Finding Shorts
Applications include determining causes of breakers tripping, fuses blowing, and current
leaking on the ground conductor. The tracer locates the origin of the ground fault or dead-
short in these circuits.
1)
Connect the transmitter to the shorted circuit and power it on.
a)
One lead should be connected to the faulted conductor and the other lead to
ground.
b)
If the ground fault is in metallic conduit, then the conduit is the ground.
c)
If possible, ground the adjacent conductors.
2)
Turn on the receiver and use the default maximum sensitivity (
3)
Starting several feet from the transmitter, use a sweeping motion and the back of the
receiver to find the strongest signal location behind the wall, above the ceiling, or
under the floor.
c)
If the signal is too strong, reduce the sensitivity range.
d)
If the signal is too weak, connect one lead of the transmitter into the open conductor
and connect the other lead to a remote return path. Then, repeat step #3.
4)
Continue following the highest reading until the signal starts weakening. This is the
point of the fault as the signal flows to ground instead of continuing strongly down
the hot conductor. Reduce the sensitivity range and use the nose of the receiver to
pinpoint the source of the fault.
Breaker
Panel
Tripped
Circuit
Breaker
).
Stronger Signal
Weaker Signal
Short
to Ground
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Sorting Bundled Wires
Applications include identifying a specific circuit amongst several circuits in a filled
conduit, sorting wires in a wire harness, identifying coax cable and twisted pair cable in a
termination box.
1)
Connect the transmitter to the circuit to be traced and power it on.
a)
Clip one test lead to the known end of the wire to be traced or identified.
b)
Clip the other test lead to a remote return path.
2)
Turn on the receiver and set it to the least sensitivity ( ).
3)
Go to the other end of the wire run and sort out the individual wire using the nose of
the receiver.
a)
If the signal is too strong, separate the wires more from the bundle when testing.
b)
If the signal is too weak, then increase the sensitivity range on the receiver and
repeat step #3.
4)
Continue sorting until the wire with the highest reading is identified.
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