Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Not every seemingly broken appliance requires a service call. The most common problems with household appliances are mechanical in nature. You may have a broken or worn-out component (such as a switch or motor). A loose wire or a bad connection can also cause easily-fixable problems. If they want to, any homeowner can learn how to troubleshoot and fix electrical problems with home appliances. Read on for some easy troubleshooting tips!

Most home appliances take AC voltage, supplied to your house from the utility company and use it to make heat, light, turn a motor, or all three at the same time. But when the appliance stops functioning, a logical approach to troubleshooting comes in handy. Fixing electrical problems and even tracing circuit breakers involves the use of basic tools.

You can, for example, check for proper voltage at each circuit component and even the condition of components and connections using functions found on tools like an Amprobe multimeter. It helps to be equipped to troubleshoot electrical problems. To make this less painful, you should have the following tools:

Here is a recommended step-by-step troubleshooting method you can use to isolate and fix electrical problems near any home appliance problems using just a digital multimeter (DMM) and some basic tools:

Believe it or not, some problems start at the source. Always ensure you have the proper AC voltage coming to an outlet or power supply.

To measure the AC supply voltage at a receptacle, first set the DMM (digital multimeter) function switch to Volts AC (VAC). If required, select a range greater than the voltage you expect to measure (greater than 120 volts). An auto-ranging meter automatically selects the most appropriate range for you. Next, connect the test leads (red and black) to the Voltage (V) and Common (C) ports on the meter.

The red multimeter probe tests the “hot” line and the black tests neutral or ground. Carefully, insert the red probe of the meter into the “hot” slot of the receptacle. This is typically the “short” or smaller slot. The black probe goes into the other vertical slot of the receptacle or the Ground slot.

The meter should read between 116 and 124 volts.  The power cord from the appliance usually terminates with three wires: black, white, and green. Black (or less commonly, red) is usually the “hot” wire, white is “neutral”, and the green wire should be ground.

You should also read almost no voltage between Neutral (long slot) and the Ground hole.

If you measure no voltage at the outlet, check to make sure the circuit breaker or switch controlling the receptacle is ON. Also, make sure the probes are sufficiently inserted into the receptacle. You may need to angle them or move them around to be sure. If you DO detect voltage at the receptacle, you could have a problem in the power cord. That will be your next test.

If, however, you measure a voltage that’s much lower than the expected ~120V, you may have a problem with a disconnected neutral (white) wire. Since, most of the time, wires don’t “break in the middle” you might want to check to see if a neutral (white) wire corroded or came disconnected at an outlet or switch on the same circuit. Be sure to shut off the power before searching for broken neutral wires.

Over time, and sometimes through accidents or flexing, the internal conductor in the power cord can break while appearing perfectly normal on the outside. To check a power cord, first disconnect it from the outlet.  For this next part, you will need to gain access to the internal connections on your appliance. Never test any wires on an appliance still connected to an outlet!

Set your multimeter to the resistance or “Ohms” function and measure the resistance between each prong of the plug and the point where the power cord connects to the appliance. The flat, narrow blade on the plug should be connected to the black wire. The flat, wide blade goes to the white wire. The round pin connects to the green wire.

A good power cord will have less than one ohm of resistance from the plug to the end of each wire. Anything higher than one ohm may indicate a cord that is starting to break down and could become overheated when in use. Replace the entire power cord if any wire shows high resistance or “OL” is displayed on the meter.

Sometimes a low or high current draw indicates a motor problem. It can alert you to how to fix electrical problems when systems don’t operate as they should. Current draw is measured by using a clamp accessory attached to your multimeter, or by using a clamp meter. If you don’t know what this looks like, check out our Amprobe clamp meter review.

To make a current measurement, either connect the clamp accessory or grab the clamp meter. Accessories connect to the current jack and common jack of the multimeter. Clamp the jaw around one conductor (wire) of the circuit to be measured. Typically you can find the power cable split out at the appliance side, but please be careful or hire an electrician if you don’t fully understand the risks here. Be careful not to clamp the jaw around both conductors, this will cancel the signal, showing zero current.

Tech Note: The current clamp acts as a step-down transformer, taking the higher current consumed by the appliance and transferring it to a much smaller current (usually 1000 to 1) which the digital multimeter can handle.

To make a current measurement with a clamp meter, select the AC current function and clamp the jaws around one conductor. The display will show the current being measured. What you are doing here is making sure the appliance is actually drawing current in the first place. An appliance that isn’t working may simply not draw any electricity because it has a problem somewhere else and is failing internally.

Check out the Klein Tools CL800 AC/DC clamp meter – $118.25

You can quickly troubleshoot electrical problems by checking onboard switches on small appliances. Make sure power is flowing through them and getting to its proper destination. You can verify this in a couple of ways. With the appliance plugged in, you can check both the input side and output side of the switch for voltage.

With the probe leads plugged into the Volts and Common inputs set the meter to the Voltage AC (VAC) mode. Touch the black probe to ground (the metal frame of the appliance) or to the neutral connector on the power cord (the white wire). Carefully touch the red probe to the connectors on the switch, first one side, then the other. With the switch in the “ON” position, the voltage should be present on both input and output lugs.

Another way is to check the continuity through the switch. For this test, remove power from the switch first by unplugging the appliance.

Next, isolate the switch by removing the wire or wires from one side of the switch.

Then, set the multimeter to the Continuity function and place one lead on the input lug of the switch and the other lead on the output lug of the switch. When the switch is on, the multimeter should sound the audible continuity signal and read about zero ohms. With the switch in the off position, the audible tone should stop and the meter will display “OL.”   If it doesn’t, you have found your problem: a defective switch.

Fixing electrical problems in home appliances may seem daunting. If, however, the problem is just a loose cable or a bad switch, why pay hundreds of dollars for a simple solution? Many electrical problems have been solved easily and quickly by homeowners willing to take a few minutes to do some basic troubleshooting.

Hopefully, this guide was helpful—we love passing on tips from our electrician Pros which may be helpful to other Pros who don’t work in that field. If this helped you, or you have additional troubleshooting steps you’d suggest we add here, please leave a comment below!

When he's not remodeling part of his house or playing with the latest power tool, Clint enjoys life as a husband, father, and avid reader. He has a degree in recording engineering and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.

Clint’s career has covered nearly the entire realm of audio and video production. After graduating at the top of his class with an Associates Degree in Recording Engineering, he began working for the famed Soundelux studios in 1994, one of the largest post-production companies specializing in audio for feature films & television. Working on a myriad of feature films, Clint honed his skills as a dialogue editor, foley editor, and sound designer. Years later, he moved into the expanding area of video editing, where he served as the company’s senior AVID video editor for three years.

Working for such clients as Universal Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, NASA, Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, SEGA, NASCAR, and others, Clint dealt extensively with client management as well as film & video editing, color correction, and digital video & MPEG compression. He also carries several THX certifications (Technician I and II, THX Video), and is ISF Level II Certified.

After founding the CD Media, Inc. publishing company in 1996, he went on to help start or grow several successful online publications, including Audioholics (as Editor-in-Chief for 12 years), Audiogurus, and AV Gadgets. In 2008, Clint founded Pro Tool Reviews followed by the landscape and outdoor power equipment-focused OPE Reviews in 2017. He also heads up the Pro Tool Innovation Awards, an annual awards program honoring innovative tools and accessories across the trades.

Crediting his excellent staff for the success of what is now the largest power tool review publication in the industry, Clint DeBoer hopes to see continued growth for the company as it rapidly expands its reach. Pro Tool Reviews critically reviews hundreds of hand tools, power tools, and accessories each year to help inform users about the best and newest products in the industry. Reaching everyone from the construction industry professional and tradesman to the serious DIYer, Pro Tool Reviews helps tool consumers shop better, work smarter, and stay aware of what tools and products can help put them at the top of their game.

What is an impact driver and what do you use it for? It’s a question we all had to learn the answer to at some point and we’re glad to help you out! Whether you’re adding to your personal tool collection or you’re new to the construction industry, they are incredibly useful tools and are […]

Milwaukee Tool announced the opening of a new Engineering Design and Innovation Space or “Technology Office” in Chicago, Illinois. Which begged the question: What is this multi-billion dollar tool company planning for this downtown location? The Big Deal Behind Milwaukee’s Chicago Office Milwaukee Tool invested over $14 million dollars in this new facility. They renovated […]

ETANCO, a leader in the European construction market for fixing and fastening solutions, has been acquired by Simpson Strong-Tie. Founded in 1956, American company Simpson Strong-Tie has made it its goal to provide exceptional products and services. With ETANCO’s European reputation, they hope this company acquisition will give them a strong footing in the overseas […]

Fastening Tools Highlight Ridgid’s New Cordless Tools For Spring 2022 There’s a constant stream of new Ridgid tools and batteries coming to your local Home Depot and available online. Bookmark this page to stay up to date on the latest new products! New Ridgid Tools For 2022 | Cordless Impact Wrenches Ridgid 18V Brushless 1/2-Inch […]

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn income when you click on an Amazon link. Thanks for helping us do what we love.

See our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Pro Tool Reviews is a successful online publication that has been providing tool reviews and industry news since 2008. In today’s world of Internet news and online content, we found that more and more professionals researched a large majority of their major power tool purchases online. That piqued our interest.

There’s one key thing to note about Pro Tool Reviews: We’re all about the professional tool user and tradesman!

Copyright ©2008-2022 Pro Tool Reviews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Professional Tool Reviews for Pros