OK, so I’m a gadget freak… especially electronics gadgets. My tool drawers are packed with all kinds of dubious devices with blinking lights and beepers and I must own 10 VOMs, 3 O’scopes … you name it. Anyway, some time ago I was given a GB Wire Tracker consisting of a GET-4110T transmitter and a GET-4110R receiver (http://www.gardnerbender.com/whats_new/press_releases/wiretrackers.html). Since my experience with these types of “fox and hound” devices had always been mediocre at best I had never really tried it out. But about a week ago my helper was telling me a sad story about his buddy who’s electrician had walked off a job about 90% finished and two subsequent electricians had apparently come by to look and walked out shaking their heads.
I offered to come have a look and packed the tracker in my tool box. When I walked in the place, it was a horror show. Besides the fact that the boxes were obscenely overfilled and had a variety of violations, there wasn’t one indication of what anything was intended for (ie, a wire marked “outdoor light switch” was actually the run to the ceiling lights), including 2 3 way circuits, a 4 way and a variety of unexplained feeds. As I realized how much of a mess this was, I thought the tracker would be the perfect tool.
This thing whizzed through tracing the wires slicker than any tool I’ve ever used. Unlike others I’ve tried, coupling between adjacent wires was almost zero and the indication was foolproof every time. The transmitter is nicely equipped with RJ 11 plug for phone or data jacks, a BNC connector for coax, a sharp piercing probe and alligator clips and has an automatic power off. The receiver has both visual and audible indicators as well as a sensitivity setting.
Five hours later, everything was connected (and worked 😉 ) and tidied up… this is one great tool that you owe yourself if you have much call at all to trace out wiring…
PaulB
Replies
Thanks for the tip - I've also tried a few of the cheapo units with not much luck. Been looking for a reasonable solution.
JT
looks like a deal at around $50.
must the wire being tested be unenergized ? ( be it line or low voltage )
any feel for distance limitations ?
carpenter in transition
Shows up at $35 at Amazon with about $8 shipping.That's for the lower model; I think the main diff is the ability to trace Lan-related lines.Based on the above review I may try one out. Going to try and buy in town in case it doesn't work out for me.JT
They need to unergized and WITHOUT ANY LOADS.They are great for ID'ing circuits. Like Pauls example. You have a box with a bunch of cables, but you don't know which goes to the switch and which to the light and which is feed to the next box. Go to the switch box and clip on the transmitter and the receiver will quickly tell you which cable it is.Likewise for ID'ing cable and phone wires where you might have several generations of stuff with some connected and others not.I have one of those and while it works OK I did not like the way that it works. The thing turns on and off by bumping a button and it would turn off when I wanted it on and turn on when being stored and then the batteries dead when needed.I got Progressive/Ideal 77 and like it better. IIRC the 77 is the receiver, but they are available in kits with the transmitter. Several different flavors, about $80 at HD/Lowes.And they seem to have a big more power. "SOMETIMES" you can trace wirew in a wall.FWIW there are more expensive ones that can work on energized circuits and can ID multiple wires at once, etc. Those cost several hundred.
I have the GB and I think it sucks. I'm sorry I bought it. I think plugging in a radio works better.
I can't think of any reason mine does not work other than it's cheaply made. I mean what could go wrong? You plug it in and it won't detect either on the breaker or I tried taking off the panel so I could step down each individual wire. Both ways give inconclusive readings.
I feel like I got ripped for $50.
Big Macs - 99 cents
Wow... sure sounds like you got a lemon Dave, mine worked brilliantly...
Paul,
Glad it worked for you. A co-worker of mine got one, and it was worthless.
He and I were working on a house roughed by a real goof ball, nothing was wired to locla convention. We had a lot of wire tracing/identification to do. I had my Aines toner & probe and he had the GB. He couldn't find the wires, I tried the GB and it didn't work well. We had a little shootout--a head-to-head comparison--on several circuits/wires. The Aines worked, GB couldn't identify the far end of a wire.
I'll second something Bill H. said--you have to watch out for when using a toner and probe--there can't be any shorts between the wires you're clipped on to. Shorting the two wires (AKA "the pair", in telephone-speak) kills the tone, and this is the way to confirm that you've got the right pair.
So, if there's a light that's on, on the branch circuit where you're clipped onto the hot and neutral, the toner sees it as a short and won't throw the tone. You can't use the neutral and ground, because they're connected at the service. And even if you have the neutrals and grounds isolated at the service panel, if there's a GFI in the circuit, the ground and neutral are connected through the injector coil of the GFI. As a consequence, the toner won't apply tone.
A good toner is worth it's weight in gold, but even the best take a lot of experience to really get the most from.
Cliff
And even if you have the neutrals and grounds isolated at the service panel, if there's a GFI in the circuit, the ground and neutral are connected through the injector coil of the GFI.
I had not considered a GFI in the black wire. I don't remember GB mentioning that.
I need to test my unit and check the warranty.
A toner is worth it's weight in gold - I'd have never looked at that tool again thinking it was just a worthless gimmick.Big Macs - 99 cents
I've got a slightly less fancy GB unit and find it works pretty well. It's not 100% dead-on when locating a breaker, but pretty close. One trick though is to ignore the static you hear and listen for the "click-click" sound. That's the real signal.
happy?