Focal Point Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 So lately I've been running into a lot of all electric homes where the panels are not labeled. I was wondering if a tick tracer would be a good investment in tracing down water heaters, and A/C units to see if properly amped. Do you have one? if so do you recommend one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Originally posted by Focal Point So lately I've been running into a lot of all electric homes where the panels are not labeled. I was wondering if a tick tracer would be a good investment in tracing down water heaters, and A/C units to see if properly amped. Do you have one? if so do you recommend one? I don't have one. I suspect that there isn't much it can do that I can't do with a volt stick. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focal Point Posted August 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Enter stupid question... What is a volt stick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swarga Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 A tick tracer has two parts and connect to both ends of a wire, it confirms that the wire at the breaker is the same wire at the AC unit. A volt stick is is about the size of a pen and can light up, beep or both when there is current in the wire. Now that we have distinguished between the two let me say I own both, I use the volt stick daily. It has saved my life on knob and tube that I was told is abandoned and on several exposed wired in attics. I use the tick tracer once or twice a week because I can't find the location of a wire or broken connection. Never on a normal home inspection. Look at the wire size at the AC disconnect and at the breaker, if they are the same, your "visual" inspection is complete, I am all for raising the bar, but it is not our job to trace circuits or label breaker panels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focal Point Posted August 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Oh, I've got one of those volt stick things that looks like a pen and lights up and beeps and stuff!!! I agree they are great for detecting K&T, current and they are even good for detecting rev. polarity, unfortunatly the problem I run into is the water heater, furnace, cook stove, oven and A/C are all on 30 Amp breakers... No joke I ran into this Thursday... I was thinking a tracer might come in mighty handy. P.S. In the tool world we call those A/C detectors, volt stick brings to mind an image of a long cane with aligator clamps at both ends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Originally posted by swarga A tick tracer has two parts and connect to both ends of a wire, it confirms that the wire at the breaker is the same wire at the AC unit. . . Is there more than one kind of tick tracer? I used to own one made by Tiff and it had only one piece. It worked exactly like a volt stick, but it had a sensitivity adjustment. I lost it long ago and don't miss it. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terence McCann Posted August 3, 2006 Report Share Posted August 3, 2006 Originally posted by Focal Point I was wondering if a tick tracer would be a good investment in tracing down water heaters, and A/C units to see if properly amped. Maybe I guilt of something but I have never gone that as far as to trace out wiring (unless something is visibly way out of wack). I check the wire size for the breaker at the panel and take a quick look at the connections at water heater, heat pump to make sure their not burnt. I always use a volt stick to check bare/loose wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Focal Point Posted August 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2006 Yes but what I'm saying is if the Breakers are not labeled, I wont know which goes to what. If the A/C is MBF 40 amps and is ran to a 60 amp breaker, I wouldn't know unless I traced it. I know I could just write it up as "unable to determine" but if there were a quick easy to check it I would like to know. Thats all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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