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Klein Tools ET310 AC Circuit Breaker Finder, Electric Tester With Integrated GFCI Outlet Tester?
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44 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
Re #4: When I bought my first house, my first task was mapping out all the breakers. I ended up finding a huge number of urgent fire hazards in the basement remodel (none of the lights on the drop ceiling had electrical boxes, some of the wall switches had large chunks of the electrical boxes sawed off and wood jammed inside the holes, the smoke detector wires were connected with masking tape, etc.)
If you have a house with a DIY rennovation, this is a must-do.
- Pick up a circuit breaker finder for ~$40 USD and take meticulous notes.
- If you don't know what you're doing, check
- every outlet
- Take off the cover plate only and check that things look tidyish
- The indicator on the circuit breaker finder says everything is wired correctly (the GFCI test can be faked, but it's less likely that someone did this)
- that there is a whole box around the wires and outlet
- If there's a problem spot, get an electrician to fix it.
- every outlet
In addition to all the great suggestions there is also this type of tool ...
The only downside to this tool is that you have to have power on for it to work on the outlet you are checking. So not very helpful if you are trying to figure out which breaker a dead outlet is on.
Re #4: When I bought my first house, my first task was mapping out all the breakers. I ended up finding a huge number of urgent fire hazards in the basement remodel (none of the lights on the drop ceiling had electrical boxes, some of the wall switches had large chunks of the electrical boxes sawed off and wood jammed inside the holes, the smoke detector wires were connected with masking tape, etc.)
If you have a house with a DIY rennovation, this is a must-do.
- Pick up a circuit breaker finder for ~$40 USD and take meticulous notes.
- If you don't know what you're doing, check
- every outlet
- Take off the cover plate only and check that things look tidyish
- The indicator on the circuit breaker finder says everything is wired correctly (the GFCI test can be faked, but it's less likely that someone did this)
- that there is a whole box around the wires and outlet
- If there's a problem spot, get an electrician to fix it.
- every outlet
> don't know which circuit this is from the breaker box, so unless I turn off power to the whole house I'm a tad afraid to start touching it.
Buy this: https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP
It will change your life.
Yeah I love mine. It's Klein but does the same thing. If y'all like this kind of thing, Klein and probably others make this circuit tracer that actually works. You plug in a similarly sized to the pictured thing at the receptacle and the wand on the panel. It does work unlike others I've used. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QNMCVWP?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_EGBTNKQNVR9HRGNWJWKH
Haven't used one myself but from what I've heard they're good. Would obviously still be somewhat weary and double check the circuit is dead once it's identified but it should save some trouble specifically with plugs
I wish I knew of an easy way to check it. I have a tester that shows whether an outlet is wired correctly for polarity and grounded properly. I don't know if you'd want to purchase one of those. I think it was forty dollars or so. I love that thing. It sends out a signal that I can detect at the breaker so I know which breaker controls that circuit.
I suspect you may be in Europe somewhere because you mentioned Scan which I assume is an electronics store I have never heard of. If your house is pretty new then it is highly unlikely that the outlet is ungrounded. I have no idea about that though... I'm an American and have remodeled a number of houses but have no idea about that stuff across the pond.
This tool has been pretty handy for me. My Box is not labeled correctly so anytime i had to turn off power it was a guess. I am also changing my outlets over to white so this tool helps me find the breaker by myself, lets me know the power is off and if its wired correctly. Worth the money to me.
They sell a tester at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. that you plug into an outlet and it will tell you if the neutral and hot are on the correct sides and if it is grounded. It has a test button that will pop a GFCI if it is supposed to be GFCI protected. These are nice to have for making sure the outlets around the sink or bathroom are properly protected (areas where you use electrical things with wet hands.) Also makes sure your expensive electronics aren't plugged into incorrectly wired outlets.
I have this one and love it. It also allows me to touch the wand to breakers one at a time and see which one is for the plug in question.
It honestly depends on your application, small in home stuff the one I linked is perfect. Larger jobs like where I am (working in a dorm where panel boxes are remote) they actually make a circuit tracer that's handy too, but takes up more space still probably no bigger than the mallet you have pictured, the only other advantage is it has a gfci tester and a "wiring condition" indicator, say you accidentally reversed hot and neutral it will tell you, that one you would plug into your circuit and the hand held would be taken to you panel box and beeps when you highlight the breaker that it's plugged into, neat, but. Again would be your discretion, mostly based off location of your panel box in relation to where you're working, either way one of those two tools is a must have https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QNMCVWP/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_0EFX0BQCYN09Q240SM50?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
This is a great tool for quickly tracing out which circuit your outlets are on. Klein Tools ET310 AC Circuit Breaker Finder with Integrated GFCI Outlet Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QNMCVWP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_MGPY5E52S38WZV4ZTQPM. For the lights the easiest thing to do is turn it on and go through the breakers one by one until you find which one turns the light off. As far as troubleshooting questionable electrical installs and issues go though, it may be difficult to do properly just from reading a book. Most electricians learn to troubleshoot from years of experience but Home Depot or lowes does have wiring books if you want to try do it yourself
These things are supposed to help map those out. I've had mixed results with mine. I'd suggest trying one of those eout or getting a bunch of night lights or some kind of appliance and plugging one into each outlet. Turn them all on and systematically check the breakers vs outlets.
You mean like this? The higher ups will never approve of the hit to the budget. /s
Klein Tools ET310 AC Circuit Breaker Finder with Integrated GFCI Outlet Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QNMCVWP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_812AR942TSRW7MXDCHBB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
They sell adapters to adapt the radio transmitter to lightbulb sockets and alligator clips for direct wire hookup
You mentioned you had a non-contact tester that showed you have some voltage. Is there voltage indicated at any of the outlets?
It would be odd for there to be a GFCI that's interrupting power to all outlets in a particular room, other than the garage or bathrooms.
Remember that a tripped breaker may not LOOK tripped. If you know for sure which breaker is associated with those outlets, try turning it off then back on again.
You may need to buy a "fox and hound" type of tester that will send a tone from whatever receptacle you want to test. You then have a receiver that will indicate when you're putting the tip close to a wire or breaker that's tied to that outlet.
Here's one that looks good, on Amazon, but feel free to search around for one to fit your budget & needs.
Aha - ok well since your AC is 240 Volt, you’re running that on a different circuit / different wire from your plugs in the same room. Electricians often use one of these circuit finder tools, you plug one in in the receptacle, and then scan your panel with it. Your AC plug will probably beep on a different breaker than your other plugs, which will start giving you answers. Using this tool helps prevent ripping up walls to see what all’s going on. https://www.amazon.ca/ET310-Circuit-Breaker-Finder-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP/
1) Get one of these for $40 Klein Tools ET310 AC Circuit Breaker Finder with Integrated GFCI Outlet Tester https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QNMCVWP/
2) Wipe off all the old scribble using alcohol or acetone
3) get a friend w a cell phone or use walkie talkies
4) Have a friend walk around the house plugging in the tester to outlets and then you record what outlets every branch circuit includes. BE THOROUGH and SPECIFIC, test every switch and every outlet!
5) Make a nice google sheet / excel, put it inside a plastic paper protector and tape it to the inside of your panel.
Source: Moved into a house where the previous owners replaced the panel and nothing was labeled. FML!
> https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP
The tool lets you plug it in and then go to the breaker panel and it will beep when you touch the breaker you plugged the other end into. It's not always 100% and doesn't really do much more than tell you what breaker is controlling what outlet.
sounds like the garage outlet was added later, so they just grabbed whatever was close
get a circuit breaker finder, and map out all the outlets in the house.
https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP
that map will come in handy in the future
I had some crazy wiring in the house that I’m living in now and didn’t know, living room on the whole other end of the house, half of it is tied into the bathroom breaker on a GFCI and the other half is tied into where the kitchen refrigerator is. When the kitchen refrigerator goes on, the compressor surge was too much, well I just had to move things around, but you just never know. It would be pretty expensive for you to have the electrician map out all of your circuits and you can do that yourself. They have two piece devices where you plug one end out into the outlet in the house can you go back and you touch each circuit breaker and it tells you where that wire is being powered from. You would be surprised what you find out I’m sure.
Klein Tools ET310 AC Circuit Breaker Finder with Integrated GFCI Outlet Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QNMCVWP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fab_kr6FFb1FFPKE4
There are cheaper versions but I am a firm believer that in most cases you get what you pay for.
> I don't know how else you can do it and still be confident you have ID'd the correct breaker(s) on the first try.
https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP/
Then there’s this:
Klein Tools ET310 AC Circuit Breaker Finder with Integrated GFCI Outlet Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QNMCVWP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_FXGFV1PN82409WFXHEM2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
One of my favorite tools https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP
This, potentially aided by a couple small lamps and/or a wired radio (or some device that makes noise when it has power)
https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP/
You could also buy this tool and do the whole house in one go.
Spend $50 on this tool if you do this a lot, or can't afford to turn off the wrong breaker and disrupt something.
This is wild advice.
OP, can you afford something like this? https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP
I mean, I guess that would do if you dont have one of these LOL
https://smile.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP/
I have one of these:
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Is this not similar?
These are actually pretty accurate
Like the other commenter mentioned, there are tools you can use if you want to figure out what breaker something is on, without flipping them all.
Here's a cheapie from Hazard Fraught, which appears externally identical to the Klein ET300. They may be the same product with a different sticker. https://www.harborfreight.com/circuit-breaker-detective-96934.html
Here's a cool Klein one that has a built in outlet tester: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QNMCVWP
If you need to trace from a light socket or a ceiling fan, you can use whatever combination of plug-to-sockt and grounded-to-ungrounded adapters you need, or make up something with alligator clips for the transmitter. Klein will sell you a kit with all three at a somewhat steep markup, if you don't want to put together a plug-to-alligator dongle yourself. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U2GNI8/
Klein Digital Circuit Breaker Finder with GFCI Outlet Tester https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07QNMCVWP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_GRNN9D70PKPB90HW0N06?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
If I am reading/interpreting this correct, it sounds like you're wanting a circuit tracer similar to this.
what the hell kind of link is that!?
https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP
everything after the question mark is tracking garbage
Are you sure you don't have a sub panel somewhere?
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This may help too
not a electrician but my house is wired super funky so I purchased one of circuit breaker finders.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QNMCVWP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Circuit breaker finder. Just plug it in and the magic wand will beep over whichever breaker is controlling that circuit. It will also beep when waved over any other outlets on that particular branch. I like to label which breaker controls a particular outlet on the back of the faceplate as well, makes life easier.
My circuit tracer needs a live plug in order to work...?
Its similar style to this one... https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP
https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-ET310-Circuit-Integrated/dp/B07QNMCVWP ? i see the elechickens use shit like this all the time
Elaborately map and label what every socket and switch connects to on your breaker panel.
A circuit tracer can help with that. This one also shows you whether outlets are wired correctly. Circuit tracers are handy, but not completely necessary. At the very very least, buy a non contact voltage tester like this.
Personally, I think learning about circuits and electricity is extremely useful for homeowners. With a little bit of knowledge and a healthy dose of caution, you can quite easily replace switches, outlets, etc.
Klein Tools ET310 AC Circuit Breaker Finder with Integrated GFCI Outlet Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QNMCVWP/
This should save you time finding the circuit next time.
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