# Breaker Panel?



## ccag235 (Feb 16, 2008)

One thing I hate is opening a breaker panel door and not seeing a list for the breakers in it. I bought an old place and the when I went to turn off a breaker to do some work there wasn't a list to tell me which breaker did what. It's a good size place so I can't just start turning them off and on to find out where they go. Anyone know an easy way to solve this problem?


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## Speedy Petey (Sep 30, 2003)

What problem? 
The fact that you don't have a panel directory?
Or the fact that folks rarely label panels?

For the former the only solution is to do it the old fashioned way. Go around and see what goes off with each breaker.
A friend and some radios do help a LOT. :thumbsup:


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

You could hire someone with the test/tracing equipment...or buy it yourself:









Ideal SureTest

They run from about $500 to $1000.


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## mgarfield (Jan 27, 2008)

Ive seen test sets at HD that plug into the outlet and then you use a wand to find the breaker not sure how much or how good they work.

I did mine about a month ago, turned on all the lights, tvs, plugged in all the lamps I could find and went room to room with a voltage detector after flipping each breaker one by one. Took about 45 mins. Then I made a nice spread sheet to post at the panel.


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

mgarfield said:


> Ive seen test sets at HD that plug into the outlet and then you use a wand to find the breaker not sure how much or how good they work.











​


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## Tiger (Nov 21, 2007)

45 minutes is pretty good. I've been doing it for years & it takes me an hour.

Dave


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

I had to do it on my current home, built in the '80's. Flip a breaker and run around. Watch for surprises (I didn't have any HO add-ons, big surprise).

The original legend was correct but left out some hall lights and exterior recp'ts. My version includes switched recpt's and other stuff that the original sparky left out and additions such as the 'holiday lighting circuit'.


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## Magnettica (Dec 19, 2006)

If you're doing it by yourself (as I have done more times than I care to remember), use several extension cords and a work light and go around to outlets that are working. Run a cord from the outlet you wish to identify and set up the light near the panel. Flip breakers until that light goes out. This way you'll know when that circuit is off. You could also do this by using a loud portable stereo, something else that I have done numerous times. No matter what you do, plan on going up and down the stairs several times.


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## jrclen (Jul 10, 2007)

ccag235 said:


> One thing I hate is opening a breaker panel door and not seeing a list for the breakers in it.


I mutter a bit when I open the panel and see 5 breakers labeled "lights" and 8 labeled "recepts". Very helpful. The best one I found was a 2 pole labeled "Davis". Now I've seen, pump, well, and water. But that was the only one I found with the name of the well driller on it.


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## tdavis (Feb 1, 2008)

jrclen said:


> The best one I found was a 2 pole labeled "Davis".


You found my Breaker! :clap:


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## MF Dagger (Jan 29, 2008)

Saint Paul will fail for that.


jrclen said:


> I mutter a bit when I open the panel and see 5 breakers labeled "lights" and 8 labeled "recepts". Very helpful. The best one I found was a 2 pole labeled "Davis". Now I've seen, pump, well, and water. But that was the only one I found with the name of the well driller on it.


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## Speedy Petey (Sep 30, 2003)

tdavis said:


> You found my Breaker! :clap:


 :laughing: :laughing: :thumbsup:


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## 220/221 (Sep 29, 2007)

Have you ever come up to a panel and recognized your own handwriting?


wait...you will.

It is a total WTF moment.



Generally I remember most of the jobs I've done but after many years and who knows HOW many jobs, occaisionally I will return to one and not realize I had been there before.


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## jrclen (Jul 10, 2007)

220/221 said:


> Have you ever come up to a panel and recognized your own handwriting?


I did that. Kind of funny. :thumbup:


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## mdcorreia (May 21, 2006)

Magnettica said:


> If you're doing it by yourself (as I have done more times than I care to remember), use several extension cords and a work light and go around to outlets that are working. Run a cord from the outlet you wish to identify and set up the light near the panel. Flip breakers until that light goes out. This way you'll know when that circuit is off. You could also do this by using a loud portable stereo, something else that I have done numerous times. No matter what you do, plan on going up and down the stairs several times.


I plug in a small drill and check which breaker turn it off by hearing the sound. (the radio etc. does not respond quickly enough.
However, to ID a circuit which CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF as in a commercial circunstance, I use something very common for over 40 years - not electronic - not too expensive - What is it? can somebody guess?


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## wireless (Nov 2, 2006)

mdcorreia said:


> I plug in a small drill and check which breaker turn it off by hearing the sound. (the radio etc. does not respond quickly enough.
> However, to ID a circuit which CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF as in a commercial circunstance, I use something very common for over 40 years - not electronic - not too expensive - What is it? can somebody guess?


Take a reading of all the lines first, then run the drill and see which one is up.


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## Magnettica (Dec 19, 2006)

220/221 said:


> Have you ever come up to a panel and recognized your own handwriting?
> 
> 
> wait...you will.
> ...



Whats even funnier is having someone else come up to you and tell you that they just bought a house that you installed a new service in several years ago. I usually write my name and date on them on the legend afterwards.


Speaking of panels.... i opened a panel today that had all #12 white wire pigtailed to the circuit breakers. I'm going back there tomorrow and will snap a picture. Give us all something to chuckle at over the weekend.


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## 220/221 (Sep 29, 2007)

> to ID a circuit which CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF as in a commercial circunstance, I use something very common for over 40 years - not electronic - not too expensive - What is it? can somebody guess?


We give up.:jester:


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## excellencee (Feb 1, 2007)

I just go asked to identify circuits in a restuarant. 8 or 9 panels. First thing I'll do is go to another one of their restaurants and take some digitals of the panel schedules. They seem to get upset customers when you start shutting off lights in the dining room.


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## Magnettica (Dec 19, 2006)

> to ID a circuit which CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF as in a commercial circunstance, I use something very common for over 40 years - not electronic - not too expensive - What is it? can somebody guess?



Fault to ground sending several thousands amps of current back through it's source to facilitate the overcurrent protection device?


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

excellencee said:


> I just go asked to identify circuits in a restuarant. 8 or 9 panels. First thing I'll do is go to another one of their restaurants and take some digitals of the panel schedules. They seem to get upset customers when you start shutting off lights in the dining room.


What if it isn't a chain of Stuckey's or Cracker Barrel, but a "mom & pop" place like Tavern on the Green?


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## jrclen (Jul 10, 2007)

mdcorreia said:


> However, to ID a circuit which CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF as in a commercial circunstance, I use something very common for over 40 years - not electronic - not too expensive - What is it? can somebody guess?


You went to bed without telling us?


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## acrwc10 (Dec 10, 2006)

jrclen said:


> I mutter a bit when I open the panel and see 5 breakers labeled "lights" and 8 labeled "recepts". Very helpful. The best one I found was a 2 pole labeled "Davis". Now I've seen, pump, well, and water. But that was the only one I found with the name of the well driller on it.


I love when you open up the panel and see circuits labled " New Plugs" as if you can tell the 15 year old receptacles from the 20 year old ones.


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## jrclen (Jul 10, 2007)

acrwc10 said:


> I love when you open up the panel and see circuits labled " New Plugs" as if you can tell the 15 year old receptacles from the 20 year old ones.


Another good one is Jims bedroom, our bedroom, janes bathroom, etc. :laughing:


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## acrwc10 (Dec 10, 2006)

jrclen said:


> Another good one is Jims bedroom, our bedroom, janes bathroom, etc. :laughing:


And no one that lives in the house is named Jim or Jane.


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## excellencee (Feb 1, 2007)

If its not a chain (the one I'm workin in has 80 restaurants) then I ask to go in after/before hours. My normal customers usually don't mind and normally tell me to close the door when I leave.


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## HallisseyDesign (Jul 6, 2007)

Actually I have one from the HD- it cost me about 80 bucks. It was a life saver for a recent job i had to do. I had to rip out a wall and build a new one almost in the same place in this commercial building. Well they had 100k worth of servers they had no clue what breakers they were on. I was just laughing. So the little plug in tester worked like a charm and the boss even told me to round up to the next thousand to make it an even payment for not screwing with the servers
:clap:


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## te12c02w (Jun 1, 2007)

220/221 said:


> Have you ever come up to a panel and recognized your own handwriting?
> 
> 
> wait...you will.
> ...


I have done that. What a feeling. Old timers disease creeping up on me.


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