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Electrical Wiring

how to determine what a particular breaker turns off

last year

We bought a new (large) house and there are some circuit breakers that I can't figure out what they do. I've done the normal thing of turning off the breaker and going around checking lights and receptacles. What I would like is a tool that puts a signal onto that circuit and I would go around with a receiver and it would beep whenever I put the receiver close to a wall that contained that circuit. So I would follow the beeping until I find the output/termination of that circuit. Is there such a tool? I would want it to detect the circuit through a wall and over a distance of a foot or two (not just within a fraction of an inch). Could someone post some links?

Featured Answer

wdccruise

last year

@HU-867564120: "I bought a Klein VDV500-820 tracer for such use and it worked great. It works on unpowered lines, so disconnect the circuit wire from the breaker"

That tool is typically used for phone lines, network cables, and other such cables. Most homeowners are not going to want to open their electrical panels and disconnect wires from the circuit breakers.

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Comments (7)

HU-867564120
last year
last modified: last year
a
wdccruise
last year
Would a tool like this Klein Tools ET300 Circuit Breaker Finder help? You plug the transmitter into a socket and the receiver tells you which circuit breaker is connected to that socket. The circuit breaker is ON when you use the tool. Here's another -- Klein M2O41637KIT -- with more features. (These circuit tracers all seem to be outlet-to-breaker, not outlet-to-outlet.)
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A Mat
last year
I have seen a Klein Circuit Breaker finder. insert transmitter into outlet, check (scan) breaker box, 120v.
consed
Original Author
last year
Thanks, A Mat. Good to know, but that is the opposite of what I want. I got breakers and I follow the cable into the wall and want to know where it goes. I'd even be willing to disconnect the wire from the breaker.
HU-867564120
last year
I bought a Klein VDV500-820 tracer for such use and it worked great. It works on unpowered lines, so disconnect the circuit wire from the breaker, clip the Klein signal generator to the wire and trace away. The transmitter can be set to different tones as well as alternating tones (which worked the best) while the receiver has adjustable amplification to bring out weak signals while tracing. I was able to stay a foot or two away from the romex under the drywall and follow the circuit through my house.

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-Tone-Probe-PRO/dp/B07VYN98QV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DYF8O8O2QL20&keywords=klein+circuit+tracer&qid=1678991568&refinements=p_89%3AKlein+Tools&rnid=2528832011&s=industrial&sprefix=klein+circuit+tracer%2Cindustrial%2C96&sr=1-1
consed
Original Author
last year
This is just what I was looking for! Thank you so much,

HU-867564120

I'm fine with disconnecting the wire from the breaker, but wouldn't it be sufficient to just shut off the breaker?

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