Tracing wires behind the walls.

[AffableCurmudgeon]

Curious as to how the pros trace wires behind the walls.
I have a basic single pole switch that is powered. It sends power to the wire to which it is connected. It is in the foyer. I cannot find any outlet or fixture that is controlled by it. The wires of course go into the wall. What do you pros use to trace wires that disappear into the wall? I have a tracer but you have to have some idea of where the wire comes out to be able to use it. Is there something out there that can trace wires behind the wall and would allow me to figure out the path of the wire inside the wall?
Thanks.

 

[bwringer]

This cheap nasty thing actually works pretty well.

Cable Tracker

Amazing deals on this Cable Tracker at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I'm sure there's an expensive version actual pros use.

 

[kaffine]

I use an tone generator and inductive pickup aka tone set. I have had the best luck with the 701k it is sold under multiple brands Tempo, Progressive, Ideal, Greenlee ect.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083Z7V7C2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It should be able to trace the wire behind drywall it does take some practice. Need to have power off to the circuit. Connect the black lead to the ground wire if it is present.

 

[BreeStephany]

As of lately I've been using a Klein ET450 circuit tracer as I can trace out energized circuits with it, which is quite helpful when working in commercial & industrial environments to keep circuit / equipment downtime to a minimum.

Another advantage is that it can tone in ground circuits to a point and you can set the sensitivity of the toning wand as you near in on the conductors you are toning to find the circuit. This can be really helpful on large scale resi / multi-family housing projects where a fair amount of boxes get buried by the sheetrockers.

I do like use a traditional tone set for environments where circuits can be easily deenergized and toned out, but traditional toning does involve additional steps for circuit verification and voltage verification. The ET450 tone generator can be energized and used on circuits up to 480VAC and provides voltage verification which is nice when verifying an unknown circuit.

Just my two cents.

 

[FredWanaker]

sometimes there is an old box covered up in the ceiling or wall sconces. Also when checking all the nearby outlets, check both sockets. If the tab is broken, one side can be always on and the other side switched.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

This cheap nasty thing actually works pretty well.

Cable Tracker

Amazing deals on this Cable Tracker at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I'm sure there's an expensive version actual pros use.

I've had that one for years and has worked fairly well tracing through drywall or wood paneling. Found a few buried ceiling light boxes and other wacky stuff when helping out friends and family.