That's a idea i've never heard of.
cant find the wire in the wall
- Thread starter danickstr
- Start date
- Status
That's a idea i've never heard of.
e57
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
I'm gonna check that out....
stars13bars2
Senior Member
Be sure to check all the switches, just in case it is a switched receptacle.
hurk27
Senior Member
- Location
- Portage, Indiana NEC: 2008
Many times you can find a place to rent a RF style tracer unit, some supply houses will rent them.
yes they are pricey but worth every cent, I have two GreenLees for tracing walls, and other stuff, and 2 RF underground cable tracers.
the two GreenLees, one is a 2010, and the other is a 2011, one has a sensitivity adjustment, and the other supposed to do it automatically (which I hate)
Both will work on energized or de-energized circuits up to 600 volts, they can find shorts, opens, buried boxes, lost cables, Etc.... the list goes on and on. I have found so many uses, it is endless.
But with that said, you must learn how to use one.
Since the signal is RF, it will act like RF, and can cause you to go bonkers following wrong cables, pipes and stuff.
the first thing I do to locate a lost cable, is to isolate the cable at both ends, or at the nearest available end you can find. this means separating the hot, neutral and the grounding conductors from all other cables, this allows you to just trace the cable you want to follow.
sometime you can just connect one wire from the tracer, and other times you will need both. don't give up the first time as they have some getting use too. but once you have mastered them, you will never go back to being without one.
yes they are pricey but worth every cent, I have two GreenLees for tracing walls, and other stuff, and 2 RF underground cable tracers.
the two GreenLees, one is a 2010, and the other is a 2011, one has a sensitivity adjustment, and the other supposed to do it automatically (which I hate)
Both will work on energized or de-energized circuits up to 600 volts, they can find shorts, opens, buried boxes, lost cables, Etc.... the list goes on and on. I have found so many uses, it is endless.
But with that said, you must learn how to use one.
Since the signal is RF, it will act like RF, and can cause you to go bonkers following wrong cables, pipes and stuff.
the first thing I do to locate a lost cable, is to isolate the cable at both ends, or at the nearest available end you can find. this means separating the hot, neutral and the grounding conductors from all other cables, this allows you to just trace the cable you want to follow.
sometime you can just connect one wire from the tracer, and other times you will need both. don't give up the first time as they have some getting use too. but once you have mastered them, you will never go back to being without one.
bradleyelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- forest hill, md
He said it was a remodel. Isn't it leviton that made the back stab only outlets?
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
That's one that a lot of people forget about. You kind of expect to see three conductor on a switched receptacle with only half switched but some people do switch the whole receptacle.
bill addiss
Senior Member
One difference is that the 4000 series has one transmitter that works for either energized or non-energized wiring, The 2000 series has a separate transmitter for each.
Bill
I find this tool handy for finding boxes that sheet rockers cover up on purpose. 
View attachment 3762
View attachment 3762
hurk27
Senior Member
- Location
- Portage, Indiana NEC: 2008
I find this tool handy for finding boxes that sheet rockers cover up on purpose.
View attachment 3762
A'hhhhhh My favorite golf club
ptrip
Senior Member
I live in a mid-70s home and each bedroom has only 2 receptacles ... with one of them being fully switched. Talk about a PITA!!
macmikeman
Senior Member
- Location
- Planet macmikeman
I wired homes in the mid seventies, in two states, opposite sides of the country, and in both of them we had to follow the nec rules. The six foot rule had been around for years and years even back then. Two receptacles in a bedroom is a mighty small room.
Too bad you don't know a qualified electrician.
It started out as simply 'a sufficient number evenly spaced' when it was introduced in 1937. In 1940, it was changed to 'no more than 20 feet apart'. In 1956, it was modified to the 12-foot rule known today.
Last edited:
macmikeman
Senior Member
- Location
- Planet macmikeman
Too bad you don't know a qualified electrician.
It started out as simply 'a sufficient number evenly spaced' when it was introduced in 1937. In 1940, it was changed to 'no more than 20 feet apart'. In 1956, it was modified to the 12-foot rule known today.
Man you are simply amazing. If I ever get into serious home inspector trouble, I'm calling you right away.
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
This is all very true but there were areas of the country where the NEC was not adopted nor enforced, there were no inspections.
There was a preacher that I knew about 1970 and he and his brothers built his house out in the country and there were no inspections, I mean none at all. He built the basement first and dried that in and live there while they built the rest of the house, it took about two years but in the end he had a pretty nice little brick home.
ptrip
Senior Member
Now that I think about it there are three outlets in the kids' bedrooms ... with the fourth wall being fully encompassed with a sliding closet door. The rooms are probably roughly 100-120 sq ft.
both kids' rooms ... one outlet has clock (the one I forgot about), one has nightlight and the third is the switched outlet.
master bedroom ... no clue ... I know there are three strips within easy reach!
It's just that the switched outlet always seems to be the accessible one!!
Mind you, this is the same house where the smoke detector will sense steam from a shower but not visible smoke from the kitchen!
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
That's why I'm a fan of split-wiring receptacles.
- Status