How To Trace Wires In A Wall | Multimeter Continuity Test

If you are trying to trace down wiring at your home a continuity test with a simple multimeter is a great option. If you have a multimeter you will want to look for the resistance setting and an audible alarm feature is even better. I will walk you through an example where I am installing a new ceiling light and need to trace all the switched power for the old outlet wiring.

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[JB-wxwo]

Finally a guy explains in plain English and shows clearly zooming in which setting the multimeter is at... Nobody does this and the multimeter is already very confusing.... Thank you sir and may God Bless you!!! 😂

[mcrawford]

I understand and appreciate the comments that (for some situations) this can be done without the extra wire. But I like the way that he's shown - with the extra wire: it can be used for ANY situation, ANYWHERE, and does not depend on additional wires. So it's good for any home power wiring, speaker wiring, RCA wiring, coaxial wiring, Cat5 etc. wiring, and anything else you can think of, as long as it's unpowered and of reasonably finite length. And it can even be used for a single wire with no other wires anywhere near it, other than the extra wire he's using to test it.

I like the comprehensive approach he's shown. I'm going with it!

[bravo]

1. turn off power at the breaker. 2.Isolate each cable coming into the box twisting the hot(black) and neutral(white)conductors together one cable at a time. 3. go to the other outlet or switch box and place your meter on OHMS to the loose hot and neutral of each cable. 4 The one that beeps is the cable you have twisted together at the other box. 5.ID that cable, untwist the conductors and proceed to the next pair of black and white conductors on the next cable. 6.Label each cable as you go. This works for locating shorts as well.

[terrydpierce]

Great video.... thank you... I used an extension cord instead of the solid core wire. I also used alligator clip 12 inch "jumpers" instead of the Wago. With both boxes completely undone, you can use the hot and neutral in the same romex cable to test continuity. Breaker is always in the off position when working with home wiring. Thanks again. Great video.

[GYSCOOTERCHAT]

Thanks for posting this. It’s going to help me trace the last owners mess in my house.

[TacticalNitemar]

You can do this without all the extra wire. Simply connect the wire you are attempting to locate to the common wire in the same box. Since ALL common wires are bonded in the main panel you can then go to the original box and use the common and test each other wire until you get tone. This would work using ground also.

[haroldidle]

You don’t need that length of wire just clip the far wire to ground then measure between ground and the 3 wires one at a time until you hear a beep !! Yeah !!!

[Catstorm]

Great idea. I have wago connectors but never thought of locking my meter probe in one end. I normally end up twisting the wire around it then waiting for it to fall off! Thank you.

[jordanhenderson]

Handy video! And here I was about to go out and buy a wire tracer! Thanks for saving me some money!

[dodongregencia]

Very good.
Thank you.
Watching from Lapulapu City, The Philippines.

[TheWaywardpilgrim]

Really slick! I would have never thought of using a lever nut for this, being an old school aligator clip sort of guy - lol. Thanks!

[whitetiger]

Great idea with the Wago and extension!

[eqdfhls]

You might use a wire tracer, which sends signal along the wire, you can then use the detector to trace where the wire goes. You don't need an extra wire, nor you don't need the probe to touch the wire core, even you can detect the signal outside the surface of drywall, which let you know which direction the wire goes. More, you can use it to tell where a wire is broken inside the wire sleeve. I bought one at about $30, very useful. Make sure there's no power on the wire before connect it to the signal emitter.

[joeshow]

1 minute was enough to like your video. thank you

[jeremeyellis]

I've been searching for a video like this and am SO happy to finally find this. THANK YOU!!!

[rh]

I just ordered a assortment box of them WAGO lever nuts. They will be so handy. Thank You!

[David-zvem]

Thank you. Always wondered how to do that with my old house.

[bwxfyrm]

Not a single video that actually makes sense on how to test continuity with romex cable behind walls

[felagoran]

Okay I see you are new in this troubleshooting process. Let me suggest how you can easily find right wire. One incoming wire (yellow) connect to the ground wire and with continuity check find associates wire. Easy you don’t need extra jumper. Imagine you have to check plug in other room or floor above, you need long wire which is ridiculous.

[specfever]

I understand the need/want to have a ceiling fixture option but I'd never have a new home without one half of each receptacle wired to switch in the bedrooms, living room, den, etc. There's NOTHING like the ambience of lamp lighting! (Ceiling fans need a ceiling mount of course. So I remodeled with two switches in these rooms.)