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Lee Schierer
09-16-2016, 4:41 PM
Several months ago I purchased a circuit locator tool made by Klien tools. It consists of a remote that you plug into a receptacle or plug adapter in a light socket and then a receiver that you scan the circuit breakers and determine exactly which breaker to turn off. 344232 So far it has worked flawlessly on both house circuits and industrial sized panels. The only drawback I've noted is the switch on the side of the receiver is really easy to bump and turn on. After a bit of thought and one less than satisfactory prototype I came up with this design that so far has worked well. Now when I stick the locator into my tool belt it doesn't accidentally get turned on. I highly recommend the circuit locator as opposed to multiple trips between the outlet and the panel or yelling at your partner that the circuit is on or off.

My holder was made from a piece of 4" pvc thin wall drain pipe which I cut from a scrap piece of pipe. First I slit the pipe and heated it in the oven so it would be pliable and lay out flat. Then I marked the shape of what I wanted on the flattened plastic and cut it to shape. I made a pattern out of wood to the shape and size of the locator receiver so I could use it to mold the hot plastic around. Here is the final result.
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Ken Fitzgerald
09-16-2016, 6:18 PM
Thanks for posting this Lee! I have been needing to replace a bunch of old outlets. This would be a dramatic help. My local HD has 4 in stock. I will lighten their load. Thanks again!

Bert Kemp
09-16-2016, 6:45 PM
thanks fromme Too this will help get the panel box labeled right , who ever did it was all messed up .

Jim Becker
09-16-2016, 8:28 PM
I've had one of these tracers for many years and it is very helpful. Interestingly, the switch on the side of mine is also easy to accidentally switch on. :) Mine must just be an earlier version.

I do occasionally have trouble tracing some circuits because of the mixture of wiring types in the 250 yo portion of our home...some kind of cross talk, I'm guessing, particularly with circuits that have some metallic flex.

Kevin Womer
09-17-2016, 7:59 PM
I have been meaning to get one of those, I never think of it until I need one...

Jason Roehl
09-18-2016, 8:44 AM
I have one at work--a 135-year-old courthouse whose wiring was updated 25 years ago. Invaluable. I think mine's a Fluke, but I don't recall for sure. I've heard that they can have problems with UPS systems, but I haven't run into that (and there are several UPSes in the courthouse--discovered one when I turned off a breaker for a court recorder, right before a hearing was to start--the judge was not amused).