Tracing an energized circuit

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George Stolz

George Stolz

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Hospital Master Electrician
Another thread got me to thinking: How would a circuit tracer not send a tone through an entire phase of a system, through the circuit breaker into the bus of the panel?

Wouldn't you be tracing out an entire phase of the system? :-?
 
georgestolz said:
How would a circuit tracer not send a tone through an entire phase of a system, through the circuit breaker into the bus of the panel?

Wouldn't you be tracing out an entire phase of the system? :-?
Click to expand...

I don't know.

The tracer I use can send a signal from where you connect it all the back to the source without significant signal on the other branch circuits on that phase.

On the other hand I can set it up differently at the panel and send a signal to all the outlets on that particular branch circuit.

However if I set the 'sender' on High and the receiver to 10 and x1000 I can read the signal on pretty much all the bonded objects in the building.
 
georgestolz said:
Another thread got me to thinking: How would a circuit tracer not send a tone through an entire phase of a system, through the circuit breaker into the bus of the panel?

Wouldn't you be tracing out an entire phase of the system? :-?
Click to expand...

Some of them seem to do precisely that. I have a cheap-o Sperry that I use which has been known to pick up its signal on other branch circuits.
 
georgestolz said:
Wouldn't you be tracing out an entire phase of the system? :-?
Click to expand...

The tracer I have ~ an exteremly cheap Ideal model $30 +/- ~ does precisely that...BUT...at some point, that circuit will be attached to a CB...usually where I am trying to be at, but I can just as easily trace 1 phase back to a MDP through multiple panels...good when trying to locate the main that would feed a sub.
 
The Greenlee Circuit Tracer that I use has an adjustable sensitivity on it, so if you have it cranked up on high sensitivity, then yes, you will pick up the signal on the entire phase of the panel that the signaling circuit is connected to. If you adjust the sensitivity to the low end, it is pretty effective in isolating the specific circuit. My only thought on this is that you have the lowest resistance on the actual circuit in question as the signal is coming in on the conductor of the circuit and connecting to the breaker, in comparision, even though the signal is still feeding back through the breaker and into that phase of the panel, each time you come to a breaker that is on that phase, the signal will be weaker because of the resistance that is added both by the breaker that is connected to the actual circuit that you are tracing, as well as the other breaker that you are checking at that point.
 
George,
How would a circuit tracer not send a tone through an entire phase of a system, through the circuit breaker into the bus of the panel?
Click to expand...
The energized tracer that I have does not send a tone. It places a pulsed 1/4 amp load on the system and the "reciever" looks for the pulse signature. In theory you can trace the power all the way back to the original source...the utility generator, however in practice the signal is attenuated by each transformer. I have traced back through two transformers a few times.
Don
 
A very effective low cost tracer can be made with a pigtail lamp socket, flasher button, 300w teflon coated work lamp and male plug.
Plug this into a receptacle, then at the panel with a clamp on ampmeter look for the pulsing amp reading.
The ckt tracers are not always reliable on which circuit breaker it is.
And some times a radio, turned up high, can be used, when the radio goes off you have found the circuit.
 
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