# track down a short with a tone generator



## [email protected] (Aug 22, 2017)

I have a dead short in a circuit and rather than hunt every junction and outlet I wonder if I can use a tone generator and tracer to sniff out where the short is. It seems that I could pull out the breaker (which shows a dead short) and hook up a tone generator on the de-energized wire and trace it until the tone stopped which would show me where the short is- has anyone tried that?
Thanks in advance!


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

If it's shorted, and you hook the two leads to the two wires, it will not tone - because the signal is shorted. In fact, *if everything's deenergized,* you can short a pair of wires that are on a toner to verify if you've identified the right wires, if the tone dies when you short them, it's the right pair. 

If you hook up just one lead, you can trace which boxes to test, but it won't tell you where the short is.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Don't listen to the guy above.

What you want to do is get a megohmmeter and use that in conjunction with your toner to find the short. It works very well.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Call a licensed electrician!

Electrical work by nature is dangerous and should only be done by qualified individuals!



IBTL


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## [email protected] (Aug 22, 2017)

*Thanks for the advice DVR*

There are some other qualified folks who work with electricity including HVAC guys, Home Inspectors, Appliance people and of of course Electricians.
I'm a code certified inspector and have been since 1978.

I am looking for an easier way to find a short in a fairly long 110 volt circuit in a quicker manner than opening every box and outlet to hunt this baby down.

I have unplugged everything from every dead outlet, switched out the tripping breaker with new-with the power off...so I have done all the obvious things and now it is time to slog it out unless a nice little meter can track where the short is possibly by us of a tone and tracer...


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> There are some other qualified folks who work with electricity including HVAC guys, Home Inspectors, Appliance people and of of course Electricians.
> I'm a code certified inspector and have been since 1978.


 This is incorrect. In no situation is a Home Inspector qualified to work with electricity. 



> I am looking for an easier way to find a short in a fairly long 110 volt circuit in a quicker manner than opening every box and outlet to hunt this baby down.


 You should not be doing this work in the first place.



> I have unplugged everything from every dead outlet, switched out the tripping breaker with new-with the power off...so I have done all the obvious things and now it is time to slog it out unless a nice little meter can track where the short is possibly by us of a tone and tracer...


It's time for you to stop this nonsense.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> There are some other qualified folks who work with electricity including HVAC guys, Home Inspectors, Appliance people and of of course Electricians.
> I'm a code certified inspector and have been since 1978.


A code inspector does not an electrician make.

Were you ever an electrician?

If you had been doing electrical work since 1978 you would have fixed it by now.


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## trentonmakes (Mar 21, 2017)

[email protected] said:


> There are some other qualified folks who work with electricity including HVAC guys, Home Inspectors, Appliance people and of of course Electricians.
> I'm a code certified inspector and have been since 1978.
> 
> I am looking for an easier way to find a short in a fairly long 110 volt circuit in a quicker manner than opening every box and outlet to hunt this baby down.
> ...


Unhook 1 in the middle, if its live your short is after....if its dead your short is before it

There, i just cut your work by 1/2

Ill pm my address and you can send a tip if your so inclined.
If you checked otjer thread i prefer bock beers

ANSWERE THE QUESTION STEVIE!


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## Admin (Jan 4, 2010)

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