Find live wires reliably and safely

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team May 13, 2003

Identifying the live phase conductor in a bundle of cables has long been a headache for electricians - but now the Easy Phase Finder makes finding the live safe and easy every time.

Identifying the live phase conductor in a bundle of cables has long been a headache for electricians - but now the Easy Phase Finder (EPF) from Kew Technik makes finding the live safe and easy every time.

All EPF testers are suitable for use on 110-130, 200-230 and 380-415V supplies, and offer increased levels of safety over alternative phase finders.

They do not require the electrician to make direct contact with a metallic touch pad to detect voltage and the user's hand is well protected behind a large finger guard, preventing accidental contact with potentially live conductors.

While other phase finders - including the trusty neon screwdriver - can give false indications due to induced voltages in adjacent cables, the top of the range Kew Technik EPF 30 has a built-in microprocessor to ensure the true live is always identified.

As the EPF 30's probe is brought into contact with each of the conductors in turn, the voltages are detected and recorded, and when the cables are scanned again, true live is clearly indicated with a red LED light and a continuous audible tone.

This ability to differentiate true live from other conductors is invaluable when it comes to detecting common faults such as reversed live and neutral in a 230V switched socket outlet.

This fault is potentially dangerous for the user, as turning off the conventional single pole switch would not isolate an appliance plugged into the socket.

Using a neon screwdriver or typical noncontact tester it would be difficult or impossible to detect the true live in this situation, as the induced voltage in the neutral running parallel to the phase conductor can be sufficient to confuse such simple voltage detectors.

Other features of the EPF 30 include an automatic self-test routine when switched on, an intermittent bleep to indicate scanning, auto power off to save the battery and a free carrying case.

For less advanced applications, where identification of the phase conductor only involves single rather than bundled cables, the Easy Phase Finder range also includes the EPF 10 and EPF 20.

The entry level EPF 10 shows a clear red light when it detects a live conductor, while the EPF 20 indicates live with an audible tone as well as a red light and features a self-test function.

The standard 9V battery gives long operating life and is easy to change when necessary.

The new Kew Technik Easy Phase Finder is the first major advance in the detection of live conductors since the introduction of the neon screwdriver over 50 years ago.

Using modern electronic technology, it provides easy, safe and reliable phase finding and is a valuable addition to every electrician's toolbox.