Circuit breaker off or disconnect wires

[earl84]

We moved into our house in May 2019, and have not been able to find where two 20 amp circuits labeled Jacuzzi, terminate in the house. We have left the circuit breakers turned off up to this point, but I am wondering if it would be best to just disconnect the wires at the circuit breaker to be sure we’re as safe as possible.

There’s been some questionable electrical that I have found and fixed along the way. I’m digging into the panel now to add a 50amp welder circuit and soon to do a grid tie solar system.

 

[justsam]

Do you have any form of circulating bath tub in your house? If the breakers were closer to 50 Amp I might suspect provision for a future outdoor hot tub.

I would not disconnect wires but rather just turn the breakers OFF, if these circuits are not in use.

 

[Terry D]

It sound like there was a Jacuzzi tub at one time in a bathroom. One 20 amp for the pump and the other for the heater. Are these GFCI breakers, if not, look for some dead front GFCI's in the bathroom or in a nearby closet that may have been disconnected. If your not familiar with a dead front GFCI, it looks like a regular one, except you cant plug anything into it.

 

[earl84]

Thanks for the replies. We DO have a hot tub that’s on a 50 amp/240v circuit that is intact. I’ll look for dead front GFCIs next and probably just leave the breakers turned off, it hasn’t burned ina year and a half that way, so.....

 

[Ls1Lark]

While building our home. We specked a double wall oven. Electrician set up 40a breaker for it. However there’s a 30a breaker and terminated/capped wire in a box behind our oven for if we ever chose to place something else in that space in the future.

I wonder if you have something there before?

Builder goes ahead an installs black pipe for gas stove or cook tops too even if we don’t initially buy/spec one. Easier they say.

 

[sberry]

Maybe it didn't get installed. I would be interested in sleuthing this down if it was mine. Might even be useable for a welder circuit depending on machine. Considering the difficulty and cost in some sense it's worth an ask as to what type of welder.

 

[earl84]

Have not found any dead GFCIs or termination for these wires, I think maybe it was wired and never installed. Either that or it’s buried somewhere in the walls.
The welder is just a Lincoln AC225 buzz box. I have a cheap 120 v MIG that does great on auto body sheet metal, but needed more power for a project with thicker metal, and don’t weld enough to justify spending a ton of cash on a more powerful MIG, at least right now.

BTW, I got the 50 amp 240v plug wired up and operational.

 

[75gmck25]

My house was wired so that we could add recirculation/pump to the garden tub in the Master Bath, but we bought a tub without any jets. I have a switch for it on the wall, but don't know whether they even connected anything on the panel end.

Bruce

 

[Innovate1]

I have a jetted tub. The GFCI outlets are under the tub. there is an access panel on the other side of the wall at one end. They are GFCI receptacles, not dead front. The tub came with standard plugs.

You might want to look under the tubs. But if the powered tub was taken out in a remodel then anything is possible.

 

[nadogail]

When I was helping on an an office remodel project, prior to the days of Lock Out/Tag Out, the electrician would turn of the breakers associated with the area we were working in, put tape across the handles, and then disconnect the wires from the breakers.

I asked why he disconnected the wires after turning the breakers of and putting tape on the handles. He said; Somebody will notice something has no power and some A Hole, who wants to be a Hero and doesn't know what he is doing, will come and flip all the breakers to "fix" the problem. But you put tape on them, "A Holes don't read notes and don't think about why the tape was on the handles".

If you think you have made something idiot proof; I can find a better idiot.

 

[gayler]

We moved into our house in May 2019, and have not been able to find where two 20 amp circuits labeled Jacuzzi, terminate in the house. We have left the circuit breakers turned off up to this point, but I am wondering if it would be best to just disconnect the wires at the circuit breaker to be sure we’re as safe as possible.

There’s been some questionable electrical that I have found and fixed along the way. I’m digging into the panel now to add a 50amp welder circuit and soon to do a grid tie solar system.

We need details on the grid tie solar.

 

[Jim greengo]

If the breaker has been off and you dont notice anything not working,you might as well unhook the wires.

 

[Mark Sch]

Is it possible the jacuzzi was on a deck or patio, and the previous owners tool it when they moved? Maybe you have a couple outdoor outlets on those circuits

 

[Wrench97]

Personally if I did not know where the wires went I would unhook them from the breaker and wire nut them off.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I have a Fluke 179 with the volt alert feature that on the sensitive setting will find wires from a foot away.. I would turn that one circuit on and everything else off and trace where they go. They might go somewhere you would eventually like a circuit. Trace it from the box to where the signal stops. Mine will trace ceiling light wiring from 12-16 inches away through ceil-heat wire 1" plaster/concrete/drywall so that lets me check where the wires are routed.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have a Fluke 179 with the volt alert feature that on the sensitive setting will find wires from a foot away.. I would turn that one circuit on and everything else off and trace where they go. They might go somewhere you would eventually like a circuit. Trace it from the box to where the signal stops. Mine will trace ceiling light wiring from 12-16 inches away through ceil-heat wire 1" plaster/concrete/drywall so that lets me check where the wires are routed.

I would try to trace the wires if you can. If you can't figure out where they go or where they went. I would unhook them.

When I was helping on an an office remodel project, prior to the days of Lock Out/Tag Out, the electrician would turn of the breakers associated with the area we were working in, put tape across the handles, and then disconnect the wires from the breakers.

I asked why he disconnected the wires after turning the breakers of and putting tape on the handles. He said; Somebody will notice something has no power and some A Hole, who wants to be a Hero and doesn't know what he is doing, will come and flip all the breakers to "fix" the problem. But you put tape on them, "A Holes don't read notes and don't think about why the tape was on the handles".

If you think you have made something idiot proof; I can find a better idiot.

Yes, unhook the wires is my thought as well.

People that have no idea, can do some damage. Then there are those that think they know what they are doing and can get somebody hurt or burn a place down.

Local trailer park this summer about lost a trailer when they divided services up from a multi-meter base to a single meter base. The neighborhood trailer park electrician working for the park owner swapped the hot and neutral wires, IIRC.

Fortunately, the local PoCo guy was there putting the meter back in after doing his checks. He immediately pulled the meter once they found they had an issue.

 

[nadogail]

Some of us don't know what it is that we don't know. To some of us ignorance is bliss.

Many people are unaware of their limitations.

 

[earl84]

Been away from this thread for a while. I don’t have a good relationship with past owners to ask them about this. Have not been able to trace where the wires go.

I have started the permitting process for the grid tie solar and will be doing the work myself, but have a real electrician that is going to help with order all the fittings and wires not provided in my kit I’ll be ordering, and to check all electrical connections and for code compliance. I might tap into him and see if he has equipment or knowledge to find out where these wires go. Nagodail is correct that a guy has to know his limitations.

 

[sberry]

Have not found any dead GFCIs or termination for these wires, I think maybe it was wired and never installed. Either that or it’s buried somewhere in the walls.
The welder is just a Lincoln AC225 buzz box. I have a cheap 120 v MIG that does great on auto body sheet metal, but needed more power for a project with thicker metal, and don’t weld enough to justify spending a ton of cash on a more powerful MIG, at least right now.

BTW, I got the 50 amp 240v plug wired up and operational.

This is a good set up. Modern rods like 3/32AC7018 and 1/8 make this quite simple to use in flat. They make it a bit easier than some of the earlier rods. It does teach fundamentals if a guy learns right and works.
I consider a common stick welder to be a fundamental part of a more advanced shop. Its worth a little trading to get a DC one if you work on equipment regular.

 

[sberry]

My Bud goes overseas and has a little sideline interest of sorts and said he bought an inverter for 150$ there and it works like a champ for a few things. I tried at 100$ a bit too early and found you couldnt get much a welder but now that something like the Everlast is there for 250 it makes the 100$ one totally obsolete and a waste of money not that it wasnt anyway unless you could do it with a 3/32 6011.

 

[beelsr]

i'd disconnect the wires from the breaker and trace them with a tone gernator.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tone+generator+and+probe+kit

 

[BigGarage]

Some of us don't know what it is that we don't know.

If you knew what you didn't know then you wouldn't not know it.

Dennis

 

[BigGarage]

Nagodail is correct that a guy has to know his limitations.

Yep, he's correct.

Dennis

 

[Cougar]

Been away from this thread for a while. I don’t have a good relationship with past owners to ask them about this. Have not been able to trace where the wires go.

I have started the permitting process for the grid tie solar and will be doing the work myself, but have a real electrician that is going to help with order all the fittings and wires not provided in my kit I’ll be ordering, and to check all electrical connections and for code compliance. I might tap into him and see if he has equipment or knowledge to find out where these wires go. Nagodail is correct that a guy has to know his limitations.

Will you be starting a thread on the grid tie solar.