What kind of circuit tester do I need?

[Bernie]

Bulb out. Glow stick that Rick-o suggested into the socket. Could still have power but the center tab is smashed flat. If no glow then go for screws. Meter leads and a lamp socket can be scary for hands that are not steady.

[cbelt3]

Another vote for the buzzy detector gizmo. I use those religiously when working on AC. The hot wire you touch could be your last.

[rgG]

billb wrote:
if the bulb doesn't come on it's a bad switch, bad wire nut connection or no voltage present or substitution of junk bulbs which 99.99% rgg can do a simple substitution..
safest way to take it apart to look and test is make sure Vac is off with the sniffer

Yep, tested the bulb in another lamp, it is good. Also tried another known good bulb. It is the little pull chain switch, I am pretty sure, as it has happened before, but before it broke in the on position, so it was easy to see when I had the right breaker. I will also label the breaker with Pantry light, when I find out which it is. I have made many "addendum" notes in the breaker box, over the years.

I will get a sniffer when I get the replacement fixture.

[flareslow]

Unpack your newly purchased non-contact voltage detector from above, and test it by holding it near an outlet or cord plugged into an outlet that you know to be functional.

You can carefully unscrew the fixture from the outlet box and let it hang temporarily by the wires. Hold the non-contact voltage detector described above near each wire, one at a time. If wired properly, the black wire will have the line voltage and your detector will indicate as you get it close. You do not need to touch the wire with the device to determine whether it is a "live" circuit. Trip a breaker, then recheck the wire, then reset the breaker if the wire remains "live".
Repeat until you locate the breaker that de-energizes the wire.

Then before working on the fixture, retest your detector with a known "live" outlet to confirm that it did not fail during your search for the correct breaker.

[rgG]

flareslow wrote:
Unpack your newly purchased non-contact voltage detector from above, and test it by holding it near an outlet or cord plugged into an outlet that you know to be functional.

You can carefully unscrew the fixture from the outlet box and let it hang temporarily by the wires. Hold the non-contact voltage detector described above near each wire, one at a time. If wired properly, the black wire will have the line voltage and your detector will indicate as you get it close. You do not need to touch the wire with the device to determine whether it is a "live" circuit. Trip a breaker, then recheck the wire, then reset the breaker if the wire remains "live".
Repeat until you locate the breaker that de-energizes the wire.

Then before working on the fixture, retest your detector with a known "live" outlet to confirm that it did not fail during your search for the correct breaker.

Thanks! That is a very clear set of instructions.

[msglee]

http://www.harborfreight.com/non-contact...97218.html

[SteveG]

Sorry, only available for DC...

[rgG]

Update:

I bought a replacement fixture and a voltage sniffer at Lowes. The only issue was that the voltage sniffer kept giving a positive response on that fixture, no matter how many breakers I threw. I finally figured out, through too many trips up and down the basement stairs, that the voltage sniffer was getting a false reading from the fluorescent light on the fish tank that is very near where this fixture is located. The only way I finally got the sniffer to stay off was to make sure the circuit the for the fish tank was off, before I turned any other circuits off. I finally identified the one the broken fixture was on and then replaced it.

I really want to find some other type of light fixture to go there, but since that box isn't wired to a switch, it makes my choices very slim. I am going to keep looking, but for now, the new one is working, finally.

[cbelt3]

Congrats ! And no shocks !