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Home > Archive > Home Repair forum > April 2006 > Tracking hot wires inside walls
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Tracking hot wires inside walls
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| Is there relaible device that can track hot 110V wires inside
sheetrocked walls? Where can I get it?
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| Edwin Pawlowski 2006-04-26, 2:21 pm |
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"Sasha" <agalkin@audible.com> wrote in message
news:1146068131.436544.103250@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
> Is there relaible device that can track hot 110V wires inside
> sheetrocked walls? Where can I get it?
>
I have a stud finder that will find wires. I've never done a controlled
test under varying conditions, but it seems to be very reliable for what
I've used it for.
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| BobK207 2006-04-26, 2:21 pm |
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Sasha wrote:
> Is there relaible device that can track hot 110V wires inside
> sheetrocked walls? Where can I get it?
Zircon mid price range stud finder, not the most expensive, not the
chaepest ~$30?
Home Depot
It will find hot wires but I'm not totally sure of the reliablity.
I use it for studs but I see the AC voltage indicator light up at
appropriate locations.
cheers
Bob
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| newsman 2006-04-26, 3:21 pm |
| You don't say whether you want to find just any (or all) hot wires
versus finding a hot wire for a particular circuit (or particular outlet
or fixture). In the first case, some cheap stud finders and inductive
hot wire detectors will usually work. I use a GB hot wire detector that
can be bought at HD or Lowes or OSH for around $15. They won't work
well if there is sheet metal in the wall (foil-backed insulation for
example). If you want to find particular hot wires, it's a whole
different proposition. You have use a signal injector/detector set.
The really good ones go for a few hundred $.
Sasha wrote:
> Is there relaible device that can track hot 110V wires inside
> sheetrocked walls? Where can I get it?
>
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| Sasha wrote:
> Is there relaible device that can track hot 110V wires inside
> sheetrocked walls? Where can I get it?
>
YES, they do make one. It finds/detects ONLY hot wires. It's mainly
used to check voltage at electrical boxes, outlets, and etc., but it
will detect through paneling and sheetrock.
It's called the Greenlee Voltage Detector, Cat. No. 1110 and can be
purchased at HD/Lowes in the electrical department.
J
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| I use a telephone pickup plugged into a Radio Shack amplifier ( cheapo box
around about 2.5"x2.5"x 1" powered with a 9v battery) It works best if the
circuit is loaded with a high wattage appliance such as a space heater.
Turn the volume high, a loud 60Hz buzz is heard over the speaker when the
telephone pickup head is over the wires.
John
"Joey" <J_nospam_ls@moultriega.net> wrote in message
news:12504knpsvhvjcb@corp.supernews.com...
> Sasha wrote:
>
>
> YES, they do make one. It finds/detects ONLY hot wires. It's mainly used
> to check voltage at electrical boxes, outlets, and etc., but it will
> detect through paneling and sheetrock.
>
> It's called the Greenlee Voltage Detector, Cat. No. 1110 and can be
> purchased at HD/Lowes in the electrical department.
>
> J
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| I beleive I have the same tester and it only rings when you move close
to electrical box. I tried to scan entire wall with known hot wire
behind itand it didn't give any signal.
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"Sasha" <agalkin@audible.com> wrote in message
news:1146244408.297256.102450@j73g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I beleive I have the same tester and it only rings when you move close
> to electrical box. I tried to scan entire wall with known hot wire
> behind itand it didn't give any signal.
>
Question: The wires within the wall were alive; but you could not get any
indication; right?
Was the test tried when there was current 'flowing through the wires' to
some appliance/device etc. plugged in further down the circuit?
Reason I ask is because I have once or twice been able to detect certain
wiring location (using something that draws quite a few amps, such as a hair
dryer/heat gun etc. = 12amps. 2 115 volts) not something lightweight (such
as 40 watt lamp bulb = 0.3 amps) using a small powerful hand held magnet and
feeling the vibration caused by the significant amount of AC current flowing
through the wires!
In some cases it seemed that even though the two wires carrying current, hot
and neutral, are very close together and their respective magnetic fields
will thereby tend to cancel, there is enough difference between them to
detect in certain cases.
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| Artemis 2006-04-29, 10:21 am |
| Stan wrote:
> Question: The wires within the wall were alive; but you could not get any
> indication; right?
> Was the test tried when there was current 'flowing through the wires' to
> some appliance/device etc. plugged in further down the circuit?
> Reason I ask is because I have once or twice been able to detect certain
> wiring location (using something that draws quite a few amps, such as a hair
> dryer/heat gun etc. = 12amps. 2 115 volts) not something lightweight (such
> as 40 watt lamp bulb = 0.3 amps) using a small powerful hand held magnet and
> feeling the vibration caused by the significant amount of AC current flowing
> through the wires!
> In some cases it seemed that even though the two wires carrying current, hot
> and neutral, are very close together and their respective magnetic fields
> will thereby tend to cancel, there is enough difference between them to
> detect in certain cases.
>
>
You must be wearing your tinfoil hat for this method to be effective.
--
Art
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| Jedd Haas 2006-04-30, 2:21 pm |
| In article <12504knpsvhvjcb@corp.supernews.com>,
Joey <J_nospam_ls@moultriega.net> wrote:
> Sasha wrote:
>
>
> YES, they do make one. It finds/detects ONLY hot wires. It's mainly
> used to check voltage at electrical boxes, outlets, and etc., but it
> will detect through paneling and sheetrock.
>
> It's called the Greenlee Voltage Detector, Cat. No. 1110 and can be
> purchased at HD/Lowes in the electrical department.
The Greenlee is a good tool, and only $15 or so. But it generally won't
detect through paneling and sheetrock. You have to press it right up to
Romex to detect a hot. It will also buzz hot on neutral wires that are
connected to the panel. Keep a regular (neon type) voltage detector as a
backup. With these drawbacks in mind, it's still pretty good and a lot
easier to use (one hand operation, no chance of shorting a live circuit)
than a neon detector. Buy both, they're cheap.
--
Jedd Haas - Artist - New Orleans, LA
http://www.gallerytungsten.com
http://www.epsno.com
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