Need help picking a ciruut tracer/toner

[Shak180]

I've been looking at this greenlee tracer off and on for a few months now. The reviews are mixed from the limited information I can find online:

https://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-CS-8000-Circuit-Seeker-Tracer/dp/B003OA1714

Does anyone have experience with the greenlee tracer?

I'm also open to other brands as well

I was working on a custom home built in the 80's today and I would have really benefitted from having a toner to trace fixture wiring that I couldn't find a switch for.

My intuition tells me the switch was abandoned and the wires were buried in the wall but it would have been nice to have something to trace the wires through the wall

Also can tracers sniff out wiring that is in metallic conduit?

 

[milldrone]

Does anyone have experience with the greenlee tracer?

I work at an older industrial facility and we have the CS 8000. I need to mention that using the tracer does require some experience, and the procedure to use it is important. In round numbers the procedure consists of connecting the transmitter and taking the receiver to the breaker panel, then turn it on and make a "wipe around the breakers" making sure to keep the distance from the breakers the same for each breaker (some brands like GE breakers have the GFI test button right where you want to test, so if you have a mix of GFI and non GFI it becomes difficult to keep the receiver distance equal). Once the receiver has "seen" the strength of each breakers signal it will only "beep" on the correct breaker. There is also a false positive issue that needs to be mentioned. If the wire you are tracing lays next to another conductor there can be capacitive coupling of the signal. The receiver and transmitter also have indication if it's connected to a live circuit. this is handy for troubleshooting the capacitive coupling problem.

My intuition tells me the switch was abandoned and the wires were buried in the wall but it would have been nice to have something to trace the wires through the wall

It can find unshielded conductors through normal thickness walls if the circuit length is under 400 feet (one direction).

Also can tracers sniff out wiring that is in metallic conduit?

The price of units that can do this generally starts at about $2000

 

[Shak180]

I work at an older industrial facility and we have the CS 8000. I need to mention that using the tracer does require some experience, and the procedure to use it is important. In round numbers the procedure consists of connecting the transmitter and taking the receiver to the breaker panel, then turn it on and make a "wipe around the breakers" making sure to keep the distance from the breakers the same for each breaker (some brands like GE breakers have the GFI test button right where you want to test, so if you have a mix of GFI and non GFI it becomes difficult to keep the receiver distance equal). Once the receiver has "seen" the strength of each breakers signal it will only "beep" on the correct breaker. There is also a false positive issue that needs to be mentioned. If the wire you are tracing lays next to another conductor there can be capacitive coupling of the signal. The receiver and transmitter also have indication if it's connected to a live circuit. this is handy for troubleshooting the capacitive coupling problem.



It can find unshielded conductors through normal thickness walls if the circuit length is under 400 feet (one direction).


The price of units that can do this generally starts at about $2000

Any suggestions on a tracer that will read through emt or rigid along with the conduit being inside of finished sheetrock wall?

The light fixture that I wasn't able to find the switch/switch leg for was in a recessed junction box and appeared to have an EMT connector. It was the end of the day and I didn't think to push a fish tape in the connector to see how far the fish would go.

I'm headed back there on Thursday to install a few dozen GE Enbrighten Z Wave switches and continue troubleshooting the remaining 10 or so exterior lights that aren't working

For $870 I might just give the CS 8000 a try and if I don't like it return it. But I am sometimes of the mindset to buy once cry once too so maybe one of these $2,000 units might be more useful.

I just don't know which one to purchase

 

[Shak180]

Does anyone have a first hand experience with the Amprobe AT 8030?

 

[Fred B]

I've got the Triplett Fox and Hound Hot Wire, have traced through EMT and MC, not as good as NM but it does pickup and does the job. Even trace in concrete wall. Got this originally because the apprentices were blowing up my other ones by pluging onto live circuits, this one can handle it. Found very useful and good investment for the money. Traced underground cable to a greater depth than mfg said it would but a real pain in the back (would been nice if it had a long handle for probe).

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