finding the unknown

[LarryFine]

A 10W lamp from hot to ground should do nicely.

Or a solenoid tester.

 

[R Bob]

480's Recipe for finding the right breaker:

Ingredients:

1. Receptacle socket adapter.
1. Bulb flasher
1. 200W bulb
1. Ammeter

Insert flasher into socket, followed by bulb. Insert into receptacle and make sure bulb is flashing. Go to panel & remove cover, using ammeter to find a 120v circuit with amperage going up & down at the same rate as flashing bulb.

Lock-out breaker as normal, and continue work in safe fashion. When done with work, stop by local watering hole and quaff down a cold one before heading home to family.

Great idea!
All I need is the flasher.

Wonder if you could use an inductive amp and pickup on the flucuating AC hum/static on the CB without having to remove the pnl cover?

I'll check it out and get back with the results.

 

[brian john]

I have used a variety of circuit tracers with success for years. From the very first one 3-M had to a wide variety of newer units one we stock on our trucks.

I have found expierence with the unit simplifies locating circuits, the ones with adjustable signal are best, start with a low power setting. These can be difficult to use in a environment with a large quantity of switch-mode power supplies (I believe the high level of harmonics result in noise in the tracer).
BUT tripping CBs in a data center is a no no.

I have also used the flasher with 2-100 amp bulbs.

 

[LarryFine]

I have also used the flasher with 2-100 amp bulbs.

Now that's what I call testing under load! :wink:

 

[hillbilly]

I plug my "chirper" into the receptacle that I need to locate, and go to the breaker panel and start tripping breakers until it stops "chirping".

I normally do residential, so it's usually pretty quiet, and I can hear pretty well..:roll:

Sometimes, when it's too noisey, I'll do like another poster suggested, and plug in a radio that's turned up real loud.

I'm pretty low tech on stuff like that, although the flashing bulb and a ammeter sounds like a really good idea.
I've got all the required components, so I'll have one in the truck today.

steve

 

[brian john]

The flashers I had were 100 watt rated and not being one to go against a UL listed product.

.
1.Receptacle socket adapter.
1. Bulb flasher
1. 200W bulb
1. Ammeter

 

[charlie b]

Hopefully, you've already got the ammeter. For less than a 10-spot then, you're set to go!

Does that price include the "cold one"?

 

[cowboyjwc]

When I first got a circuit tracer I wasn't to crazy about it either, but the more I worked with it the better I got. I found that it was kind of like my metal detector and sometimes you have to listen to it very closely to hear the change in pitch.

And yes it did seem to work better in some panel than others.

I was working for a guy for about 6 weeks as a favor to my boss. We were redoing an old gas station and I asked about tracing a circuit. He said just short it out. I said first of all there's gas everywhere and second I try not to short anything out by accident, I'm sure not going to do it on purpose.:smile:

I do like 480's setup. Guess we're gonna have to show him a little more respect around here.:grin:

 

[weressl]

(just made a small correction)

The FLASHER strikes again...........

Such a simple little device with so many uses......I would call it the electricians duct-tape.

 

[brian john]

"tic" tracers

While it may be a minor point proper terminology is important, especially regarding any type of testing.

http://www.testitfirst.com/site/972962/product/TIF 300HV

 

[cschmid]

I get liteature on this several times a year has anyone used this device...

http://www.tasco-usa.com/CMT24S.htm

and one more time how do you label a link with you own text..

 

[ohm]

I happy w/ my greenlee power finder but like 480sparky's idea also. It could be wired in series with the output of a breaker with all the lights on and make labeling the directory real easy (on a remodel). Although it might require a large bulb.

 

[ELA]

If I didn't want to take the cabinet cover off:

and

If I had easy access to a Thermal Imaging camera I would put a slowly oscillating, heavy load on the circuit and view which breakers thermal image reflected the oscillating temperature change :grin:

 

[wirebender]

and one more time how do you label a link with you own text..

Just type the text you want.

Highlight it.

Click on the "Insert link" icon. It looks like this.

Enter the address of the link you want to use.

 

[infinity]

tell the truth too....

my way is probably not the correct way..I short the receptacle out..I have tried to wire trace it but when it gets to panel signal is all over the place..

We used to do that too with old fuse panels. One time I was grounding a #12 THW to a piece of EMT and it simply wouldn't blow. After a few minutes of arc welding it finally blew. When I checked the old fuse panel I found that the insulator between the shell and the center of the Edison based fuse holder was missing. As was the 20 amp fuse. Turns out that I blew the 125 amp main fuse blew on the riser. The people down the hall weren't too pleased.

Now we just use a circuit tracer.

 

[bkludecke]

I've used 480's flasher method for decades now and it works great.

One day quite a few years ago I was on a job and there was a real grumpy plumber working. I got to thinking and while he was taking a break I rigged up my little flasher in line with his extension cord. When he went back to drilling holes it was priceless. Then he figured out what I did - I'm sure glad he had a sense of humor.

Some day I'll tell y'all how he got me back.

 

[cschmid]

We used to do that too with old fuse panels. One time I was grounding a #12 THW to a piece of EMT and it simply wouldn't blow. After a few minutes of arc welding it finally blew. When I checked the old fuse panel I found that the insulator between the shell and the center of the Edison based fuse holder was missing. As was the 20 amp fuse. Turns out that I blew the 125 amp main fuse blew on the riser. The people down the hall weren't too pleased.

Now we just use a circuit tracer.

I was in a kitchen one time and hooked up the tracer went back to the panel but had a hard time narrowing it down..So I did like you shorted it out welded until the end of the wire was gone and did not trip the circuit breaker..wrecked the outlet though..found out it was a multi wire circuit on a double pole breaker..after checking it out it had been spliced on the neutral wire so it was really multi wire..wonder why the signal was all over..atleast I did not take out the main..

 

[LarryFine]

. . . and one more time how do you label a link with you own text..

I do it the hard way:

1. Start with the link: [url=http://www.website.com/]

2. Then type your text: click here

3. Close the link: [/url]

So it should look like this: [url=http://www.website.com/]click here[/url]


You can also make a clickable picture like this:

1. Start with the link: [url=http://www.website.com/]

2. Add your image: [img]http://www.website.com/picture.jpg[/img]

3. Close the link: [/url]

So it should look like this: [url=http://www.website.com/][img]http://www.website.com/picture.jpg[/img][/url]

 

[zappy]

let me guess..

let me guess..

I've used 480's flasher method for decades now and it works great.

One day quite a few years ago I was on a job and there was a real grumpy plumber working. I got to thinking and while he was taking a break I rigged up my little flasher in line with his extension cord. When he went back to drilling holes it was priceless. Then he figured out what I did - I'm sure glad he had a sense of humor.

Some day I'll tell y'all how he got me back.

It had something to do with cutting your romex half way and hidding it in a bored hole:roll:

 

[ramsy]

I have used a variety of circuit tracers with success for years. ...

Brian, any preference between Amprobe's 2000 and 4000 series. They are similarly priced.