Electrical circuit tracer

chopped · Dec 31, 2010

kennyd said:
You can get a screw-in adapter so the test will plug into standard bulb socket, just make sure the switch is ON while testing.

They look like THIS, HD or Lowe's will have them.

Goodness i had no idea they were worth so much Ive thrown quite a few out over the years.
On another note I also have a notebook and mapped out each room and then you can either trace them all or add them to the book as you go. Either way in the future its good to look at the "map" and know right off what numer breaker it is..

podagrower · Dec 31, 2010

Craig Clayton said:
In the electrical code it states that evey circuit must be marked, in the house market that never happens. Industrial standards are heavily inforced,but there is still poor marking standards. For a house a radio is nice set to something LOUD. If you use a drill and it jumps and snags a carpet thread ( been there ) get the idea. Half a the loads are easy to figure out just from the panel all 2 pole breakers that are large current ratings ususally do stove dryer etc. 15 amp 2pole kitchen. That only leaves 15 amp single and arc rated for bedrooms.
Craig Clayton

Doing it by yourself with a radio is very easy. Turn off all the circuits, plug in the radio, then turn them on one at a time until the radio comes on. Leave that circuit on, then walk around and find out what receptacles and lights are on that circuit. Turn off that circuit and go to the next one. It takes a little time at first, but goes faster as you eliminate circuits.

As Craig stated, 2 pole breakers will feed 240v items. Typically 30a for water heater and dryer, 40 for range, 20 for well pump. If you have 15 and 20 amp circuits, the 20's will typically feed the kitchen, dining room, and washer, with the 15's feeding bedrooms, family rooms, and lighting.

If you want to find 1 outlet without turning everything off, a circuit tracer can help, but it's not something I would invest in to use once.

robs660 · Dec 31, 2010

The klieg tester from hd works great. They have an accessories kit that will let you screw into sockets or attach to loose wires. I use a p touch to mark the breakers and have a detailed list in an excel spreadsheet.

hr3 · Dec 31, 2010

There are commercially available numbering systems or tags for marking electrical wires.

Duhhh..

Steve_Miller · Jan 2, 2011

Walmart.com: Zircon CF12 Circuit Breaker Finder: TV & Video

Willl · Jan 2, 2011

podagrower said:
Turn off that circuit and go to the next one. It takes a little time at first, but goes faster as you eliminate circuits.

a circuit tracer can help, but it's not something I would invest in to use once.

I gota agree with this guy. I've got 2 of those tracers and it was just easier to do without them.

Hint, draw up a map of the house showing outlets and light switches first.
Label each breaker w/ a number, then label your outlet/switch 'map'.

You can change the numbers to 'names' later.

ruralNearDallas · Jan 2, 2011

Kudos to the electrician who did my house
Lots of outlets
Empty breaker slots
Very neat and labeled panel

Two things
Switch that seems to do nothing
Bedroom switch controls porch light

But those things could have been in the SOW.

joe48 · Jan 2, 2011

ditto curly Dave.
I use and recommend the HF circuit tracer, works great can't beat it for about $20.
I've been rewiring and tracing a bunch of circuits this weekend, upgrading the kitchen while remodeling. Nice because you can identify each outlet or light right to the breaker w/o turning stuff off/on , and the mapping is also a very good idea, especially for years down the road. I also write on the outlet box or wire to the box w/ marker, do the same at the panel too.
Also the loud radio works great too if you don't have the circuit tracer.

Obed · Jan 3, 2011

Barry,
My wife and I just went through the same exercise in our new house. Several of the breakers were mis-labeled. In addition, other breakers were labeled ambiguously. So I stood at the breaker panel with a pad of paper and cell phone while my wife plugged a small battery charger with an LED light in each outlet. I flipped breakers while she watched the LED on the charger to see when the outlet lost power. Figuring out the lights was faster. My wife turned on all the lights in an area. Then I turned off breakers while she told me on the cell phone which lights went out. It took us a couple hours to completely document 3 floors in a large house.

In our case, a circuit tracer would not have sped up the job.