Getting Started

Welcome to GardnerBender frequently asked questions page!

We’re sure you have a few questions on how to get started… Here are a few ways to browse our site:

Search Box: This is going to be the quickest way to locate exactly what you are looking for, type a few key words and select the FAQ that best matches your inquiry.

Recent Posts: This the most recent questions to be answered.

Categories: This will allow you to browse based on a general subject, and see all of the FAQ’s relevant to that topic.

If those three fail, shoot us your question and we will work to get it answered and added to our growing knowledge database.

If you have questions about the GardnerBender FAQ you can EMAIL us. We’ll be sure to add any information and/or questions to our growing database.

GardnerBender Warranty Coverage

Gardner Bender

Electrical Conduit Benders carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Hydraulic Conduit Benders carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Mechanical Conduit Benders carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Hand Conduit Benders carry a lifetime limited warranty.
PVC HotBlankets carry a 90 day warranty.
Cable Fishing equipment carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Hole Making Equipment carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Hand Tools carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Gardner Bender Test Instruments carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Wire Connectors carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Terminals & Wire carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Switches carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Cable Ties carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Staples carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Wire Management products carry a 1 year limited warranty.
Voice – Data – Video products carry a 1 year limited warranty.

The Circuit Alert and Armor Edge
These tools carry a limited lifetime warranty.

Limited
Limited means that GB warrants to the original purchasers of products from GB and Sperry Instruments authorized distributors at the time of shipment such products shall be free of defects in material and workmanship while the tool is used under normal working conditions.  Standard wear and tear, dulling over time, overloading, misuse, and acts of God are not covered under warranty. This warranty does not cover batteries, fuses, or test leads.

When a warranty claim arises, the purchaser must contact GB. If the defect comes under the terms of this limited warranty, GB will arrange , at its sole discretion, one of the following options:

-The product will be repaired at an authorized GB Service Center
-Product will be replaced

The purchaser is solely responsible for determining the suitability of GB/Sperry products for the purchaser’s use or resale, or for incorporating them into articles or using them in the purchaser’s applications. The distributor is authorized to extend the foregoing limited warranty to its original purchasers in connection with the sales of GB products, provided that such products shall not have been altered by the distributor. The distributor shall be fully responsible for any warranties the distributor makes to its purchasers which are broader or more extensive than GB limited warranty.

Lifetime Warranty
Warranty Limitation: The forgoing warranties are exclusive and are in lieu of all other express and implied warranties whatsoever, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The foregoing warranties do not cover ordinary wear and tear, abuse, misuse, overloading, alterations, products which have not been installed, operated or maintained in accordance with GB/Sperry’s written instructions. Test leads, fuses, and batteries are not covered under any implied warranty. “Lifetime” of products that are no longer offered by GB will be either repaired or replaced with an item of GB Instruments choice of similar value. Lifetime is defined as 5 years after GB discontinued manufacturing the product, but the warranty period shall be at least ten years from date of purchase. Original proof of purchase is required to establish original ownership of product.

No warranty will be honored unless an invoice or other proof of purchase date is provided to Gardner Bender. Hand written receipts or invoices will not be honored.

All questions or concerns regarding our warranty should be forwarded to GardnerBender EMAIL!

Non-contact Voltage Testing (NCV)

As many of you may know non-contact voltage sensors (NCV’s) or “voltage sniffers” are strange and mysterious in how they work or in some cases don’t work. Due to the nature of this product and the science behind non-contact voltage testing, sensitivity is always a variable due to the components used and because your body completes the circuit which will affect your readings. We’re going to clear up some of the confusion behind NCV’s in this article, hopefully this will help bring you a better understanding of how they work. Below you’ll find useful tips and tricks for detecting voltage with a non-contact voltage detector.

One of the first things you want to do before you test for voltage at an outlet is disconnect any device that is connected to that specific outlet. This is largely due to the field that electricity creates.  If something is plugged into the outlet, the cord will generally increase the size of the field and make discrete detection difficult at best. The size of the field detected by a non-contact voltage detector can vary significantly in size for a variety of reasons, such as whether the box or cover is metal or plastic. Depending on the fixture (metal or plastic), the field may be greater.

For outlets in a metal box the field would be smaller and greater sensitivity would be required compared to a fixture in a plastic box where less sensitivity is required where the field is larger. GFCI outlets will generally have a larger field, making discrete detection even more difficult. The detection distance for a standard (non-GFCI) outlet, plastic cover, plastic box, should be less than 1 inch. As a result, to determine what is hot in an outlet using a (non-adjustable) voltage detector may require a technique that may not be obvious. We believe the natural way for most people to use a non-contact voltage detector is to approach the outlet directly from the front, as if one were plugging something into the outlet.

When the AC field is relatively large (plastic box/plastic outlet cover), this method will make it difficult to detect what openings of the outlet are hot. What we found works well is to approach each opening from the side.  To say it another way, if checking the outlet slot on the left side, approach the outlet from the left.  If checking the ground opening, approach the outlet from below. This is assuming the outlet is installed with the ground opening downward; if you approach the outlet from below you should be able to tell if the ground is hot.

If ground opening is toward the top, you can approach from above. We think if you try this, you will find that it is a much more accurate way to determine what parts of the outlet are hot. Remember that your body is part of the functionality of the device and completes the circuit.  If you move your finger toward the tip of the non-contact voltage detector (where the antenna is), you will find that this effects (reduces) the sensitivity.  Although not an official method of using the device, you may find this tip useful to know in differentiating a hot line, particularly when the field is large or there are several lines in close proximity.

Obviously, do not put your finger near the tip when checking an exposed conductor. It would also be appropriate to wear the proper protective gear for safety.

GDT-292A, 293A, 294A, & 295A Fuse Replacement

Instructions on how to replace the fuse inside the GDT-292A. These instructions will also work for the other versions of the meter: GDT-293A, 294A, & 295A. This is an older multimeter that we no longer manufacture, but we would still like to make people aware of how to replace the fuses safely without altering the multimeter in a way that could make using it dangerous. Luckily for us the customer was able to supply these pictures for others who may need help in the future.

To replace the fuse(s) open the case as previously mentioned in the manual, and remove the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) from the front cover by ONLY removing the four larger screws that are located toward the top of the meter and that are spaced to form a rectangle. The PCB and cover will now be able to separate easily.

 

DO NOT LOOSEN OR REMOVE THE FOUR SMALLER SCREWS THAT ARE LOCATED TOWARD THE MIDDLE/BOTTOM OF THE METER AND ARE SPACED 4 CM (approximately 1 1/2 inches) APART AND FORM A SQUARE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(These four smaller screws marked in yellow in the above image hold the rotary switch in place.) DO NOT REMOVE THEM!

For protection against fire or injury the fuse(s) should be removed without causing damage to nearby components and should only be replaced with fuse(s) of the same specified voltage and current ratings as specified in this Operator’s Manual.

Refer to the two photos above. One black and three red rubber insulators surround the four jacks that the leads can plug into. The insulators are held in place against the PCB by the front cover. Upon dis-assembly one or more of the colored insulators may get stuck in the cover (in this dis-assembly one red and one black insulator were stuck to the cover). For ease of re-assembly, the stuck insulators can easily be pressed out of the cover and put into place on the PCB (wide end toward the PCB) as the two red ones in these photos are. Just remember, the BLACK rubber insulator goes on the post of the PCB labeled “COM” (of course). These insulators ensure a snug fit of the leads without using split-tip leads that lose their tension over time.

HGT6120 – AFCI Circuit Breakers

There were concerns that the HGT6120 would not function correctly on an AFCI Circuit Breaker, causing the breaker to trip as soon as you plugged our tester in. AFCI translates to Arc-Fault-Circuit-Interrupt and on many new models comes equipped with a self-test. We went ahead and started testing to see what the issue was while using the HGT6120 and all of our other GFCI circuit testers on AFCI circuits. During testing we used many different AFCI circuit breakers from multiple vendors. We were not able to find any issues while testing and we didn’t have any problems using any of our circuit testers on the new AFCI circuit breakers.

There is one other theory as to why this is happening on AFCI circuit breakers. It could be that the circuit breakers being tested are older and more prone to tripping. Circuit breakers are like most switches and over time they wear down. If this is the case and they aren’t functioning properly, they may need to be inspected and replaced. In any case, a licensed electrician should be involved to determine the root cause of the problem.

 

Greased used to service the B2000.

The grease used to build and service the B2000 is Sta-Lube’s Extreme Pressure (Moly-Graph), multi-purpose grease. You can use this grease or any other multi-purpose grease to service the B2000.

WiFi Inspection Camera (WIC-100) Troubleshooting

If your phone is not displaying the video feed you can try these steps to resolve the issue:

1 – You’ll want to first shut down the application.

2 – Turn the WiFi Camera off and then back on. (Make sure that you feel the click and that the light goes all the way off)

3 – Check to make sure that your device has established a connection with the WiFi Camera.

4 – Re-open the application.

If the above steps failed to resolve the issue: Reset the WiFi Camera by holding the reset button down 5 seconds. Perform this action while the camera is turned on. The reset button can be found next to the power wheel. See below picture.

WiFi Inspection Camera (WIC-100) Battery Install

The battery door is located on the bottom of the handle. Using your thumb; push the door away from the housing towards the rubber grip. Once the battery door has been removed the battery cartridge will slide out. Install four double AA batteries into the cartridge and replace it back into the handle and install the door.

Fuse & Test Lead information for obsolete and current meters.

Meter Fuses and Leads
Model	Available Leads	Fuse	NOTES
530	OBSOLETE	F-4 F-6
3005	OBSOLETE	NA
3021	OBSOLETE	NA
3121	OBSOLETE	NA
3122	OBSOLETE	NA
3123	OBSOLETE	NA
3124	OBSOLETE	NA
3125	OBSOLETE	NA
3131	OBSOLETE	F-22 F-25
3165	OBSOLETE	NA
3166	OBSOLETE	NA
3301	OBSOLETE	NA
3302	OBSOLETE	NA	NO TEST LEADS AVAILABLE
3315	OBSOLETE	NA
4102	OBSOLETE	NA
4105	OBSOLETE	NA
6017	OBSOLETE	NA
6030	OBSOLETE	NA
6300	OBSOLETE	NA
3001B	OBSOLETE	NA
3132MOV	OBSOLETE	NA
3135P	OBSOLETE	F-8 F-11
3322A	OBSOLETE	NA
620C	OBSOLETE	F-7 F-12
ADM-18	TL-42	F-27
ADM-28	TL-42	F-22 F-25
ADM-88	TL-42	F-21 F-20
AV-1A	OBSOLETE	NA
CM-201	OBSOLETE	F-16
DM-10	TL-42	NA
DM-1000	OBSOLETE	F-14
DM-12	TL-42	F-2
DM-2000	OBSOLETE	F-14
DM-210A	TL54
DM-3000	OBSOLETE	F-14
DM-3010	TL-42	F-11
DM-350A	TL54
DM-360A	TL54	F-7
DM-370A	RL54	F-7
DM-4000A	TL-42	F-17
DM-4100A	TL-42	F-17
DM-4300A	TL-42	F-17
DM-4400A	TL-42	F-7
DM-5300	TL-42	F-24 F-25
DM-6100	TL-42	F-20 F-22
DM-6200	TL-42	NA
DM-6200 (OLD)	TL-42	F-20 F-22
DM-6250	TL-42	NA
DM-6300	TL-42	F-20 F-22
DM-6400	TL-42	10 Amp	1 Amp
DM-6450	TL-42	10 Amp	1 Amp
DM-6500	OBSOLETE	F-13
DM-6510	TL-42	F-14
DM-6600	TL-42
DM-6650T	TL-42
DM-6910	TL-52	F-14
DM-7010	TL-42	F-11
DM-7100	TL-42	F-23 F-7
dm5300	TL-58	f24,f25
DM-7A	TL-42	F-24
DM-8010	TL-42	F-14
DM-8100	TL-42	F-20 F-21
DM-8200	TL-42	F-20 F-21
DM-8300	TL-42	F-20 F-21
DM-8400	TL-42	F-21 F-20
DM-8500	TL-42	F-20 F-21
DM-8600	TL-42	F-20 F-21
DM-8700	TL-42	F-21 F-20
DM-8A	TL-42	F-22 F-25
DM-9100	NA	F-29 F-30
DM-9500	TL-42	F-7 F-26
DM-9A	NA	F-2
DP-300	OBSOLETE	F-8
DP-306	OBSOLETE	F-10
DP-310	OBSOLETE	F-8
DP-316	OBSOLETE	F-10
DSA-1000	OBSOLETE	NA	No battery or charger available.
DSA-1001	TL-52	NA
DSA-1003TRMS	TL-52	NA
DSA-1010	TL-42	NA
DSA-1020TRMS	TL-42	NA
DSA-2002P	TL-42	NA
DSA-2002R	TL-42	NA
DSA-2003	TL-42	NA
DSA-2007	TL-52	NA
DSA-2007A	TL-52	NA
DSA-2009	TL-42	NA
DSA-2415	TL-42	NA
DSA-400	TL-52	NA
DSA-440	TL-52	NA
DSA-440T	TL-52	NA
DSA-450TRMS	TL-52	NA
DSA-500A	TL-42	NA
DSA-540A	TL-42	NA
DSA-600	TL-42	NA
DSA-600P	TL-42	NA
DSA-650TRMS	TL-42	NA
DSA-660	TL-42	NA
DSA-680TRMS	TL-42	NA
DSA-700	TL-52	NA
DSA-710	TL-52	NA
DSA-720	TL-52	NA
DSA-730	TL-52	NA
DSA-740	TL-52	NA
DSA-750	TL-52	NA
DSA-760	TL-52	NA
DSA-7610	TL-42	NA
DSA-770	TL-52	NA
DSA-780	TL-52	NA
DT-40A	OBSOLETE	NA
EZ-6111	OBSOLETE	F-8
EZ-6221	OBSOLETE	F-8
GCM-221	RTL-200
GCM-306	OBSOLETE	GF0306
GCM-307	OBSOLETE
GCM-500	RTL-200
GCM-600	RTL-200
GCM-620	RTL-200
GDT-190	RTL-103	F-14
GDT-192	NA	GF2050
GDT-193	NA	GF2050
GDT-194	NA	GF2050
GDT-200	RTL-103
GDT-292A	RTL-200
GDT-293A	RTL-200
GDT-294A	RTL-200
GDT-295A	RTL-200
GDT-311	RTL-300	NA
GDT-3190	RTL-300	NA
GDT-3200	RTL-300	NA
GDT-820	NA
GDT-830	NA	GF2050
GMT-17	NA	GF017P
GMT-312	RTL-108
GMT-318	RTL-108
GMT-319	RTL-103
GMT-41	RTL-103
HSP-10A	TL-34	F-7
HSP-5A	TL-34	F-16
OHM-150	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 6
OHM-300	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 6
OHM-525	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 6
SDC-701	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 7
SDM-410	OBSOLETE	F-7
SDM-460	OBSOLETE	F-7
SJ-100A	OBSOLETE	NA
SJ-50A	OBSOLETE	NA
SP-10A	TL-34	F-7
SP-152A	TL-56	F-7
SP-142	OBSOLETE	500MA
SP-15A	TL-34	F-7
SP-160	OBSOLETE	F-1
SP-170B	TL-56	F-18
SP-250B	TL-56	F-19
SP-5A	TL-34	F-16
SP-6A	TL-34	F-16
SPM-2011	OBSOLETE	NA
SPM-2012	OBSOLETE	NA
SPM-2012	OBSOLETE	NA
SPR-1030	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 10
SPR-300+	TL-52	F-1
SPR-311	OBSOLETE	F-1	SNAP 8 PLUS
SPR-931	TL-42	NA	SNAP 9
SR-150	OBSOLETE	NA
SR-150	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 5
SR-25	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 5
SR-300	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 5
SR-50	OBSOLETE	NA	SNAP 5
TD-2608	TL-52	F-1
TD-6	OBSOLETE	NA
Fuse Specs
Part Number	Size	Voltage	Amperage	Description
F-1	1/4″x 1 1/4″	250V	.5A	fast acting, glass
F-2	5mm x 20mm	250V	.1A	fast acting, glass
F-3	1/4″ x 1 1/4″	250V	.1A	fast acting, glass
F-4	1/4″ x 1 1/4″	250V	.02A	fast acting, glass
F-6	1 3/32″X 1 1/2″	600V	.25A	Bussman KTK
F-7	5mm x 20mm	250V	.5A	fast acting, glass
F-8	5mm x 20mm	250V	.3A	fast acting, glass
F-9	1/4″ x 1 1/4″	250V	.25A	Cold resistance
F-10	5mm x 20mm	250V	.75A	fast acting, glass
F-11	5mm x 20mm	250V	2A	fast acting, glass
F-12	1/4″ x 1 1/4″	250V	1A	fast acting, glass
F-13	6.4mm x 30mm	250V	.5A	Arc Quenching Silicon Filter
F-14	5mm x 20mm	250V	.2A	fast acting, glass
F-15	6mm x 30mm	250V	2A	fast acting, glass
F-16	5mm x 20mm	250V	.25A	fast acting, glass
F-17	5mm x 20mm	250V	.8A
F-18	6.35mm x 30mm	250V	.5A	fast acting, glass
F-19	5.2mm x 20mm	250V	1A	fast acting, glass
F-20	13/32″x 1 1/2″	600V	20A	Bussman KTK
F-21	6.3mm x 25mm	600V	.5A	Ceramic
F-22	5mm x 20mm	250V	.5A	Fast acting, ceramic
F-23	1/4″ x 1 1/4″	600V	10A	Fast acting, ceramic
F-24	1/4″ x 1 1/4″	600V	2A	Fast acting, ceramic
F-25	1/4″ x 1 1/4″	600V	10A	Fast acting, ceramic
TL-42, TL-52, TL58 leads are interchangeable.
Best locations to send customers for fuses is Parts Express 1-800-338-0531 http://www.partsexpress.com or Newark 1-800-463-9275 http://www.newark.com
We do not have any cases available for the testers.
We have no replacement parts available for the testers.  If the unit is in need of repair, contact http://www.daviscalibration.com or http://www.transcat.com for closest locations.
For Gardner Bender Test leads, http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com stock them.  For Sperry test leads http://www.delcity.net has them.We do not have the charger or batteries available for the DSA-1000 clamp meter.The specs for the SBC-1 charger are 9 VDC 25mA

Battery Type by Product

Product Number	Battery Type	Quantity
CAM-10	LR-44	2
GCV-3206	LR-44	2
GCT-3304	AAA	2
GVD-3504	AAA	1
GVD-3504	LR-44	2
GET-4220K TRANSMITTER	AA	2
GET-4220K RECEIVER	LR-44	4
GET-4110K TRANSMITTER	AA	2
GET-4110K RECIEVER	LR-44	4
GMT-312	AA	1
GMT-318	AA	1
GMT-319	AA	2
GDT-311	9V	1
GDT-3190	9V	1
GDT-3200	AAA	2
GCM-500	AA	1
GCM-221	AAA	2
GVC-1000	AAA	3
GCT-204	AAA	2
GFT-200	AA	2
GVD-504A	LR-44	2
GVD-505A	LR-44	2
GPD-902	9V	1
GVC-300	LR-44	2
GET-207	A27(12V)	1
GCV-206	LR-44	2
GET-1200	9V	1
GMT-12	AA	1
GMT-18	AA	1
GMT-19	AA	2
GDT-185	LR-44	2
GDT-190A	9V	1
GDT-200A	9V	1
GDT-292A	9V	1
GDT-293A	9V	1
GDT-294A	9V	1
GDT-295A	9V	1
GCM-500	AA	1
GCM-221	AAA	2
GCM-600	9V	1
GCM-620	9V	1
GSS-510A	LR-44	4
GSS-500A	LR-44	4
GCT-304A	AA	2
GAT-503	AAA	1
GVD-504LV	LR-44	2
GAT-550	LR-44	2
GMT-41P	AA/9V	1 EACH
GET-4100R	9V	1
GET-4100T	9V	1
GET-4000	9V	1
GET-4010	9V	1
GET-4040	9V	1
GET-6000	9V	1

Duct Seal Usage Rating Outdoors or in Vehicles.

The temperature usage range for Duct Seal is 25 to 120 degrees F and it has a tolerance range of -30 to 175 degrees F. This means the Duct Seal should be applied between 25 to 120 degrees F. Duct Seal is used and designed primarily to plug holes around conduit mostly inside buildings but is also used outside on service entries. There is a tendency to dry on the surface when exposed to weather. There is material in these locations that are dry but still maintain a seal after 20 years. As far as use in vehicles, there shouldn’t be a problem unless the vibration causes the material to not adhere to the surface.

Duct Seals Reaction to Gas Vapors and Liquids.

Duct Seal is resistant to gas vapors however, if condensation of gases occurs then it becomes an issue. Liquid gases contacting duct seal can soften the material. Gases themselves are not the problem but liquid formed by condensation over extended periods could be an issue. Duct Seal is not meant to be used outdoors.