Every profession has equipment and tools that are necessary in order to carry out the work. In this text, we are going to talk about a specific line of work and tools that every electrician needs and uses. Apprentice electrician may get tools when they enroll in a course, but eventually, upon successfully finishing a course, every electrician wants his own tools.
The essential piece of equipment that an electrician need is a multimeter. This device measures multiple electrical properties such as voltage, current, resistance, etc. there are two types of multimeters available – analog and digital one. Modern multimeter devices include special features such as Bluetooth connectivity, work lights, and thermal imaging camera. Both analog and digital devices have their advantages and disadvantages, but they can both do a good job, so when it comes to picking one of them, the choice is all yours.
Another tool of crucial importance that every electrician must possess is the voltage tester. It is of imperative importance to know if a wire is alive i.e. whether or not the electricity is flowing through it. So, basically, this is a small tool that guarantees your safety, since, as you know, there could be some dangerous consequences if one starts working on alive wire or device. Some multimeters possess a feature to measure voltage, but it is always a good thing to own this tool separately from the multimeters because it is really handy. Moreover, you can buy a non-contact voltage tester that can detect electricity even without touching a wire.
Furthermore, another convenient tool that is extremely useful is a circuit finder. Since it is not easy to find circuit directory, that’s when circuit finder comes in handy. All one has to do is to place this device into the outlet and it will detect where the matching directory is.
There are several types of pliers electricians use such as side cutting pliers, diagonal cutting pliers, and long nose pliers. All these types of pliers are used for cutting wires, but side cutting pliers are also designed to pull, twits and bend wires. Long nose pliers are especially useful for reaching out to small and tight spaces. In addition, wire strippers are an essential part of every electrician’s toolbox because they are specifically designed for stripping off the protective insulation of wires. Clearly, firstly you have to use a voltage tester to check if the wire is alive.
Let’s talk about some additional, smaller pieces of the tool. First of all, an electrician needs a fish tape that is used for pushing and pulling wires through a conduit with a leader. Electricians also use fish sticks or glow sticks. Moreover, every electrician has to have a measuring tape in his toolbox, a level to make sure that their product is balanced, a claw hammer for extracting nails, and a torch to light up the place where they work. In addition, an electrician needs a knife for different purposes and also rubber grommets that are used to cover sharp edges of a metal hole where the wire has to go through. If you want to learn more about different uses of rubber grommets, click here.
Even tough screwdriver and nut drivers may not seem like tools that electricians need, nowadays, these tools have become a part of every electrician’s toolbox. Manufacturers have designed screwdrivers and nut drivers specifically for people who are in this line of work.
The last thing an electrician need is a place to store all his tools and that is, of course, a toolbox. These days, there are lots of different kinds of tool boxes one can choose from, but they all have few things in common. They are all waterproof and have a ton of space for every piece of equipment. A heavy duty tool bag with a shoulder strap similar to these is an alternative, as they make carrying a large amount of tool much easier.”
Once you have bought all your tools, you have to maintain them very well if you want them to last for years to come. Clean them regularly, store them correctly and make sure that your toolbox is always dry.
