Thank you BIG TIME! I can't think of any TH-cam video I've ever watched that has helped me more than this one. There is No mention of tuning the tone volume and watching the light - in the Klein owner's manual. I'm tracing wires in a giant house feeding 105 keypad switches in a Crestron lighting and ceiling fan system. I wanted to scream with all the false readings I was getting. Not anymore! Fantastic job, great video!
I can't tell you how helpful this was. I've had the same Klein tracer for a year and have almost thrown it away several times being unable to trace anything. Why would this info about "tuning" the sensitivity not be in their documentation? Go figure! But wow, now I can actually trace. Thank you so much.
@@toolsandtacticsyou're not a qualified electrician. You just taught your viewers to poke a screwdriver around a live panel. First thing to do is turn off the main, turn on a flashlight, and connect the tone generator to the wire you think it should be. I don't even know how you have an electrical credential showing people to shove a screwdriver near live wires inside the panel like that. It's not just one wire at a light switch. If you contact two wires with your screwdriver, you get two legs shocking you, and you can die.
@@toolsandtacticsalso, if you don't know what the extent of damage is from a short, check resistance with a test leg of wire and a multimeter. Old school. Kids these days are useless.
OUTSTANDING!! I was one of the "lotta people" who got this wrong. Thanks for the video. (Note to self) Read the manual next time. This is a HUGE help to me after misusing the toner for years.
Thank you! I have been watching a lot of video, but your is the most helpful on earth! I used to click on neutral on the black clip to trace, not ground, not accurate. I also didn’t know I used to set the highest level, it cause confusion like you say. Thank you!
@@davidgrondona1422 if you are the kind of person who does not read manuals, perhaps working on electrical is not your optimum skill set. That is not a slight, just an observation from an electrician for 40+ years. Don't get hurt or put someone else in jeopardy.
Great video. Very helpful. I have that Fluke toner and it works great for me. Reviews on the Klein pointed out that it has weaknesses as well. 2 good choices for sure.
I will say the actual generator for the fluke. Is very nice and I've used them in combination with each other. But the actual wand 4 fluke isn't as good
yes but not like your probably thinking it will ring out when the short is removed so a good identifier if you plan on hooking it up shaking cables and moving wires around to see if you can pull the wire away from the short but if its shorted initially you wont get a tone but it will help
Thanks for the tips. Question what exactly are you doing at 5:37...Are you trying to adjust the sensitivity of the probe? Because i checked the manual of that klein probe (VDV500-820) for link you provided, and supposedly all those buttons do is adjust volume. I don't see anything about sensitivity .
Im considering this toner for some old knob and tube trace and replace. Understand I need a good ground for it to work. Found some 14/3 that was used from the panel to a junction box where tw seperate runs of knob and tube start. They used the red wire on one breaker as a feed and the black as another. It was hidden pretty well but when going to insulate the attic space, we found knob and tube. 🤦 Would you recommend this tiner for such a job?
Well sort of. Sensitivity varies by distance of the run. You may still need to turn up the sensor if the receptacle if far away from the breaker panel if you want to use the light.
@johnsesk01 yes, but the romex would need to be stapled to the stud. Pretty closely, and you'd have to turn it up to the maximum, but you can. Especially, you have a general idea of where the wire is But as far as blindly searching for a wire, they trotted up through the wall, you're going to hear a noise, but no real confirmation
So I have a customer where they have a leak in their copper line set for the hvac system. But they had an addition done in the past. So I don’t know where the copper runs. Can I use this to trace the copper line? How would I do this? The copper is already grounded.
the fluke 1 is ok, I have it too, but this 1 has the light!Ffor a while I used a fluke toner and klein probe and discovered the light.. and what a difference!
The video is good, respectable and in terms of tracing lines in short circuit, the Klein Tools ET450 is much more precise because you can trace even over sherock walls with or without power, and even if you have lines on the ground. example in the garden or patio. This tracer is good but an error and if the circuit to God tracer is energized. Otherwise, as I said, the video is good.
I have a HOT ground wire (120 volts) on a small light/outlet circuit. Breaker tripped occasionally, now it instantly trips. Should I use your suggestion with the extension cord and plug it into a different/good circuit? Then would I be able to trace to find the short behind drywall? Thanks for any suggestions - and GREAT tutorial!
Yeah to trace all parts out so you know where to look use a good ground from the extension cord and try that but most likely either 1 of 2 are very common 1 fed from a gfci ( maybe this is an outside light) or 2 most common open the switch that controls it and you will find a melted mess and ground touching the black wire or hot terminals or behind the panel cover a melted mess Your gona have a hard time Traci g it out if the hot is touching the ground with a multimeter ( in continuity) so if the black ( hot) goes to ground this could get tricky check ever box you suspect that circuit to be in commonly a long run will need to be replaced I can make a short explaining what to do if you want to Email me a basic drawing /diagram of the room light and stuff
@@toolsandtactics Thank you for the advice and the offer to make a short! First I'll try opening the wall up right where I found the Hot ground wire first, and check everywhere else I can (switches, outlets and fixtures). I think with your suggestions I might be able find that... "melted mess", hopefully it's close to where I found the Hot ground. If my investigation draws a blank, I might have to take you up on your kind and generous offer. It's going to be a couple of days before I can get back on it, but I'll certainly keep you updated. This might help someone else too. THANK YOU again!
@@toolsandtactics I apologize for the late update! I was able to find the short. Luckily it was very close to the switch that fed another room. I just traced it around to the next outlet it fed, opened up the drywall and bingo! There it was, FRIED. It was burnt bad, burned all the way through a 14/3 Romex cable. It appeared to be a mouse had chewed through it, but not sure... as there was no mouse carcass. Anyhow, THANKS for helping me out with this scary situation. Best to you and your channel.
Great video! Can this tool trace a neutral wire in a dedicated circuit in the panel? This video is one of the best I’ve seen on the practical use of a tone generator to trace electrical wire in walls and receptacles for diy
@@toolsandtactics Man sorry to bug, but a quick question. I've got a dead outlet, and having a hard time tracing wires with this tool. When tracing hot wire to panel, I can't pick up a tone there at all, but also having a hard time just even tracing the wire behind wall in conduit. I got the red clip on the hot wire and the black clip on ground wire, so I think that's right. Also, how to trace a neutral wire on, since attaching clips to it and the ground wire will show continuity?
Can you put the toner on a live circuit for instance if you looking for a breaker but the panel isn't labeled and you can't just flip breakers on and off due to being in industrial plant? Also voltage too much to just short out safely. I was wondering if the voltage would fry the toner or not. Usually it's 480v but figured you could attach toner to one leg but would be 240v on it to neutral. Every video I see has toner on dead circuit.
I was going to buy one from Home Depot but it indicates that it’s for communication wires. So it appears that you’re checking Romax wire so it will work on Romax?
@@abbswinston4258 tone tracers will work with any wire of any gauge, residential, commercial, industrial, automotive included. Because the circuit is supposed to be off.
I get CONT error when I connect the Toner-Pro’s red ABN Clip and the black clip to separate strands in the same RJ45. Instructions say to connect clips to different shielded wires in the same cable, but I get CONT error - and can only use 1 clip (either red or black ABN clip) on an Ethernet RJ45 cable
Klein released a digital toner and probe kit(VDV500-920; I assume you're already aware), I've had the Fluke Intellitone pro 200 for years now, What are your thoughts on the two products?
i tried to get the toner when it first came out i forgot about it haven't tried it yet the fluke is good the most important thing is the light on the toner the fluke generator is superior to most
@@toolsandtactics Yes, You're absolutely right about the light. I think the sensitivity feature on the Klein is superior and it has a filter(although not necessary w/ digital), the Fluke only has 2; However, The intellitone will switch tones when shorted(as you've demonstrated)... I found it on clearance (not particularly looking for it) and picked it up as a backup. Great information you present and thanks for the prompt reply!
Would this work through walls? I’m trying to trace a mystery light switch in my house. I’ve already checked all the obvious stuff. Breakers off for the switch and nothing else in my house turned off. Last resort is to just see if I can follow the wire through the wall.
I’m curious if you ever found what that mystery switch controls. I’ve got a couple of them in a 30 yr old house I recently moved into. I suspect one was intended to control a ceiling fan light that’s no longer there; and the others I suspect were intended to control outlets installed inside multimedia cabinets back in the day when ppl hid their ginormous stereo components in cabinets.
The fluke 3000 is a good tester. If you’re toning out a line all you have to do is touch the line with your hand while pressing your toner if you have the correct line it will make a sound. I’ve never had an issue.
So i did everything on your video but my klein toner was hitting on another wire just as strong. Atleast it seems to be a very negligible difference if at all. Why can't this device just isolate one (1) wire??? I can send a video if you would like?
@@toolsandtactics bought a house that has receptacles everywhere. GFCI outlets are hidden and light switches that seem to go nowhere or control anything. Trying to find where the break in the line is so I do not have to do unnecessary remodeling if possible. When I put my red lead to the wire from the tone generator, I am able to follow the wire running through the drywall in the house. But when it gets down to the detail of which wire it is that may be open this tone generator seems to be giving me a positive signal on any receptacle associated with that circuit. I know it is probably operator error but was just trying to figure out this tool I bought. Thanks
Yeah You don't have to use the ground from the circuit just a good Ground source like you can use an extension cord and plug some scrap wire into the ground prong and put the black clamp on that and the red clamp on the black to trace out the other wires on the smoke detector cable conductors
@@toolsandtactics great thank you. There’s a break in the wire coming from the panel to the first smoke alarm. So hoping to set up tester at the panel and find the broken wire somewhere behind the ceiling wall. Thank you
@@nickmillionn7319 for best results disconnect the ground on the romex from the panel completely, attach the black clamp from the toner to the ground bar in the panel and alternate the red clamp from the black to the white on the romex
@@nickmillionn7319 YOU COULD ALSO, 1 WITH POWER OFF AND FULLY DISCONNECTED FROM THE PANEL BREAKER ECT JUST THE ROMEX IN YOU HAND you could first check to se if any of the conductors ring out continuity to ground 2 disconnect the other detectors from the daisy chain too and verify that they ''ring clear'' then intentionally ground the disconnected romex to the first smokey and ring them out but you probably already did that ( meaning not unintentionally grounded ) (sorry if this is basic im just being thorough lol)
Hello my friend, i want to ask you one question do you think i can trace a wire in the car with this tool, if it's possible can you help me please, how to setup the tool to find a wire, does the battery has to be connected or disconnect. Thank you in advance.
@Luis Martinez hey, yeah disconnect the battery, and before you hook anything up try toning ( with a Multimeter the wire in question to the bare metal chassis of the car to see if it's shorted if it is the toner won't help you very much If its shorted you wont get a great signal you can leave the toner hooked up and listen to see if the sound changes when you cut or remove the wire you suspect , to speed things up Hope that makes sense
@@toolsandtactics thank you for responding promptly, i sincerely appreciated, i am going to try the way you say, i will let you know tomorrow. Again thank you.
I'm sure this was very informative if I didn't need to turn my volume down because of the constant beeping. What was the purpose of having to record right next to the unit the entire time. Your voice was further away, so it focused on the alarm. Anyway, I appreciate the tutorial. Best of luck.
This is a federal Pacific panel, not the best, but obviously still works. Yeah you better test that a bunch of different ways before you confirm it still works
It's not a circuit identifier it's a toner you can't use it with electricity on you would usually turn off ALL the breakers to find the 1 But then we wouldn't have any lighting for the video hope that helps thx
@MJsDad yeah, I guess you could say statistically one in four breakers wont trip I already sold that house to moved tho I actually think the zinscos g t e sylvania's. Hardware because of the bus arcing. For the breakers, not the trip. There has to be something wrong with the wiring. Those Sylvania's will Be a problem eventually no matter what.
I would say.. zinsco do federal don't trip so there has to be something wrong with the wiring first... zinscos( aluminum bus) arc at random for no reason other than they hate your house and want to make it ash so in short I think federal are bad but zinsco Sylvania gte are worse and deserve more attention thanks for comming to My ted talk lol
As I see it, if somebody is scared of taking off the cover of a circuit panel, they should not be there. Their lack of knowledge of electrical wiring is dangerous. Period.
Could of been a very helpful video if not deafened by the sound 90%of the time. Half the stuff yo say can’t be heard cause you have to turn the vol down so low to not go deaf from the tone. So this is not a useful video on you tube lil common sense goes a long way. Maybe find some before your next video
Do not finger fk your outlets like this dude. He is completely complacent. Do not assume you have the right breaker off and that the plug is functional for your meter. Even a wiggy (voltage detector) can fail to pick up the potential in the outlet. Wear gloves and pull the receptacle out straight forward and be prepared for loose/blown off wires that’ll ground to the box and scare the shit out of you. You obviously had a problem to begin with if you are at this point of replacing receptacles.
@CS-ui4qj calm down this was and edit from alive at my house. Circuits already verified and we already tested everything. The video is about a tone generator
@@toolsandtactics yes i get that you did that, but think about the average joe out there watching your video. They'll do all the dumb stuff i just listed. The "you" i mean in my statement is them, not you. lol
Lately I’ve been using that fluke toner not the one that they used to sell at Home Depot the blue one I’m talking about, but the one that had the numbers on it with the light but right now I Literally just received the ET 450 Advanced circuit tracing kit.. I’m not trying to shit on your video or anything like that I just use that toner and I know it only tones up to 200 feet I believe I know there’s two different ones I might be mistaken that one for the cheaper one
@skunkbri that's cool, some of the higher end ideal 1s work amazing This is the best non hand tool klein makes usually the meters and stuff from klein is garbage compare to others for the price. Thanks for the input!
Excuse me, one question is this tool good for tracing a short on a car, cars work with DC-(direct current). Do you think i can trace a wire with this tool he is showing. Please help me, also does the battery has to be connected or disconnect, thanks in advance...
th-cam.com/video/1zH5iY_58Dw/w-d-xo.html
Thank you BIG TIME! I can't think of any TH-cam video I've ever watched that has helped me more than this one. There is No mention of tuning the tone volume and watching the light - in the Klein owner's manual. I'm tracing wires in a giant house feeding 105 keypad switches in a Crestron lighting and ceiling fan system. I wanted to scream with all the false readings I was getting. Not anymore! Fantastic job, great video!
Thanks!
I can't tell you how helpful this was. I've had the same Klein tracer for a year and have almost thrown it away several times being unable to trace anything. Why would this info about "tuning" the sensitivity not be in their documentation? Go figure! But wow, now I can actually trace. Thank you so much.
Hey, thanks. I'm glad it helped!
@@toolsandtacticsyou're not a qualified electrician. You just taught your viewers to poke a screwdriver around a live panel. First thing to do is turn off the main, turn on a flashlight, and connect the tone generator to the wire you think it should be.
I don't even know how you have an electrical credential showing people to shove a screwdriver near live wires inside the panel like that. It's not just one wire at a light switch. If you contact two wires with your screwdriver, you get two legs shocking you, and you can die.
@@toolsandtacticsalso, if you don't know what the extent of damage is from a short, check resistance with a test leg of wire and a multimeter.
Old school.
Kids these days are useless.
Yes that is vary helpful I can't imagine using a tracer that's not usefull on a 240 breaker can u show us how to trace 240 v breaker
@sasquatchrosefarts thats crazy. I been poking my hands and screwdrivers around in the panel my entire career havemt died yet
OUTSTANDING!! I was one of the "lotta people" who got this wrong. Thanks for the video. (Note to self) Read the manual next time. This is a HUGE help to me after misusing the toner for years.
Glad it helped! Thanks!
Great video. Bought to trouble shoot. Didn’t know how to fine tune it. Doing my homework. Thanks again for spending the time. Good bless TH-cam..
Thanks!
Yeah, brother God bless you tube lol
Thank you! I have been watching a lot of video, but your is the most helpful on earth! I used to click on neutral on the black clip to trace, not ground, not accurate. I also didn’t know I used to set the highest level, it cause confusion like you say. Thank you!
Great Video, I was about to return my unit because I thought it was worthless. This video is a game changer, thank you!
@@pkliot Thanks for the feedback!
That dialing in procceedure for the thoner is a key tip! Thasnk you! Just subbed.
Thanks!
Super helpful video! I don’t read manuals, this video is everything I needed
@@davidgrondona1422 thanks!
@@davidgrondona1422 if you are the kind of person who does not read manuals, perhaps working on electrical is not your optimum skill set.
That is not a slight, just an observation from an electrician for 40+ years. Don't get hurt or put someone else in jeopardy.
Im glad i found this video. Im currently tracing a wire for a customer. Cant wait to go back and try it
Nice let me know if I need to make a different video if you have a question
Did it help, what’s the update?
Definitely 👍 the best tutorial on this Klein. Not sure why they don’t have these types of videos on their website. Well done. Thanks
Thank you!
I just bought one of these, thank you so much for showing us how to set it up. Great video.
thank you so much! i have several tone tracers, I cant use them.
they just have tones .. no light.
this is so good! thank you !!!
@@jhunrodriguez8159 thanks!
Great video. Very helpful. I have that Fluke toner and it works great for me. Reviews on the Klein pointed out that it has weaknesses as well. 2 good choices for sure.
I will say the actual generator for the fluke. Is very nice and I've used them in combination with each other. But the actual wand 4 fluke isn't as good
Do you have to have that exact pen to troubleshoot for things like labeling or can you use any pen with that device
thank you, I made up my mind to buy this unit due to your video
great thanks!
1:03 For me, this is like opening the lid on my own coffin...I mean that in a funny AND serious way.
@Chris-k9k9c hah. Yeah statistically 1 in 4 trps. So pretty high failure rate but I think zinscos are more dangerous because the bus arcing
Hi, Can this tracer be used to find a short in a car’s wire harness?
yes but not like your probably thinking it will ring out when the short is removed so a good identifier if you plan on hooking it up shaking cables and moving wires around to see if you can pull the wire away from the short but if its shorted initially you wont get a tone but it will help
Thanks for the tips. Question what exactly are you doing at 5:37...Are you trying to adjust the sensitivity of the probe? Because i checked the manual of that klein probe (VDV500-820) for link you provided, and supposedly all those buttons do is adjust volume. I don't see anything about sensitivity .
Yeah sensitivity manuals are dumb
Im considering this toner for some old knob and tube trace and replace. Understand I need a good ground for it to work. Found some 14/3 that was used from the panel to a junction box where tw seperate runs of knob and tube start. They used the red wire on one breaker as a feed and the black as another. It was hidden pretty well but when going to insulate the attic space, we found knob and tube. 🤦 Would you recommend this tiner for such a job?
yes! just attach to a good ground!
I made a joke on your live and you laughed it made my note thanks for the sense of humor!!!🎉🎉subscribed
Awesome! Thank you! haha!
Is it just the start and end points of a circuit? Or can you trace a wire all along it? Like where it’s running behind a wall.
Very useful. I have the same tone generator and was not using it correctly. Now I can trace . Will this method work if the wire was s behind a wall
Good luck! Thanks.
Hi, I'm looking into purchasing a probe/tracer, would you recommend this klein over the fluke variants? Thanks
yeah klein!
great video can this be used on a 12v system?
@alexanderjohnton7703 yes!
Well sort of. Sensitivity varies by distance of the run. You may still need to turn up the sensor if the receptacle if far away from the breaker panel if you want to use the light.
Very helpful, Robert. Thanks!
hey! thanks how u been!?
@@toolsandtactics good! Real busy around the house, and so not real busy on TH-cam, unfortunately...
@Philly Fixed yeah I know how that goes! Best wishes buddy!
Can you take the tone generator and trace the wire through the wall and see where the wire goes?
@johnsesk01 yes, but the romex would need to be stapled to the stud. Pretty closely, and you'd have to turn it up to the maximum, but you can. Especially, you have a general idea of where the wire is
But as far as blindly searching for a wire, they trotted up through the wall, you're going to hear a noise, but no real confirmation
@ awesome thanks for the fast response!
@johnsesk01 the et450 is amazing 2x the price but good value
You just taught me some new today thank you
Awesome! And thanks for the input! 🙏
So I have a customer where they have a leak in their copper line set for the hvac system. But they had an addition done in the past. So I don’t know where the copper runs. Can I use this to trace the copper line? How would I do this? The copper is already grounded.
You have to disconnect it to isolate it
This toner might not help
Looks like I need to upgrade my 20+ year old toner rather than look for videos on how to repair it.
Nice presentation.
@@Swampytheroot thanks!
is this the proper tester to use for a dead circuit? To find which C.B. the outlet is supposed to be switched on?
yes this can work for that but usually that isnt the issue why the circuit is off
Cool test gear! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Can this same test gear, as you have set it up, trace out telephone, data and internet cables?
How to ck 240 breaker off a p tac unit find the breaker from a wired 240 unit thanks
Same concept just use one of the hots and the ground. Make sure the circuits off
Nevermind lol
Awesome video. Really want to buy this toner just convinced me to get this one instead of the old fluke one I used to use
the fluke 1 is ok, I have it too, but this 1 has the light!Ffor a while I used a fluke toner and klein probe and discovered the light.. and what a difference!
also thanks !
Great I also was one who got it wrong. Going to work tomorrow and work on this. Thank you
👍 Thanks!
The video is good, respectable and in terms of tracing lines in short circuit, the Klein Tools ET450 is much more precise because you can trace even over sherock walls with or without power, and even if you have lines on the ground. example in the garden or patio. This tracer is good but an error and if the circuit to God tracer is energized. Otherwise, as I said, the video is good.
thanks! ill check out the Klein Tools ET450
very good video thanks that was very helpful and a safe way to work.
Thanks!
I have a HOT ground wire (120 volts) on a small light/outlet circuit. Breaker tripped occasionally, now it instantly trips. Should I use your suggestion with the extension cord and plug it into a different/good circuit? Then would I be able to trace to find the short behind drywall? Thanks for any suggestions - and GREAT tutorial!
Yeah to trace all parts out so you know where to look use a good ground from the extension cord and try that but most likely either 1 of 2 are very common 1 fed from a gfci ( maybe this is an outside light) or 2 most common open the switch that controls it and you will find a melted mess and ground touching the black wire or hot terminals or behind the panel cover a melted mess
Your gona have a hard time Traci g it out if the hot is touching the ground
with a multimeter ( in continuity) so if the black ( hot) goes to ground this could get tricky check ever box you suspect that circuit to be in commonly a long run will need to be replaced
I can make a short explaining what to do if you want to Email me a basic drawing /diagram of the room light and stuff
@@toolsandtactics Thank you for the advice and the offer to make a short! First I'll try opening the wall up right where I found the Hot ground wire first, and check everywhere else I can (switches, outlets and fixtures). I think with your suggestions I might be able find that... "melted mess", hopefully it's close to where I found the Hot ground. If my investigation draws a blank, I might have to take you up on your kind and generous offer. It's going to be a couple of days before I can get back on it, but I'll certainly keep you updated. This might help someone else too. THANK YOU again!
@@BillMelater-m6u thanks good luck and happy hunting
@@toolsandtactics I apologize for the late update! I was able to find the short. Luckily it was very close to the switch that fed another room. I just traced it around to the next outlet it fed, opened up the drywall and bingo! There it was, FRIED. It was burnt bad, burned all the way through a 14/3 Romex cable. It appeared to be a mouse had chewed through it, but not sure... as there was no mouse carcass. Anyhow, THANKS for helping me out with this scary situation. Best to you and your channel.
@user-hm1cq9wr2o that's great! This tool helped? That's awesome Thanks for the support!
I started doing this it really dose help, thank you
Thanks for the feedback!
Great video! Can this tool trace a neutral wire in a dedicated circuit in the panel? This video is one of the best I’ve seen on the practical use of a tone generator to trace electrical wire in walls and receptacles for diy
yes isolate the neutral from the grounds should be good
Great videos!! Learned something new for sure!!
Thanks
If the house is not grounded can you make a video on how to use a ground from the stove
Yes, but just an alligator clamp, or a few will work on the oven hinge. Open the door, there it is, thanks. I'll make a video though
Thank u kind sir, this helps this here dummy who always fails in reading the instruction manual. :))
I hate instructions worthless lol
@@toolsandtactics Man sorry to bug, but a quick question. I've got a dead outlet, and having a hard time tracing wires with this tool. When tracing hot wire to panel, I can't pick up a tone there at all, but also having a hard time just even tracing the wire behind wall in conduit. I got the red clip on the hot wire and the black clip on ground wire, so I think that's right. Also, how to trace a neutral wire on, since attaching clips to it and the ground wire will show continuity?
@@pondacres conduit acts as a shield you cant trace wire in conduit only non metallic, flex, romex, cable, cords
also make sure that the ground wire you attached to has a true reference might be better to attach the black wire something else grounded
how is the circuit laid out? you can also email me conductivewood@gmail.com
Can you put the toner on a live circuit for instance if you looking for a breaker but the panel isn't labeled and you can't just flip breakers on and off due to being in industrial plant? Also voltage too much to just short out safely. I was wondering if the voltage would fry the toner or not. Usually it's 480v but figured you could attach toner to one leg but would be 240v on it to neutral. Every video I see has toner on dead circuit.
I don't think it'll break the toner but it won't work just hums loud
Not sure about higher volts
Klein sells a circuit breaker tester
@@pwhs8 yeah I found the Klein ET450 advanced circuit breaker kit that can be used on live 480v circuits
I was going to buy one from Home Depot but it indicates that it’s for communication wires. So it appears that you’re checking Romax wire so it will work on Romax?
@@abbswinston4258 tone tracers will work with any wire of any gauge, residential, commercial, industrial, automotive included. Because the circuit is supposed to be off.
Great info, just started with this toner, needed this.
I get CONT error when I connect the Toner-Pro’s red ABN Clip and the black clip to separate strands in the same RJ45. Instructions say to connect clips to different shielded wires in the same cable, but I get CONT error - and can only use 1 clip (either red or black ABN clip) on an Ethernet RJ45 cable
Klein released a digital toner and probe kit(VDV500-920; I assume you're already aware), I've had the Fluke Intellitone pro 200 for years now, What are your thoughts on the two products?
i tried to get the toner when it first came out i forgot about it haven't tried it yet the fluke is good the most important thing is the light on the toner the fluke generator is superior to most
@@toolsandtactics Yes, You're absolutely right about the light. I think the sensitivity feature on the Klein is superior and it has a filter(although not necessary w/ digital), the Fluke only has 2; However, The intellitone will switch tones when shorted(as you've demonstrated)... I found it on clearance (not particularly looking for it) and picked it up as a backup. Great information you present and thanks for the prompt reply!
Some meters have a disconnect that can be switched off so you can safely work in the breaker box
Yeah thanks good looking out!
FPE panel... So that could have ended in a short with those breakers not tripping due to design failures.
had the diagonals ready if it welded 🤣
@@toolsandtactics 😂 I absolutely hate touching those panels. Although easy money for a replacement 🤔😏
@James Makay yeah 1 of the companies I worked for had customers sign a waiver 💀
Fire Pacific, Federal Catastrophic.
Great job illustrating.
Thanks!
Would this work through walls? I’m trying to trace a mystery light switch in my house. I’ve already checked all the obvious stuff. Breakers off for the switch and nothing else in my house turned off. Last resort is to just see if I can follow the wire through the wall.
Did you check if that switch controls any nearby receptacles ?
Yeah It can. Depends on material of wire and how far away but yes
I’m curious if you ever found what that mystery switch controls. I’ve got a couple of them in a 30 yr old house I recently moved into. I suspect one was intended to control a ceiling fan light that’s no longer there; and the others I suspect were intended to control outlets installed inside multimedia cabinets back in the day when ppl hid their ginormous stereo components in cabinets.
The fluke 3000 is a good tester. If you’re toning out a line all you have to do is touch the line with your hand while pressing your toner if you have the correct line it will make a sound. I’ve never had an issue.
😊 thanks loved the video 😊
So i did everything on your video but my klein toner was hitting on another wire just as strong. Atleast it seems to be a very negligible difference if at all. Why can't this device just isolate one (1) wire??? I can send a video if you would like?
@@jerryboot1298 yeah or upload 1 on your channel
@jerryboot1298 why were you toning in the first place whats the problem?
@@toolsandtactics
bought a house that has receptacles everywhere. GFCI outlets are hidden and light switches that seem to go nowhere or control anything. Trying to find where the break in the line is so I do not have to do unnecessary remodeling if possible. When I put my red lead to the wire from the tone generator, I am able to follow the wire running through the drywall in the house. But when it gets down to the detail of which wire it is that may be open this tone generator seems to be giving me a positive signal on any receptacle associated with that circuit. I know it is probably operator error but was just trying to figure out this tool I bought. Thanks
Huge, thank you sir.
Thanks Glad It Helped!
Oh lord not a stablok fpe panel!! Hopefully insurance company doesn’t see this 😂
It could be worse, could be at your house🤣
Will this work for smoke alarms that have no true ground? The ground are just wire nutted in the box
Yeah You don't have to use the ground from the circuit just a good Ground source like you can use an extension cord and plug some scrap wire into the ground prong and put the black clamp on that and the red clamp on the black to trace out the other wires on the smoke detector cable conductors
@@toolsandtactics great thank you. There’s a break in the wire coming from the panel to the first smoke alarm. So hoping to set up tester at the panel and find the broken wire somewhere behind the ceiling wall. Thank you
@@nickmillionn7319 for best results disconnect the ground on the romex from the panel completely, attach the black clamp from the toner to the ground bar in the panel and alternate the red clamp from the black to the white on the romex
@@nickmillionn7319 YOU COULD ALSO, 1 WITH POWER OFF AND FULLY DISCONNECTED FROM THE PANEL BREAKER ECT JUST THE ROMEX IN YOU HAND you could first check to se if any of the conductors ring out continuity to ground
2 disconnect the other detectors from the daisy chain too and verify that they ''ring clear'' then intentionally ground the disconnected romex to the first smokey and ring them out
but you probably already did that
( meaning not unintentionally grounded ) (sorry if this is basic im just being thorough lol)
The sound quality here....my god. The tone alarm sounds like a nuclear bomb going off compared to narration
Thanks! I will keep that in mind for a remake
Hello my friend, i want to ask you one question do you think i can trace a wire in the car with this tool, if it's possible can you help me please, how to setup the tool to find a wire, does the battery has to be connected or disconnect. Thank you in advance.
@Luis Martinez hey, yeah disconnect the battery, and before you hook anything up try toning ( with a Multimeter the wire in question to the bare metal chassis of the car to see if it's shorted if it is the toner won't help you very much
If its shorted you wont get a great signal you can leave the toner hooked up and listen to see if the sound changes when you cut or remove the wire you suspect , to speed things up
Hope that makes sense
@@toolsandtactics thank you for responding promptly, i sincerely appreciated, i am going to try the way you say, i will let you know tomorrow. Again thank you.
@Luis Martinez thanks good luck how old is the car lights or what?
Good video. Now all of a sudden my tone generator won't stay on. darn.
you forgot to explain why the black clip has to be connected to ground
That should boost the signal strength of the tone generator.
Hs anyone had any luck tracing Ethernet cables with this?
@eointhomas2914 yes this can black to ground. Red to any wire in the bunch
@eointhomas2914 disconnect bothsides to trace
Thanks for that.
Federal Pacific panels and painted over outlets= the road to failure
@@ryanperry9838 yeah better than zynsco still.
Federal Pacific has burned many houses down ! 5/17/23
Yeah they can!
Kind of wish I got this instead of a super duper expensive ideal circuit tracer
That ideal 1 finds circuit breakers and does it well, but yeah, this toner is an excellent value
Thank you
I'm sure this was very informative if I didn't need to turn my volume down because of the constant beeping. What was the purpose of having to record right next to the unit the entire time. Your voice was further away, so it focused on the alarm. Anyway, I appreciate the tutorial. Best of luck.
Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
This toner isn’t that great. It shuts off on its own. The probe turns off after 10 minutes. Uses 4 AA batteries. The fluke uses 9v. Get the fluke one
I like this one because the toner itself has a light and seems I never have a good 9volt no mater how may spares I try to stowaway lol
your the best
Couldn’t take the beeping had to close video
That's fair! It's always a Risk showing that thing thx
This is a federal Pacific panel, not the best, but obviously still works. Yeah you better test that a bunch of different ways before you confirm it still works
"Make sure this breaker is in the off position..."??? huh? If you already knew which breaker to turn off....🤣
It's not a circuit identifier it's a toner you can't use it with electricity on you would usually turn off ALL the breakers to find the 1
But then we wouldn't have any lighting for the video hope that helps thx
@@toolsandtactics that's the point, you're using the wrong tool for the wrong job!
Good info
Thanks!
U should redo the video so you're easy to hear. With the sirens so loud I couldnt hear u very much
learned something
Great thanks !
Well now I know to buy this now. The whole front side of my house has no power and I think it’s due to the light switch near my front door.
FPE panel “obviously still works?”
@MJsDad yeah, I guess you could say statistically one in four breakers wont trip
I already sold that house to moved tho
I actually think the zinscos g t e sylvania's. Hardware because of the bus arcing.
For the breakers, not the trip. There has to be something wrong with the wiring. Those Sylvania's will Be a problem eventually no matter what.
Pretty ballsy to intentionally short a Federal Pacific panel 😊
Federal breakers burn houses ded!😊
I would say.. zinsco do federal don't trip so there has to be something wrong with the wiring first... zinscos( aluminum bus) arc at random for no reason other than they hate your house and want to make it ash so in short I think federal are bad but zinsco Sylvania gte are worse and deserve more attention thanks for comming to My ted talk lol
As I see it, if somebody is scared of taking off the cover of a circuit panel, they should not be there.
Their lack of knowledge of electrical wiring is dangerous.
Period.
Could of been a very helpful video if not deafened by the sound 90%of the time. Half the stuff yo say can’t be heard cause you have to turn the vol down so low to not go deaf from the tone. So this is not a useful video on you tube lil common sense goes a long way. Maybe find some before your next video
Thanks one of my first videos with a bad editor I will remake soon
the tactics way is to use your fingers to see how damaging it can be......lol
haha yeah💀
Fair instructions but please stop wagging the tools and waving your hand.
Nice
The most annoying audio i have ever heard
I did warn you lol I tone it out if I didn't it would be hard to use this
Your tool table is a mess! Did you just dump your whole bag of tools on the table?
This was no help at all, just annoying
Ignorance is not bliss in your case
People dont be worried about getting shocked on an outlet, even a 20 amp outlet wont kill ya. Just shake it off and get back to work
lol!
Blah blah blah
Better use another equipment not klein, at least on this that tracer isn't good. I wont buy that. Probably use a 24v light.
Do not finger fk your outlets like this dude. He is completely complacent. Do not assume you have the right breaker off and that the plug is functional for your meter. Even a wiggy (voltage detector) can fail to pick up the potential in the outlet. Wear gloves and pull the receptacle out straight forward and be prepared for loose/blown off wires that’ll ground to the box and scare the shit out of you. You obviously had a problem to begin with if you are at this point of replacing receptacles.
@CS-ui4qj calm down this was and edit from alive at my house. Circuits already verified and we already tested everything. The video is about a tone generator
@@toolsandtactics yes i get that you did that, but think about the average joe out there watching your video. They'll do all the dumb stuff i just listed. The "you" i mean in my statement is them, not you. lol
Dude that toner is garbage
Which 1 do you like?
Lately I’ve been using that fluke toner not the one that they used to sell at Home Depot the blue one I’m talking about, but the one that had the numbers on it with the light but right now I Literally just received the ET 450 Advanced circuit tracing kit.. I’m not trying to shit on your video or anything like that I just use that toner and I know it only tones up to 200 feet I believe I know there’s two different ones I might be mistaken that one for the cheaper one
@skunkbri that's cool, some of the higher end ideal 1s work amazing
This is the best non hand tool klein makes usually the meters and stuff from klein is garbage compare to others for the price. Thanks for the input!
Excuse me, one question is this tool good for tracing a short on a car, cars work with DC-(direct current). Do you think i can trace a wire with this tool he is showing. Please help me, also does the battery has to be connected or disconnect, thanks in advance...
@@LuisMartinez-fr9gq A late reply but this tool can’t be used with energised circuits. It’s like a contactless continuity tester.