[Mwchavis]

Got a call today where the homeowner says his breaker is "messed up." So when I get there it see a 30 amp double pole breaker zip tied in the "on" position. And every lighting the house going crazy. After 2 hours of searching this is what I find 20 ft from the lawn irrigation pump. And that's one of the hardest $400 I have ever made... Anyone know a good wire tracer that could help me in the future? Thanks

 

[Spunk#7]

A thumper would take you right to it! A Timco Spitfire lets you work em' hot. You have to have the right tools for the job.

 

[eric7379]

Even if the breaker is zip tied in the on position, it should still trip. I would have replaced the breaker, too. I would not trust the reliability of that breaker anymore after what it has been put through.

 

[Meadow]

Got a call today where the homeowner says his breaker is "messed up." So when I get there it see a 30 amp double pole breaker zip tied in the "on" position. And every lighting the house going crazy. After 2 hours of searching this is what I find 20 ft from the lawn irrigation pump. And that's one of the hardest $400 I have ever made... Anyone know a good wire tracer that could help me in the future? Thanks

:laughing:

That's a new one to me.

 

[flyboy]

Even if the breaker is zip tied in the on position, it should still trip. I would have replaced the breaker, too. I would not trust the reliability of that breaker anymore after what it has been put through.

Unless it's an FPE. :laughing:

 

[dmxtothemax]

Must have been fun finding that !
was it underground ?
How far under ?

 

[eric7379]

Unless it's an FPE. :laughing:

Lol. Very true!

 

[Mwchavis]

9 inches underground in the middle of his driveway. And I replaced the breaker due to the "Damn" factor lol.

 

[sbrn33]

Progressive 501 is a cheap and easy to use locator. There are better ones but not better values. You can find them for $500 on ebay.

 

[josh5879]

Progressive 501 is a cheap and easy to use locator. There are better ones but not better values. You can find them for $500 on ebay.

Would you be able to find the location of the fault with that tool? Or would it just show you the path of the line?

 

[Ultrafault]

A thumper would take you right to it! A Timco Spitfire lets you work em' hot. You have to have the right tools for the job.

It seems not having the right tools is a better way to make money. Unless you are doing industrial there appears to be no accountability

 

[FrunkSlammer]

Customer has no problem paying you $400 and taking 4 hours because you don't have the right tools, than pay $400 for 30 mins of work with expensive quick troubleshooting tools.

 

[chicken steve]

Good one Frunk........:thumbsup:

~CS~

 

[MWayne]

Will a thumper work for a wiring break in a PVC conduit?

 

[sbrn33]

Would you be able to find the location of the fault with that tool? Or would it just show you the path of the line?

Josh after a little time with it 9 times out of 10 you can find the fault. They do make an A-frame that would but I do not have one.

 

[Pete m.]

was it underground ?
How far under ?

Um... no.... it appears to be above a dropped ceiling... way under it...:laughing::jester:

Pete

 

[sbrn33]

Will a thumper work for a wiring break in a PVC conduit?

Yes it will.

 

[nrp3]

I have several A frame types. It definitely makes the job go much easier. You might get lucky with a standard locator with the signal dropping significantly after the break. Better to have both a locator and fault locator as well as a heat gun for UF splices. Megger is another tool to get for this. Meg before and after to get a good feel for whether the spot you repaired is the only bad segment.