Whats a the best circuit tracer for around $100?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Dave85

Dave85

Member
Location
NJ
Whats a good quality circuit tracer?

I have been working for an electrician for some time now and have had great success with my little yellow $30 home depot tracer until today.

I installed a sub panel on my house and never had a good readout for each breaker so I started making a chart on MS word. I am plugged into a single outlet upstairs and the reader on the panel is beeping at breaker 9 on the main panel but also on breaker 1 in the sub. I know how this house was wired and there are no shared neutrals.

the transmitters making a strange clicking sound and I'm thinking its dieing slowly.

I have looked up circuit tracers which are going from $200 - $500

I just cant see spending so much on a tracer but I also want something that will work well for me.

anyone have one that's the best bang for the buck?
 
I guess the Amprobe AT-XXXX (there are several models) seems to be becoming the standard when you start to get into bigger money. They range from maybe $250 and up. I'm still using my old 3M Dynatel unit that's probably a million years old. The Amprobe BT-250 is a regular breaker tracer with the AT series technology for 75 to 100 bucks.
 
The tracers I use aren't available at Orange Cheapo.

I have an Amprobe AT-2005 and an Ideal SureTest 956. The Amprobe had to be special ordered at the supply house and cost $909 + tax. The supply house had the Ideal in stock; it cost about $550 + tax.

Mapping circuits for labeling panels is one thing, but finding shorts and opens in complicated wiring is something else, which is why I spent the extra money.
 
Well im only using this to label panels so I don't need anything fancy.

The Amprobe BT-250 seems like it will be my next tester to put to the test.

Ill have a look at home depot...i know i have seen a red tracer there in the electrical area but im not sure if it was a amprobe
 
Last edited:
Go to homedepot.com and search for Zircon CF12. It's a great breaker tracer. It has worked out very well for me. It's even on sale there.
 
yep, model #s 58985 and 59353

for about the same price of the 59353 I could get the Amprobe BT-250 but if I can get something for that cheap and still have it work well I'll get one.
 
Last edited:
sparkzilla said:
Go to homedepot.com and search for Zircon CF12. It's a great breaker tracer. It has worked out very well for me. It's even on sale there.
Click to expand...
Had an embarrassing few minutes randomly flipping breakers to find a garage circuit, after my Zircon CF-12 Pro would not detect it.

The unit worked fine elsewhere, several times. Remembering the receiver LED was bright, and 6 months later, the 9VDC battery meters 8.96vdc, so I don't believe a bad battery was to blame. There may be impedence limits with this unit, but I didn't varify this by using another tester, or trying a new battery at the time.
 
for under a hundred bucks?????? shut the power down and disconnect all the wires and us a bell and buzzer. if your working by yourself --- buy a loud buzzer!! and yes home depot has them!!!
 
ramsy said:
Had an embarrassing few minutes randomly flipping breakers to find a garage circuit, after my Zircon CF-12 Pro would not detect it.

The unit worked fine elsewhere, several times. Remembering the receiver LED was bright, and 6 months later, the 9VDC battery meters 8.96vdc, so I don't believe a bad battery was to blame. There may be impedence limits with this unit, but I didn't varify this by using another tester, or trying a new battery at the time.
Click to expand...

Yea I thought that was my problem as well so I metered the 9V battery at exactly 9VDC

I also tried a new one and I'm getting some strange readings from 2 panels on one circuit...

maby these cheaper tracers just don't like sub panels :mrgreen:

LarryFine said:
Plug in a radio so you can hear it from the panel.
Click to expand...

Although that does work great, I cant go though the 20 breakers in my main panel and switch them off. We have a bunch of computers running here 24/7 and its a pain to start them up after a power outage.


I just think theres other ways to do this and its why they made circuit trackers
 
Last edited:
charlie tuna said:
for under a hundred bucks?????? shut the power down and disconnect all the wires and us a bell and buzzer...and yes home depot has them!!!
Click to expand...
Love that Charlie, also like Larry's radio idea. Had used a tone generator & pickup on de-energized fire alarm circuits with great success in the past, but was hoping to get comfortable using something that worked on live circuits also.

After seeing how the old timers that mentored me deal with multiple sub-panels in commercial work, by prefering to do it hot --with no gloves-- , or when the rats nest made them nervous, just short a phase to ground to find breakers, I vowed to take care of them with something they could use.

I've never seen any project carry a defribultor (spell?) on site, and I run in to these guys all the time, they stay in the labor pool until they can't walk anymore. I pick up any apparent slack, because they're a treasure trove of experience, and if I were them, I wouldn't retire either.
 
Dave85 said:
LarryFine said:
Plug in a radio so you can hear it from the panel.
Click to expand...
Although that does work great, I cant go though the 20 breakers in my main panel and switch them off. We have a bunch of computers running here 24/7 and its a pain to start them up after a power outage.
Click to expand...
I understand. That certainly makes a difference. Unless they have UPS's, flipping breakers won't do it. I wonder whether the computer power supplies interfere with the tracer's signal strength?


ramsy said:
Love that Charlie, also like Larry's radio idea. Had used a tone generator & pickup on de-energized fire alarm circuits with great success in the past, but was hoping to get comfortable using something that worked on live circuits also.
Click to expand...

If the radio idea doesn't work, there are a couple of other ideas: run a cord from the outlet in question to a lamp where you can see it, or have a helper with a walkie-talkie move from outlet to outlet.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top