General Tools and Instruments CL10 - Manual (Page 13)

Identifying the Fuse or Circuit Breaker
Associated with an AC Outlet
Unlike inexpensive AC-powered circuit
breaker finders, the CL10 can identify the
breaker associated with an outlet of a
de-energized circuit because the CL10’s
transmitter is battery-powered.
Before proceeding with this application,
you should reduce the transmitter’s output
current to a suitable level. Then connect
the transmitter to the outlet as shown in
Fig. 12.
The next step is to open the door of the distribution panel (breaker box). You will touch the probe
on top of the receiver to all breakers or fuses in the distribution panel in turn. The breaker or fuse
that produces the strongest signal in the receiver is the one associated with the outlet that the
transmitter is plugged into.
Locating a Short Circuit
A procedure virtually identical to the one on p. 8 can
be used to locate a short circuit in a two-pole circuit.
The only difference is that the transmitter is
connected as shown in Fig. 13.
Before proceeding, de-energize the circuit. Then try
to determine the impedance of the short circuit.
When searching for short circuits in coated electric
wires and cables, the depth of detection may vary
because the core wires are twisted together in the
jacket. Experience has it that only short circuits with
a impedance lower than 20 ohms can be detected. The impedance of a short circuit can be
measured with a multimeter.
If the impedance of a short circuit is higher than 20 ohms, try to use the procedure for locating a
cable or line break to locate the short circuit. In doing so, it may help to increase the output
power of the transmitter.
Increasing the Detection Range on Charged Circuits
When the transmitter is connected to a two-pole circuit’s phase and neutral lines, transmitted
signals are physically carried in parallel. As a result, the twisting of conductors may cause signals
to cancel each other out. This effect may reduce the transmitter’s radius of effective detection to
2 ft. or less.
13
Fig. 12. Identifying the fuse or circuit
breaker associated with an ac outlet
Fig. 13. Locating a
short circuit