Help i-d this light fixture power source

[mmercado83]

What's up all, how could I trace power source? Friends house, said has never seen that light socket work in 18 years. No I-D in breaker no switch's anywhere in between in or outside. No voltage or continuity between 2 wires. Other then breaking walls how could I trace?

[FONT=&quot]The way my poor brain works is that if 100feet long leads existed I would do a continuity test from 2 wires to breaker wires [/FONT][FONT=&quot]to see if maybe they forgot to label "side light" or that a wall switch was abandoned/drywalled over in the past...
Thanks for any help, [/FONT]

 

[mopowr steve]

Get a tone generator like one finds for use with tracing computer/cable wires attach generator to the wires at the light and use the reliever to locate the wire at the panel or with some learning curve you may be able to follow the wire along the wall.

 

[JFletcher]

Get you an amplifier probe and tone generator. I use an older Ideal 62-164 probe with 62-160 generator as well as 2 Progressive electronics 77HP tone generators, giving me 3 separate tones. You just need one generator tho. They run $50-150 depending on what brand you buy.

Read the manual on how to use it. Do not use a toner generator on live circuits!

If you suspect a buried j-box, get the toner/tracer and stop reading now. If no remodels have been done, ever, read on.

You can make a test lead out of 100' of #14 THHN or anything else of suitable length, like an extension cord. Anyway...

Before you spend that money tho, there are some things you can do. Check the switch boxes nearest the fixture, regardless if they are between the panel and light, to see what the wiring looks like. It could be as simple as a failed switch, or that fixture was abandoned and the switch leg (hot) removed from the switch and capped off.

You said you had no voltage or continuity between conductors. You need to test from the neutral of that light to the neutral of, say, a nearby receptacle to see if you have continuity. If you do, then the neutral is tied into the panel, and chances are the hot is too. I'd pull the panel deadfront to see if there are any bad breakers, ones that have tripped but not moved, or any cut, capped, burnt, or unterminated black wires. You can also check to see if there are grounds on the branch wiring in the panel; your pic shows old 2 wire cloth covered NM cable. If all the cables in the panel have grounds, then there is likely a j-box somewhere where the new grounded wiring was tied into the old.