Tracing circuits

[72Corvette]

I searched but couldn't find a prior thread for my exact problem, If I missed it I apologize.

In the basement of the house we have purchased the previous owner had roughed in most of the outlets and lights but never completed the hook up. I've got a bundle of wires hanging down at the panel area and then loose wires at the outlets, switches and light junction boxes. I'm pretty much ok with the placements but due to installed insulation and partial drywall I can't visually follow the circuits to know what is on each individual wire.

May be a rookie question but is there a good way to track the fixtures to the wire hanging down at the panel since there is no current on the wires themselves.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Glen

 

[BreeStephany]

A Fluke intelliTone tone generator and tracer would be the quickest way to trace your circuits. Just disconnect the tone generator to one end and then use the tracer to audibly trace the wires.

Another way you can do it, provide the circuits have not been hooked up to an power source, is to tie the neutral and positive together and then test for continuity between the two at the boxes.

 

[kd3pc]

fox and hound is like the fluke but a bit cheaper...

ohm meter or digital volt meter will help with the continuity.

either way will get you sorted.

 

[joe_padavano]

Klein Tone Cube and Probe Plus worked for me. $80 at Home Depot.

 

[theoldwizard1]

A "fox and hound" is a bit of an over kill for this application.

At the load center, bare the black and white coming out of one Romex sheath. Use an alligator jumper to short them together. Visit each individual opposite end and using a DMM test for zero ohms (if it has an audible continuity tester, use it).

 

[Milton Shaw]

At each outlet after you have located the line from the panel as described above. Hook next set of wires up and repeat until all the outlets on that circuit are identified. And write them down as your memory (like mine) will forget which is which once you sleep on it. Any toner and detector will also work and may be faster than using a DMM. Just use wire nuts to hook them up unless you are ready to finish and add the outlets while you are there.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

A Fluke intelliTone tone generator and tracer would be the quickest way to trace your circuits. Just disconnect the tone generator to one end and then use the tracer to audibly trace the wires.

Another way you can do it, provide the circuits have not been hooked up to an power source, is to tie the neutral and positive together and then test for continuity between the two at the boxes.

Either of these would work well. If you want to go cheaper the CenTech Tone/Probe kit from Harbor Freight is $25 and works decent enough, but the Fluke is nicer.