Detect Electrical Wires In Walls

On metered finders when they are exactly over the wire the meter will read 120 volts or 220 if you are in the vicinity of stove wires.

Detect electrical wires in walls.

When the entire wall are has been checked link the marks together to trace the pathways of the hidden wires. Step 4 detect wires use your electric wire detector to find out exactly where the wires run through the walls. A wire detector is simply a type of metal detector that is able to detect the presence of metallic objects in your walls. You also need an ohmmeter.

Next a remote lead with a longer wire into the transmitter and plug this lead into a separate wall socket. A reliable multi scanner with the ability to scan wood metal wire and pipes or any three combinations including wire can be purchased for around 65. Turn the electronic stud wire finder on and slowly move it left and right until the detector beeps indicating it has found an electrical wire. Use a remote return path to find wires in impenetrable walls.

Use the wire detector and concentrate on the specific areas where you suspect wires to be. Start in an area on the wall that is close to a switch or outlet move the detector up the wall and mark the wall to form a trace line of where the electrical wire is located as the detector beeps. A fairly simple way to trace the path of a wire is to buy a 75 or 100 foot spool of single strand flexible not solid bell wire. This tool will also detect any live wire running through the wall with a sharp beeping sound while the electrical led would indicate a live wire figure 5.

When a wire is shorted out or is broken inside a wall and you need to locate it then a electric circuit tracer should help to find the wire. The price range for a circuit tracer does vary however there are some fine stud sensors that have a built in feature that allows live circuits to be detected inside the wall behind sheet rock. Use your transmitter to plug a single prong or lead into an electrical socket of the wall you re tracing. Mark the wall at each location where the detector indicates that a wire is present.

It also identifies specific wires in a set or groups of other wires in the same connection. A magnetic stud finder detects the metal nails in the wall studs. Step 6 calibrating the multi scanner. Move the stud finder over the electrical wires.

Turn the ac power inside your house off connect one end of the bell wire to the starting point in your investigation.