Tracing a circuit

[Electron_Sam78]

I've got an open somewhere in an underground circuit. The circuit is run in conduit under a concrete slab. Can anyone list some circuit tracers or fault locators that will help me in my situation?

 

[John Valdes]

Are these large conductors? How long is the run? What will you do if you were to locate the open circuit. You really cannot do anything other than pulling them out.
I suppose you could make a splice, but by the time you do that you could have them pulled out and replaced as needed. That is the only advice I can offer.

 

[220/221]

If I am 100% sure that the fault is between A and B, I just grab one at a time and try to pull them out. If it works, the fault will be obvious.

I HAVE seen situations where construction workers broke existing conduit while digging then repaired with wire nuts and poured a slab over it.

I use an inexpensive ($300) locater made by Progressive Electronics. It works about 70% of the time.

Do a search as there have been many locater threads. Sometimes I just call a locating company and they show up with the more expensive tools.

 

[480sparky]

I use a Progressive 2003 Pulser.

It will locate a fault if the cables are faulted to ground. If the fault is cable-to-cable within a raceway, locators won't find it. If your cables are in a raceway, you'll need to pull them out and refeed them anyway, so unless you're sure there's damage to the raceway, there's no need to locate the fault.

 

[bth0mas20]

I agree that if its in conduit just re pull the circuit.

 

[480sparky]

I agree that if its in conduit just re pull the circuit.

That's fine, assuming there's no raceway damage. But if there's evidence that someone else has been trenching, knifing, boring or otherwide digging along the path of the conduit, it may take more than just repulling the conductors.

 

[ivsenroute]

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