Is there a way to prevent my homemade ringer from getting fried?
- Thread starter zappy
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cadpoint
Senior Member
- Location
- Durham, NC
Cool... But how do U do that... I've had conditional power for some panels and squeaking some circuits out for work, But I've never run that forward as you say! ? Besides now with AFCI's it'll show up soon enough!
OK, let me try this angle:
Let's say here's a panel and a 15a general purpose circuit.
Where does the tester go, and what do you do to test continuity? Keep in mind, this is a rough-in, so no devices are installed.
It wouldn't be a complete test so I wouldn't do it..... but you could:
Wirenut all recep, switches and fixtures wires together and test continuity (B/W) at the panel, then remove the dead end connections to clear it.
In most cases it would be easier to hot check it with temp or generator power.
Cold Fusion
Senior Member
- Location
- way north
Easier how?
Would you not still need to tie all the switches, GFI line-loads, etc. together anyway? So how is it easier?
And using 120v AC instead of 9V DC would have what advantage?
Let's say there's a ground fault and the GFI-protected circuit trips (you do have GFI protected circuits on the job site, don't you?????) Are you now going to look for a short, or a ground fault? How do you know which to look for? If it's a short, then you are intentionally causing short-circuit currents into the wiring.
I'm just still looking to find out what this test accomplishes. If all you're looking for is to make sure every outlet is fed from the panel, I'd think a tone set would be faster.
Rewire
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake of the Ozarks
17 posters did not have an answer. What about an inline milliamp fuse.
I'm still trying to figure out where the 120volts is even coming from.
Rewire
Senior Member
- Location
- Lake of the Ozarks
well first you have av expanding and contracting magnetic field......
OK, that I have. So how does this expanding and contracting magnetic field get into this homemade ringer thing?
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
I am with the single poster that wondered why the conductors weren't labeled before they were pulled.
It's not about labaleing the circuits. It's about making sure they're complete.
I think.
So far, it's as clear as mud.
hurk27
Senior Member
- Location
- Portage, Indiana NEC: 2008
I think ya got it 480
We had a few electricans who would jump around from one circuit to another, and forget home runs, and cross feeds. I just had to get them to complete one circuit at a time and double check it, then there was no more CRS
We had a few electricans who would jump around from one circuit to another, and forget home runs, and cross feeds. I just had to get them to complete one circuit at a time and double check it, then there was no more CRS
yes. don't use it
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
PJ and a pair of cell phones.
Sorry...not easier, ...more efficient. Continuity only give you part of the story.
I wouldn't test an entire house but in a simple room addition for example, I would make up everything and screw light bulbs in the cans/test power at the light boxes.
I think it got off track in the beginning. The ringer is simply used to test continuity, not necessarily to ring out an entire house (although it could be).
In my case, the 120V came from a breaker I turned on.
I was ringing out some wires in a commercial conduit job. I had it clipped to a set of wires that I thought went to location A in another room but they went to location B...the panel.
Haven't you ever accidentally cut the labeling off or simply forgot to label something? Me either, I was just wondering.
I had an answer. Just spend 5 bucks and ten minutes to build a new one. And be more careful
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OK, so if there's 10 lights on 10 switches, how does your tester tell you if there's a problem with 9 of them?
So you fried one when you failed to properly test for the presence of power?
Again, I don't use a continuity tester to ring out circuits. It won't tell the whole story. It can give you some idea that the circuit is at least complete but, for the work you have to do, it would be better to energize it.
If you wanted to test 10 lights/switches you would wirenut the hot/sw legs in the sw boxes and short the hot to neutral at the lights one at a time. The beeper on blk/wht at the source end will ring each time you short the light wires. If they were cans, you would screw in a good lamp one at a time.
No, I tested for power, clipped on the tester and mistakenly energized the 120V circuit resulting in an extra loud beep for about 3 or 4 seconds.
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Mr. Wizard
Senior Member
- Location
- Texas
Uhhhhh, why would anyone in their right mind pull wire first, and then figure out what wire is what? Yes, the ringer will tell you if you have continuity from point "a" to point "b", but it won't allow you to ohm the wires. If you just want to get real involved, get yourself a whole bunch of resistors - all of different values. Tie them on to one end of your run, and as you ohm out each wire (with the resistor on the other end, completing the circuit) you'll know what wire is what from reading the different resistances. That way you only make one trip to one end of the run, and one trip to the other end. Or you could just label the wires before you pull them and save yourself a lot of time, money, confusion, and headache. By the way, if I catch you not labeling the wires before a pull, I'll write you up
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