Reddit reviews Extech 40180 Tone Generator and Amplifier Probe Circuit Finder Kit
We found 5 Reddit comments about Extech 40180 Tone Generator and Amplifier Probe Circuit Finder Kit. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Non-contact probe audibly identifies selected wire or cableTrace phone, computer network and coax cablesTone generator is terminated with RJ11 and RJ45 connectors plus alligator clipsSelectable continuous or variable toneContinuity and ring/tip identification test
> My question is, where are the junction boxes normally located for a setup like I have?
Depends on where you are and how new your house is.
I know that where I live ( Saskatchewan, Canada ) junction boxes are no longer allowed by code and all wiring must be done in the switch box themselves.
> Can I expect to find them in the attic?
Unlikely, but possible.
> Or will they be between the beams of the wall itself?
this is more likely.
> The rub here is I need to find the exact junction box that comes from the light switch so that I can turn the ceiling fan on with the same switch.
If you can afford it, get a tone generator http://www.amazon.com/Extech-40180-Generator-Amplifier-Circuit/dp/B00023RVNO.
> otherwise I will have to run another switch which means a lot more work.
I don't know the exact configuration of your wiring or your house, but it may APPEAR that it's easier to just tie on your new ceiling fan to existing circuits but it probably will end up being less work to just install a circuit for the fan just as u/Midnight06 has said.
This is ESPECIALLY true if your house is wired the way I described above. It will be quite irritating to add a switch leg and extra wire to the existing circuits and probably you will end up crowding the receptacles/boxes making your job much more difficult than just running a new wire to the breaker box.
> Each one has one wire with red, green, black and white leads coming out of it.
That is called a 4 conductor speaker wire... so the red and black is one pair, and the green and white is the second pair. Both pairs are ran in a single shielding which is nice for installers as you're not pulling two individual pairs of wires.
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Why that ran it to individual speaker locations? Not sure why they did that.
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> Why are there two wires coming from the basement ceiling when there is only one in the hole for the speaker?
Only the previous home owner or whoever ran this can tell you that. Sometimes when you have inexperienced people doing this stuff you end up with crazy wiring all over the place. There is no rhyme or reason why they did what they did so its anyone's guess.
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> Is it possible that some of the wires that are bundles with the speaker wires in the basement are there to power something else in the house?
Absolutely, when I built my house 5 years ago, I ran all the wires myself (speaker wire, Ethernet, Coax, ect..). I ran speaker wire to every room, including bathrooms, loft, garage, ect.. I then installed two in-ceiling speakers in every room and created a whole home audio system. This could have been the previous home owners plan.
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> There is wiring for alarm panels by the garage door and in the master bedroom but all the wires bundled together in the basement look the same and have the same markings
Alarm wire will be completely different than speaker wire. Alarm wiring is a single, solid copper wire inside of the sheiliding, where speaker wired is built up of multiple strands of copper wire inside of the shielding. You will easily be able to tell the difference there.
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> Short of actually hooking up speakers and a receiver is there a way to tell which wires in the basement correspond with the ones in the ceiling?
Invest in a tone generator. This will help you figure out which wires are which. Also get a good large piece of paper and a label machine. That way you can then map out all the wires, and well as label them. Going to take some time but is really the only way.
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You're going to need/want something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00023RVNO/ref=psdc_5011660011_t2_B000FTADX0
Since many ceiling fans come with remote controls, I have seen wiring that bypasses a lightswitch and gives the fixture constant power.
You need a circuit tone kit: http://www.amazon.com/Extech-40180-Generator-Amplifier-Circuit/dp/B00023RVNO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345294031&sr=8-1&keywords=circuit+tone+tester
Essentially you run an audible tone down a line and test whether the tone is still present where you expect it to be. My guess is that you'll find that the hot line is not connected, or bypasses, the light switch in some manner.
What he said!
Extech 40180 Tone Generator and Amplifier Probe Circuit Finder Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00023RVNO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_s77kDbSBPKNRE
There are cheaper options, but you'd want to unplug the wire at the speaker, connect the tone generator to the conductors, then determine if the wires go up or down using the 'wand' by following the sound generated in the cable and vocalized by said 'wand'. Go to the basement or attic accordingly.
People who run their own cables are amazingly clever in their application, but usually you are looking at one of 3 scenarios:
Bear in mind, low voltage cabling is often done without licensing and inspection, and therefore will likely need to be ripped out upon presale inspection. People leave boxes in walls because it's easier than ripping them out, mudding them, and painting what is likely to be an entire room. Have you verified the cabling is in place? You should be able to see cables exit walls above outlet areas either in an attic, basement, or crawlspace.
If you have verified there is existing cable, it is a simple matter of determining where the cable goes in your home from the wall above a speaker - follow it until it gows down in to a different wall, identify that wall in your home, and look on both sides on every floor of that wall to find a place the cable could reasonably exit. This is where your fox and hound will come in. Sweep the wall the cable enters from either top to bottom of bottom to top, using the intensity of the sound of the sensor to tell you how close or far away the majority of the cable is. Understand wall studs are often placed 12-16 inches apart, and that there are horizontal bars blocking progress between floors- this means it's most likely that only one cavity within your wall is used for cables to go back and forth.
This can be frustrating to decipher. There are silver linings. If this home was once cabled, and it no longer is, the path is still there. Most of the time people will cut ends off instead of pull cable entirely out- that means if you can locate it, there's a good chance you can use the cut cable to pull your new cable through. The rewards of a house successfully wired for A/V are worth the headache.
I hope this helps. Good luck!