Are there any "easy" ways to trace a home electrical system? [solved]
We bought a home a few months ago, and the electrical panel (and subpanel) are completely unlabelled. We have no way, short of flipping breakers, to know what breaker powers which fixtures. Is there a better way to map a home's electrical system so that I can label the breakers?
I use a circuit finder, like this:
It requires a little finesse, but not too much.
When we first bought our current home, I made a careful map of every light switch, every outlet. I simply shut off each breaker in turn, then went around with a test plug. Any outlet or switch that was now dead, I marked on my hand-drawn map of each room in the house, noting the number of the breaker it ran through. This map is frequently handy. Whenever I need to do any electrical work, I simply pull out the appropriate page of my map. It cost me only an hour or so to do, and was well worth the time invested.
I have seen, for those who want a faster solution, inexpensive tools to trace a circuit back to the relevant circuit breaker. I tried one some years ago, and it did not work terribly well. Perhaps they have improved since.
The BEST Way To Trace Wires Hidden Inside Your Walls! DIY How To For Beginners!
Answer this question
