

I'm using a Sperry Instruments model HGFI302 GFCI Outlet Tester bought at Home Depot. Sorry for the confusion.
Been searching the web trying find what it could indicate when the middle yellow light is burning bright and the red light is burning dim and the other yellow light is also burning dim.
Thanks

[normel]

You may have an open ground.. the middle light is bright which would be correct in this case. The others may be appearing dim due to reflection from the the middle light.

[jokerl90]

Thanks for the reply normel. The tester has dividers between the lights, but you still could be correct.
Here is what I'm thinking, I never use the outlets. I may just disconnect that branch. It looks like it's wired off a porch light fixture that is somewhat damaged. I could just replace the porch light fixture and not connect those outlets.
The person who owned this place before I did is a jury rigger in the worse sort of way, After having this place for 10 years, I have not once went to repair something without having to fix 2 or 3 other things he screwed up or did half way.
I have a ceiling fan close to this circuit that the light on it flickers (so I don't use it). A couple of LED lights on a power strip and air purifier at the other end of the house trailer also flicker. ( house trailer has copper wiring). A clock radio that resets if someone at the power company burps, works fine in the same outlet as the power strip.

[benjaminearle]

Found your question while looking for the same just to verify what ive been doing. We recently had a home inspection and the same thing turned up on a few outlets - Center burning bright and the side lights (red & yellow) dimly flickering.

Inspector figured reversed hot/neutral with a ground fault (a function of the LED circuitry in the tester disallows sufficient volts/amps to fully light all three.

I disassembled the outlets and in some cases there was a ground to nowhere, which i removed and then got a good (albeit ground fault) test. In others i swapped white and black on the inbound side and got a good test. Notice i say white and black. No reason naming them hot and neutral since teh copper and plastic dont care. The house is from teh 50s and goodness knows how it was wired and how much beer the electrician had between outlets.

Hope this helps.

Ben

[HayZee518]

old(er) houses still have knob n tube wiring. when romex was introduced it was nothing to see the romex spliced into the cables running on two opposing joist faces with a little friction tape. both wires were either white jute fiber or black jute fiber. the hot was usually found by touching a known ground and then touching the other wire until someone got rapped. this was the hot wire. then someone used a neon tester and found that one side of the neon tube glowed ever so slightly when a hot was tested and the other probe was held by the fingers. if per chance you were touching a ground, you'd get zapped. outlet testers show correct polarity, reverse hot n neutral, no ground etc. gfci testers show all of that plus a gfi trip function.