Wire Tracer Opinions Please.

Status
Not open for further replies.

NjWireMan

Member
Location
New Jersey
I am looking at the Ambrobe At-4001-A ($427) and the Ideal 61-955 ($614). Has anybody had any experience with these two? I am looking for the best Tracer for Residential use. Basically Opens and Shorts in Romex wire at 120v/240v. However it may be used in commercial applications as well.

Thank you
 

Cow

Senior Member
Location
Eastern Oregon
Occupation
Electrician
I have an Amprobe AT 2005 that I've had for years. I use it as a breaker finder more than anything, I think I've only traced wires behind sheetrock walls maybe 3 times with it. But, just the other day I needed to trace an open neutral and it worked well. The problem is, I trace so little that I have to read the instruction book every time I do it so I can't say I've got any tricks or learned to get a "feel" for tracing. I simply follow the instructions, by clipping my alligator clip onto the wire and grounding the adjacent wires in the romex and then following the signal up the wall through sheetrock. I had the sensitivity turned down on the receiver so it was reading the cable only when I was within a few inches of the wall. I swept the wall back and forth tracking the direction of the cable until it seemed the signal died no matter which way I went. Turns out there was a free air splice with a loose connection behind a fake "heating vent louver" simply used to cover a big hole in the sheetrock.

If those splices weren't behind that louver, and instead were buried behind sheetrock such that I'd have to pinpoint right where the open was and cut sheetrock, I bet this tracer could do it. I haven't needed it for pinpoint accuracy like that yet, but I bet if I spent some time with it, I'd probably be comfortable enough to cut sheetrock and know I was in the neighborhood of the splice without making a bunch of practice holes.:angel:
 

electricalist

Senior Member
Location
dallas tx
when i started we used a tone. for the price its a good tool to have. I also have the deklien 120v circuit tracer. It seems to work very well ,although i seem to have problems if its a mwbc. A amp probe with ac volt test and continuity will find almost any circuit in a house.
 

NjWireMan

Member
Location
New Jersey
Thank you for the responses. I ordered a ideal 61-955 last week on to find the place I ordered it from has it back ordered for 2 weeks. The sent me a email that went to my spam.

Cletis I sent you a private message. Hope you get back to me soon because I have to put another order in for one ASAP. I have a customer waiting.
 

NjWireMan

Member
Location
New Jersey
After the first order fell through I decided to save some money and I ordered the Amprope At-4001-A. That was a huge mistake. Biggest piece of junk. I watched videos and I did exactly what the directions say.
I am posting this to let everyone know. Do not waist your money. Hey I could be wrong. I will be trying to return it tomorrow.

Going with the ideal- 955.
 

marmathsen

Senior Member
Location
Seattle, Wa ...ish
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
After the first order fell through I decided to save some money and I ordered the Amprope At-4001-A. That was a huge mistake. Biggest piece of junk. I watched videos and I did exactly what the directions say.
I am posting this to let everyone know. Do not waist your money. Hey I could be wrong. I will be trying to return it tomorrow.

Going with the ideal- 955.

Jersey,

I'm anxious to hear how you like the Ideal. In my limited experience I've found that the circuit tracers wasted more time than they've save, at least when used to find a circuit breaker.

If I'm tracing a wire that's not live and trying to find it through a wall I've got a tone and probe kit (I think it's an Ideal 701K-G) that works pretty well. I mostly use it to find low voltage wires but it can be used for Romex too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top