Identify Circuit Breakers when Panel is Not Labeled

Tools Used

[VRYSNKY]

Good demonstration!
The “open ground” is because your alligator clips were only connected to hot and neutral. If the plug adapter had 3 clips it would most likely show “wired correctly” but since the tracer is following the hot back to the breaker you don’t need an alligator clip on the ground 👍🏽⚡️

[PeteVigil-jx]

This guy is right to the point, concise, step by step. No other comments or stories …..just getting it done ! Excellent !

[johngibbs]

I like your delivery. I like that you only talk about what is important.

[kid]

Thank u Billy Bob Thorton. Very good content.

[MacDa-yyxn]

As a residential electrician with 25 years in the trade, I can say this method of finding out what breaker services what circuit is not very accurate. A much better and cheaper way is to just use the plug tester and an extension cord. 100% accurate. You have to walk back to move the plug tester anyway.

Start by turning off all the breakers. Choose a plug and insert the extension cord. Then go back and put the plug tester into the end of the cord. Turn on breakers on at a time until you see power. That will be your breaker you are looking for.

If you really want to see what plugs and lights are on that circuit, you can test for more active plugs.

Move the extension cord to another plug that has no power. Go back to the panel turn off the now identified breaker and repeat first step until you have marked all the breakers.

Two pole breakers are easier to find the equipment they feed.

Save yourself the cost of the expensive other tool, plus when you are done you know 100% exactly what breaker does what.

[kelm]

One of the first things i bought when i got my house three years ago, helped a ton!

[bilmanderson]

The light attachment would be helpful for those ceiling lights when you don't know what breaker they are on.. Good Video

[patmx]

My quick confirmation that the correct breaker has been shut off is to sniff it again with the receiver after turning it off - if the tone at the panel is gone, you’ve got it. Once you shut off the power to the transmitter, it stops chirping.

[canopenerify]

Glad I watched until the end, I have a mostly unlabeled panel and my motion light recently went kaput. That device will save me a lot of hassle.

[tadmarshall]

Wow, this is exactly what I needed! Your video was clear and direct and will be a huge time saver, thank you!

[wannabetowasabe]

I had my wife take a plug in light bulb device to each outlet and we used a handi-talkie to communicate when the bulb shut off as I went down through the panel. She also turned on the overhead lights in that room. I took a labeler and printed up a numbered label for each outlet, switch box and device in the house. That way, years after going through this procedure I can tell which breaker I need to turn off when work has to be done. Once I've turned off that breaker I use a multi meter to make sure the power is off prior to touching the stripped end of a wire. Take nothing for granted! I placed these same labels on all the major appliances in the house, such as the washer and drier, refrigerator, etc.

We had some internal wiring go bad in our microwave last year and it put out enough smoke to set off the nearest smoke alarm. Once I figured out where the smoke was coming from I glanced at the front of the appliance and ran out to the garage and flipped the breaker off. I've eliminated having to read the written description or key on the breaker box door and just shut off the breaker that needs to be shut off. When some people visit our house they sometimes joke about all the labels, but I don't care. It saves time.

[MrThomasAnderson]

This video is worth 1 million bucks. It is very useful. Thank you! 👍

[Stephenwc]

I have all those tools and did not know how to use them. I will take a look again thanks to these tips.

[STBRetired]

Oooh, I bought one of those things years ago but my eyes glazed over trying to figure out the instructions. Now I've bought a treadmill and I've got two air conditioners running so I need to make sure they are all on separate circuits. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[thugfunny]

Love the videos man. Your videos have helped me quite a bit in my budding maintenance career. Appreciate ya bud.

[ourv]

I used to do gas station maintenance. I would regularly get sent out to stations which had been remodeled.
For awhile every job like that I did I worked with this one electrician. Gas station breaker panels are the worst.
They would be 40yo & the labels would be unreadable & wrong. The first thing this electrician would do would
be to trace every breaker and make a list. Next morning, he would start his day at his shop where he would
have the office type up a neat, precise breaker panel card. He would bring that card with him to the station
and post it in the breaker panel. I loved that guy. He made my life easy for years to come. One day, I learned
he had left his co and went off and started his own company. God I missed him.

!

[donaldfennell]

Good tool. Prior to this I would shut the main off, then use my Low Volt tester to find the individual breaker for the outlet in question. After fixing the bad outlet I would have to reset all the clocks in the house. I am a FIRE/BURG Tech so most of my tools are for Low Volt circuits. I still don't know which circuit powers my new home's smoke alarms, I'll probable tackle that when there is a problem! Good video.

[contractorvegas]

As a licensed contractor we have purchased more expensive circuit tracer pleasantly surprised with the performance of the Klein circuit tracer

[chuck]

I did something similar to this to identify every outlet, switch, light, furnace, HVAC, etc. in my house. When I was done I also made a simple hand-drawn diagram of the house showing each & every electrical item's location along with the corresponding circuit breaker's fuse next to it for easy future reference.

[brianfoley]

Great video...I'm still going to hire a professional, licensed Electrician to do this, but this is a great information video and of course I have to buy this just in case I find an outlet I don't recognize the breaker. Thanks