I keep hearing techs say they don't need to carry a multimeter anymore

I saw a real change in my own work about 3 years ago. I was getting by with just a voltage sniffer and a parts cannon approach. Then I had a string of 5 calls in a row for a weird fridge issue where the sniffer lied to me. Pulled out my old Fluke 117 and found a floating neutral on the board that was giving false readings. That week cost me about $400 in wasted parts and callbacks. Now I won't even open the truck without it. Are we really okay with ditching the most basic tool for guessing? What are you guys using to actually verify voltage under load?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera5149d ago

My sniffer once lied to me too.

blair_martin9d ago

I mean, it's just a sniffer though, right? Like they mess up sometimes but it's not the end of the world. Maybe we're taking this a bit too seriously.

murray.drew9d ago

So a sniffer "messes up sometimes" and that's fine? How many callbacks and wasted parts does it take before it's a real problem? That floating neutral story is exactly why a real meter matters. What happens when the sniffer lies on something more expensive than a fridge board?