[Frasbee]

- as a means to identify an outlet.

The foreman has been having me dead short outlets so that we can spot which breaker it's on because every outlet needs to be labeled in the Dialysis Clinic we're working on.

He's taught me to use a solid 12 gauge wire bent in a U shape, held by my lineman's, and pushed into the receptacle.

Sometimes I can't even tell I tripped it, other times there's smoke and black soot on the wire and the outlet.

I'm new to all of this ****, so what do I know, right? Still, little flags have been waving that this may not be the most ideal means to identify circuits...Feedback?

And if there's another way that isn't too time consuming, I'd appreciate the pass-along.

Late EDIT: We didn't trip all the breakers, just a few that weren't showing up where we thought they should be.

 

[JohnJ0906]

Nothing like teaching an apprentice something stupid....

I'm new to all of this ****, so what do I know, right? Still, little flags have been waving that this may not be the most ideal means to identify circuits...Feedback?

Almost any other way is better.
If the place is un-occupied, the old standby of having 1 man at the outlet, and another at the panel flipping breakers still works fine.

There are several products on the market that are not overly expensive for locating breakers, as well.

 

[nap]

- as a means to identify an outlet.

The foreman has been having me dead short outlets so that we can spot which breaker it's on because every outlet needs to be labeled in the Dialysis Clinic we're working on.

He's taught me to use a solid 12 gauge wire bent in a U shape, held by my lineman's, and pushed into the receptacle.

Sometimes I can't even tell I tripped it, other times there's smoke and black soot on the wire and the outlet.

I'm new to all of this ****, so what do I know, right? Still, little flags have been waving that this may not be the most ideal means to identify circuits...Feedback?

And if there's another way that isn't too time consuming, I'd appreciate the pass-along.

what a brilliant method.(said with a sarcastic attitude

)


Not only does this make your company look like the most unprofessional bunch of yahoos out there, it is just plain stupid.

I think you should just keep it up though. Maybe you will learn something out of it.

 

[dowmace]

that is a bad idea, but I will say I made my own breaker tripper device with a resi plastic cut in box, a 20A switch, a cord cap, and about 5 feet of SO cord. Just put your hot on the line side of the switch and your neutral on the load side. now plug the contraption into your receptacle flip the switch and you trip the breaker. This is the WRONG way to find a breaker but it is quick and wont burn the face of the breaker.

I do not condone this method of finding circuits please use at your own risk yada yada yada

 

[480sparky]

This is so simple.....

+

+

+

Prevents

Use the ammeter to find the circuit that has the amp readings that go up, down, up, down, up, down.....


To see what can happen using your method, check this thread out:
http://www.electriciantalk.com/showthread.php?t=1717

 

[confident]

I was once forced to try that method, although there were 4 panels, and I dead shorted a wire in a j-box.
Somehow I shorted out a computer....1500 dollar mistake
I will never try shorting a circuit to identify a breaker again

 

[Frasbee]

Yeah, we used to run down the panel calling back and forth, but work is finishing up and they hired 10 mexicans to finish painting/drywalling whom are constantly blasting their music.

The rest of the crew left, it's just me and the foreman, and they expected us to be done all this trouble shooting last week. So most of the time I'm the only one labeling the the outlets across 3 panels.

I used to run back and forth between the rooms and the panel, but it's just too time consuming, and there's been changes to their placement, so the prints aren't always accurate, which means the easiest way available to me is tripping the breaker.

It's discouraging to work with this company. Too many times I've worked under the direction of somebody who tells me they're having me do things the wrong way, or 'not the best' way, simply to get it done fast. I've only worked under one guy who explains everything to me and shows me the right and wrong way of doing things (while having me do it the right way.) They sent him off to a different project.

 

[480sparky]

.....It's discouraging to work with this company. Too many times I've worked under the direction of somebody who tells me they're having me do things the wrong way, or 'not the best' way, simply to get it done fast....

If you don't have the time to do it right the first time, you'll never have the time to do it right the second time.

 

[dawgs]

Tell your foreman and boss to trip it out themselves. You need a circuit tracer to do the job safely and be productive.

 

[JohnJ0906]

Yeah, we used to run down the panel calling back and forth, but work is finishing up and they hired 10 mexicans to finish painting/drywalling whom are constantly blasting their music.

I like music, but if it interferes with work, off it goes. Period. No discussion.

It's discouraging to work with this company. Too many times I've worked under the direction of somebody who tells me they're having me do things the wrong way, or 'not the best' way, simply to get it done fast. I've only worked under one guy who explains everything to me and shows me the right and wrong way of doing things (while having me do it the right way.) They sent him off to a different project.

Fast is not necessarily wrong. However, in your case, it is wrong, and dangerous. You should refuse to do this. Yes, you might get fired, but you will be alive and in 1 piece when you find a better place to work.

 

[a-bulb]

Don't do this to a FPE breaker. http://www.snapdrive.net/files/507790/fpe.pdf

 

[Frasbee]

How discouraging...

Well, Monday is supposed to be our last day on that site, and the majority of the outlets have been marked. I'm not entirely sure what I'm gonna do about working for this company, I'm already looking elsewhere, and maybe into the Union.

 

[RMELECTRIC_LA]

duhhhhhhhh!

First tell the the mexicans to SHUT OFFO El MUSICO ! Better still thats how you can find your first breaker !When the damn clown music goes off !!!:stupid:Then try using a long extention cord and a work light at the panel. Very simple... pick a receptacle plug it in watch the light, when it goes off thats your breaker! :whistling2:

 

[Frasbee]

First tell the the mexicans to SHUT OFFO El MUSICO ! Better still thats how you can find your first breaker !When the damn clown music goes off !!!:stupid:Then try using a long extention cord and a work light at the panel. Very simple... pick a receptacle plug it in watch the light, when it goes off thats your breaker! :whistling2:

Nah, I bought a "ticker". Makes life so much easier.

 

[gilbequick]

This is so simple.....

+

http://www.electriciantalk.com/showthread.php?t=1717

What's the blue thing for?

 

[480sparky]

What's the blue thing for?

To flash the bulb, so the amperage goes up & down so you can find the circuit at the panel with the ammeter.

 

[randomkiller]

Why not just plug the mexicans wanna be music player into an outlet that your trying to identify and then start flipping breakers, when it goes off you have the breaker. Then plug it into the next outlet to be labeled. Then once you have them all identified, take the neutral from that last circuit the radio is on and touch it to the next breaker down from the ungrounded conductor for the circuit and fix the radio permanently.

 

[nap]

RK's is the quickest, IF you are where you can hear the radio. Some jobs are just too big to do this.

That is where 480's comes in. A bit slower but a brilliant idea.

a larger current draw would make it easier and quicker as well. This is also one of the few times I believe an analog meter would also make it easier. A ticking needle would be less likely to be misinterpreted than a rolling number on a DMM.

 

[Frasbee]

Why not just plug the mexicans wanna be music player into an outlet that your trying to identify and then start flipping breakers, when it goes off you have the breaker. Then plug it into the next outlet to be labeled. Then once you have them all identified, take the neutral from that last circuit the radio is on and touch it to the next breaker down from the ungrounded conductor for the circuit and fix the radio permanently.

Heh, it's funny you say that. We kept trying to identify this "mystery" outlet which should have been on the LB panel. Their radio was plugged into one of those outlets and we kept turning off their radio.

They eventually gave up turning it back on until we finished and moved elsewhere.

 

[frenchelectrican]

For me to try to trace some circuits what i useally do either take 500 w quatz or 1.5 Kw heater and put in alternating relay or simuair and cycle the load and it will show up on ampmeter [ digtail is ok with 1.5 KW heater but for quatz i use anlog meter to read the peak and valley's ]

Merci,Marc