Ckt Trace

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mstrlucky74

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NJ
Have a pretty big tracing(identify circuits) job of existinglighting, power an feeders circuits. these need to be identified after we figureout where and what they are feeding. Any general advice/feedback based on priorexperience when tracing out circuits? Thanks.
 
mstrlucky74 said:
Well if you have one 3/4" pipe with 2#10's and 1#12 why would you need to trace each wire? Wouldn't that be once circuit feeding one load?
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It is or it isn't that's what your there to find out right? Just cause it goes from the panel with 3 wires doesn't mean that those three wires haven't been tapped into in a j-box somewhere feeding god knows what.
 
I've used "42 Circuit Mapper" with acceptable results. As others have stated, the only 100% method is "hand over hand" or (as I say) "visual one-line". Just to label recepts the Mapper works pretty good.
 
Hand over hand or one-line. Imagine 100 1/2" sealtight power whips laying under a data floor. One of the receptacle ends is not marked and is deenergized. You can use your eyes to follow the sealtight thru the tangle of whips to the panel it originates from. Then you can see what connector the conductors emerge from and what breaker they land on.

Along the way you've verified no splice boxes so it is a dedicated circuit.
 
Are you allowed to turn things off when tracing?

What kind of tracing equipment do you have available to use?

Simple "breaker finder" type tracers work reasonably well. They can lead you astray and being able to shut off does help with verification. Plus you may occasionally find something that goes off unexpectedly with something else when you shut things off.

Second guy to move tracer to new locations and one guy to read at the panel may speed things up, especially in a larger space or where multiple levels are involved.
 
I could trace and label 500 unmarked Cat6 lines in a day with a helper and a few toners, and a wand. Not the Harry Potter type LOL, but you can trace even live circuits with telephone toners provided you only connect one clip. Mind you, I highly highly recommend against doing so, there are instruments for toning live circuits. However, if you can cut them off do the job even after hours so that you do not disrupt their business. something open 24 hours would be more difficult obviously, and the older the property longer it's going to take because more modifications have been made.
 
mstrlucky74 said:
Well if you have one 3/4" pipe with 2#10's and 1#12 why would you need to trace each wire? Wouldn't that be once circuit feeding one load?
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I'm sure it's just a brain fart at this hour, however I'm not seeing where a number 12 neutral or ground would be kosher with two number 10 ungrounded conductors.
 
JFletcher said:
I'm sure it's just a brain fart at this hour, however I'm not seeing where a number 12 neutral or ground would be kosher with two number 10 ungrounded conductors.
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That caught my attention as well, then I thought it can be code compliant with a MWBC, of say a 15 and a 20 amp breaker. (Neutral needs to be same size as the larger ungrounded conductor)
 
I have found if you just unplug the data cable from the router or turn the breaker off, very soon it will be " self" identified!
 
kwired said:
Are you allowed to turn things off when tracing?

What kind of tracing equipment do you have available to use?

Simple "breaker finder" type tracers work reasonably well. They can lead you astray and being able to shut off does help with verification. Plus you may occasionally find something that goes off unexpectedly with something else when you shut things off.

Second guy to move tracer to new locations and one guy to read at the panel may speed things up, especially in a larger space or where multiple levels are involved.
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You mean turn the breaker off? How could you trace a de-energized circuit? Thanks
 
circuit mapper

circuit mapper

last week I had 3 large panels to trace out, so I pulled the plug and spent $1200 on the circuit mapper. I originally estimated 45hrs of O/T to do this while customers were out of the store. The circuit mapper was able to correctly identify 50% of the circuits (in 2 hrs)in the daytime- non to work. So it saved me a good chance of money
 
mstrlucky74 said:
You mean turn the breaker off? How could you trace a de-energized circuit? Thanks
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Well there are tracers for both energized and de-energized circuits. But even with energized line type tracers you may sometimes have difficulty isolating the signal to say one individual breaker. If you are not allowed to turn off breaker to help with verification that can increase time needed and or reduce your accuracy of identification.

Tracer I use can trace without taking cover off the panel, but I have better accuracy rate if I do take cover off and hold tracer right next to conductors being traced, but even then you can still have times where you have more then one breaker that could be the one. You might be able to narrow it down by making minor increments on the gain adjustment of the receiver, or if not critical is probably faster to just turn of the suspected breaker and see if signal is lost.
 
tasco circuit mapper

tasco circuit mapper

jerryalan said:
i have been looking to get a mapper, you could only identify 50% of the circuits? is there a problem with the mapper or were there time constraints?
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I was surprised it only did 1/2 of the circuits, (which still helped out quite a bit). a contributing factor may have been they combined circuits from all different panels in the same conduit runs. There were j-boxes 15' above the grid ceiling we were not able to get to. But also some wires that it just wouldn't give us a reading on.
I do like the tool because one person can operate both ends. 1)You install alligator clips from the sensor to all wires at the breaker 2)next you walk around with a probe and touch the socket or device and its display reads out a circuit number. You can also try renting the equipment first to see if u like it.
 
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