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Step 1
Use a tester with a light. This tester has two prongs that you insert into an electrical receptacle. If the light turns red, this means that you have power going into that receptacle. With this two-pronged tester, you must slide the pins into the hot and neutral sides of electrical outlets when testing.
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Step 2
Look at a different type of tester when you need to do testing on electrical outlets. This tester reads volts. All outlets should read 120 volts on the meter. Outlets such as the ones on electric stoves and clothes dryers should read 240 volts.
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Step 3
Testing 240-volt electrical outlets can be done by finding the two hot leads in the electrical receptacle. If you find a hot and a neutral wire, you'll read 120 volts. If you read the two hot wire leads in the receptacle, you should read 240 volts.
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Step 4
Check the electrical panel when testing electrical outlets. The breakers inside the panel should be marked correctly by individual rooms and appliances. Breakers that are 120 volts have one hot wire going to the breaker and a neutral wire going to the neutral bar. A ground wire goes to the ground bar.
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Step 5
Examine the 240-volt breakers. This is a double-pole breaker, meaning you have two hot wires tied to this breaker and a ground wire going to the ground bar. Flip the breaker to the off position and check the current with your voltage tester where the wires are connected to the breakers. In the off position, you should read no voltage.
