Not the smartest way

[LLSolutions]

I use a greenlee 2011, works on live, shorted and dead circuits up to 600v unlike those cheap ones they sell at the blue and orange stores. As an apprentice I suggested just shorting the wires together to my journeyman and he said he used to do that, he even made up a "tool" it was a 20a rated male plug with a 12awg cord connected to a 20a rated switch in a 1900 box, very fancy stuff, until he used it one day and watched it go up in flames, said it was like a flash pot in and occupied office building, turns out the outlet that he shorted used to be a 50a line for a copy machine and the in house electrician just tailed of the old #6's to a regular old duplex. I've also heard that most cb's can only handle a certain amount of shorts. I would never do it with a FP panel.

 

[Karl H]

I have had good luck with Amprobes circuit tracers...

I have that exact tracer. I just couldn't think of the name of it.

 

[Mike01]

wow

wow

not to use the term in a negitive way but there is one person I work with an "old timer" and this is his solution to every time we cannot find a c.b. in the panel of the panel is not labeled he shorts it out trips the breaker and every time he always says, "works every time" I used to laugh but now realize how serious this issue really is however he still continues to find c.b's this way.