An update on my experience with the @KleinToolsVideo ET450 Circuit tracer. #tools #circuittracer #tracer #electrician #sparky #kleintools #toolsofthetrade #safety
I used the et310 on several jobs and then got the et450- just fyi for those looking, the et310 is very accurate and far faster in identifying the exact circuit, because it automatically remembers the highest value from everything you show it in the panel. The more expensive et450 will allow you to trace high voltage and de-energized circuits, but you often have to play with the sensitivity, and if you do adjust it, you have to trace the whole panel again to find your maximum and visually look at every reading. The et350 was just 2 sweeps of the panel every time, and it would sniff that thing out. If you need the extra voltages above 240, or the extra sensitivity, get the et450. But I seriously miss using the et350. It was snappy and it felt way more like a fully automated process. It was either red or it wasn't, and it was awesome.
Forgot to mention if you need to trace de-energized wires or you need to trace through barriers, the et450 is it. That's why I got it in the first place. But I miss that snappy result at the panel with the et310 :)
I’m trying to determine how best to trace a low voltage line. A landscaper installed a low voltage wire through a small brick wall to feed a concrete flower pot. I have access to the wires that come out of the pot. Unfortunately, as I have found elsewhere, the contractor installed these in case a low voltage light was desired in the pot but left the other side in the ground disconnected. How can I find the other side without digging up my yard? Thanks
Here in the states, these seem to be very hard to find at this time. Perhaps they are so popular that Klein can't keep up with demand...? I may have to contact (no pun intended) one of my electrician friends and see if they can get it through a supply house. I really need to map out the wiring in my house, and I think this tool would fit the bill well (I can't say it would be ideal because they're a competitor :) )
Ideal has their own version called “the sure trace”. One of my friends have one and after a year it quit working and Ideal wouldn’t warranty it. I did have to order mine through an Electrical Supply house in Canada. Its definitely worth it for me.
@@dunrite8671 Today I walked into the local Platt store and they do make cash sales, so I picked one up. They seem like real professionals there, I would have zero issues shopping there in the future. Thank you for the heads-up!
The ET 310 (the smaller one he set aside in the vid) is basically the same thing but smaller, less expensive, and more suited to a home owner with a single project or two. Also a 'toner and probe' will allow you find where exactly in the wall a wire is... on a dead circuit. These circuit finders typically require a live circuit to function (though the bigger one he's showing doesn't) but they typically do. Usually the toners require a dead circuit to function. (Basically: Finders use the power to transmit, but toners will get fried by the power. Higher end units for professionals tend to be more tolerant of the opposite of what the unit wants.) Hopefully that helps you save money while getting the tool you need (though I imagine it's too late to save you a buck and some frustration, but maybe future readers will find it useful.)
In the kit there is a really long black wire. Us that on the Common of the tracer and the other end into a different receptacles ground. Put the tracers red lead on the line of the gfct (you will have to remove the line-wire from the GFCI and clamp onto it. (Only do this if you are a trained electrician) This should help you find the cct if the GFCi is nuisance tripping.
I have. I was seriously deciding to purchase one. I like Amprobe meters. I have the Phase Rotation meter and it works great. The Amprobe 6020 is around $1300 and the 8030 is $2300 CAD. The klein ET450 is $250 CAD. For budget purposes I bought the ET450 and have no complaints. You get a big bang for your buck. Cheers
@@mikestoolfun About 20 years ago I purchased the Amprobe 4000 Advanced Tracer for about $1,250 from Grainger . The clamp on for tracing outlets from the breaker panel never worked, had hardest time tracing wire's through walls nevertheless barrial wire which was the main reason I bought it. Bought cheaper one's that did just as good or better than the Amprobe 4000. About 5 years ago I purchased the Noyafa NF816 underground wire tracer which does a lot better job than any of my other wire tracers. It's a cheap tool probably made in China for about $46 on Amazon but has a two or three foot range and is fast and accurate. I have mostly bought all USA made tools but the prices have skyrocket where it's hard to purchase a tool and not meet what's it's intended to do. The Noyafa NF816 is the best wire tracer in my toolbox where the other's are now stored and collecting dust. You don't want to waste a lot of time tracing circuits for opens and or shorts. Time is money and I can buy about 27 of the Noyafa NF816 for the price of my expensive Amprobe 4000 if it ever goes bad. Watching your video it seems like it's taking way longer to trace a circuit. You really have to keep the receiver up against the wall and work it back and forth and with trail and error hoping that you can find the problem. You shouldn't have to buy an expensive tool and work hard to find the the problem. As an industrial electrician of 41 years I have used very expensive wire tracers that worked very well and the company I worked got the very best because they could not afford the down time. The competition is great and expensive tool's doesn't mean better. Greed has taken over at the expense of the buyer. So what can I say just let your conscious be your guide.
How would you say this tracer compacted to the ones from ideal? At work we used to have the ideal tracers which work well but I don’t have access to them anymore so I was thinking of buying this one since it’s substantially cheaper
Ive used the Sure Trace from Ideal and they lasted about a year before it broke. There wasn’t a warranty on them. The full SureTrace kit was roughly $1500 and it came with a few extra goodies. The Klein ET450 is just as comparable to the SurETrace circuit tracer, but its less than $300 canadian. Ive been using the ET450 for almost 2 years now on a daily basis and its still working like new. I have about a 90% success with it. There are a few times where I couldn’t find that cct but that usually happens in commercial buildings with multiple panels. Its extremely rare that I dont find the cct.
Thanks for the great videos Mike.. I am looking for a circuit tracer such as the ET450, but at the same time need to also be able to trace ethernet cables back to their punch / patch panel. I am familiar with and have used both individual types, but are you aware of a tool that does both, or do I have to have one of each. Thanks!
Hmmm… i will have to see if i can make a connector that will allow me to trace ethernet cable with the ET-450 I currently use the Klein tone and probe pro wire tracer for ethernet.
I don’t have the et450, but I just bought the regular small circuit breaker finder. I had horrible results and it did not work for me. I have a large electric panel and two small panels all in a small closet. Does this affect the circuit breaker finder? Thanks!!!
It can affect it if the smaller panels are sub panels to the larger one. Slowly run the receiver along each breaker in the first panel. Dont stop even if the receiver indicates the breaker you are passing over is potentially the one. Make sure to scan every breaker, and then go back to the start and do it again. This time it should narrow down the breaker with the second pass. I prefer the ET450 cause i can connect the common of the transmitter to a different ground or neutral , from the line i am trying to scan. This helps with the magnetic field not being cancelled out and makes for a stronger signal at the receiver. Note: when you are scanning a circuit and you use the neutral and line from the same circuit the magnetic field gets cancelled out and the signal will be weaker.
Have you had better luck using ground or neutral? I used it at a business during working hours and was getting hits on circuits everywhere. It was frustrating. Also, has the tool diminished accuracy with the batteries?
Keep in mind that the business could be on a 3-phase system sharing a neutral. I have run into issues where its picking up the signal over various breakers. In that situation, i would try a couple of options. 1. adjust the sensitivity level on the receiver. 2. Pick a ground/neutral from a different receptacle near by. The kit comes with a really long lead for this purpose. 3. As a last resort, start shutting off the nuisance breakers that its picking up. (I haven’t had to do this option yet) If the building has multiple panels, it can be annoying, but in that case I would run the receiver over the conduits/Bx wires going into each panel. I had to do this and found the conduit coming through the wall into the loading garage area. I followed the conduit to the panel and ended up finding the breaker. I hope this helps.
It looks like you moved Klein's Circuit Breaker Finder to the side as you described using the ET450 to find a circuit breaker. Does this mean that you don't like the circuit breaker finder? For 120 volt circuits, it seems to work well but it can't handle the higher voltages you talked about with the ET450.
The ET300 is handy to trace live ccts and fits nicely in my tool bag. I bring out the ET450 when I need to locate a stubborn cct, or de-energized one. They both work really well
Do you mean like a non-contact voltage tracer? I use the Klein Tools NCVT-3 Voltage Tester, when I absolutely need to. I generally just use my Fluke 376 true RMS Meter for testing circuits. Side note. Thank you for the follow. I’m trying to produce more content. I’m still learning to figure out my mojo. Cheers
I do lots of residential work and often come across open neutral or open hots, how good is device tracing circuits through walls. Have you used it for diagnostics and troubleshooting?
Click the link and watch my previous video. To detect a broken/open neutral, use the ground connection and connect it to a different receptacles ground. It will trace through walls. I also have a video of it tracing through dirt. Cheers
@@andresperdomo2699 i purchase all of my Klein Tools from Oscan Electrical. They are located In Peterborough and Oshawa Ontario Canada. You can also purchase it from Markham Industrial. If Home Depot is you only option, they can order the tool for you.
Thanks. I wonder if something wrong with mine I just received it . I was outside testing the breakers in the panel. We’re 40’ or 50’ feet from the road. When traffic goes by I can barely hear the receiver. I’d say on a scale of 1-10 it’s maybe a 3 or 4 . 🤷♂️
@@GTLee9 I would look further into that because mine emits a loud beep that I can clearly hear. I feel like the speaker for the sound maybe damaged? Klein is usually really good to exchange the product.
The NCV (non contact voltage)button is a voltage detector. You put the receiver in NCV mode and place a wire on the tip of the receiver to show if the wire is energized. The bar graph on the receiver will illuminate the signal strength.
Please do not record in the 5 x 7 position please only recorded 16 x 9. I do not watch Tik Tok style videos that are not recorded in the proper resolution thank you.
Since you are complaining about other people's videos, YOU need to correct YOUR video entitled "Creating a POE cable for your tester." since you used the same format.....
Good talk. Almost zero bs and some of us just want the facts. Appreciate you
You can also disconnect outlets that don’t have power and go one by one to see which way power runs to narrow down the problem
I used the et310 on several jobs and then got the et450- just fyi for those looking, the et310 is very accurate and far faster in identifying the exact circuit, because it automatically remembers the highest value from everything you show it in the panel. The more expensive et450 will allow you to trace high voltage and de-energized circuits, but you often have to play with the sensitivity, and if you do adjust it, you have to trace the whole panel again to find your maximum and visually look at every reading. The et350 was just 2 sweeps of the panel every time, and it would sniff that thing out. If you need the extra voltages above 240, or the extra sensitivity, get the et450. But I seriously miss using the et350. It was snappy and it felt way more like a fully automated process. It was either red or it wasn't, and it was awesome.
Forgot to mention if you need to trace de-energized wires or you need to trace through barriers, the et450 is it. That's why I got it in the first place. But I miss that snappy result at the panel with the et310 :)
@@danielc4361 I keep both on hand.
Thanks 👍
I’m trying to determine how best to trace a low voltage line. A landscaper installed a low voltage wire through a small brick wall to feed a concrete flower pot. I have access to the wires that come out of the pot. Unfortunately, as I have found elsewhere, the contractor installed these in case a low voltage light was desired in the pot but left the other side in the ground disconnected. How can I find the other side without digging up my yard? Thanks
Here in the states, these seem to be very hard to find at this time. Perhaps they are so popular that Klein can't keep up with demand...? I may have to contact (no pun intended) one of my electrician friends and see if they can get it through a supply house. I really need to map out the wiring in my house, and I think this tool would fit the bill well (I can't say it would be ideal because they're a competitor :) )
Ideal has their own version called “the sure trace”. One of my friends have one and after a year it quit working and Ideal wouldn’t warranty it.
I did have to order mine through an Electrical Supply house in Canada. Its definitely worth it for me.
@@dunrite8671 Today I walked into the local Platt store and they do make cash sales, so I picked one up. They seem like real professionals there, I would have zero issues shopping there in the future. Thank you for the heads-up!
@@NipkowDisk Great, I'm glad you were able to get one!
The ET 310 (the smaller one he set aside in the vid) is basically the same thing but smaller, less expensive, and more suited to a home owner with a single project or two. Also a 'toner and probe' will allow you find where exactly in the wall a wire is... on a dead circuit. These circuit finders typically require a live circuit to function (though the bigger one he's showing doesn't) but they typically do. Usually the toners require a dead circuit to function.
(Basically:
Finders use the power to transmit, but toners will get fried by the power. Higher end units for professionals tend to be more tolerant of the opposite of what the unit wants.)
Hopefully that helps you save money while getting the tool you need (though I imagine it's too late to save you a buck and some frustration, but maybe future readers will find it useful.)
It’s cuz there stupid cheaper compared to anything else .respectively 1700-2500 vs there 200 dollar tag
Tracing a Single hotwire from the panel back to the house can't seem to find using the Klein circuit tester. It keeps on popping the GFI .
In the kit there is a really long black wire. Us that on the Common of the tracer and the other end into a different receptacles ground. Put the tracers red lead on the line of the gfct (you will have to remove the line-wire from the GFCI and clamp onto it. (Only do this if you are a trained electrician)
This should help you find the cct if the GFCi is nuisance tripping.
Would be interesting to know if you had any success tracing Underground cables in conduit or direct burial cable
Ty
I did manage to trace under slab in a building. The signal was faint but i picked it up.
have you ever looked into the amprobe tracers? I believe they have tracers with higher voltage ratings. Though they have much higher pricing
I have. I was seriously deciding to purchase one. I like Amprobe meters. I have the Phase Rotation meter and it works great.
The Amprobe 6020 is around $1300 and the 8030 is $2300 CAD. The klein ET450 is $250 CAD.
For budget purposes I bought the ET450 and have no complaints. You get a big bang for your buck.
Cheers
@@mikestoolfun About 20 years ago I purchased the Amprobe 4000 Advanced Tracer for about $1,250 from Grainger . The clamp on for tracing outlets from the breaker panel never worked, had hardest time tracing wire's through walls nevertheless barrial wire which was the main reason I bought it. Bought cheaper one's that did just as good or better than the Amprobe 4000. About 5 years ago I purchased the Noyafa NF816 underground wire tracer which does a lot better job than any of my other wire tracers. It's a cheap tool probably made in China for about $46 on Amazon but has a two or three foot range and is fast and accurate.
I have mostly bought all USA made tools but the prices have skyrocket where it's hard to purchase a tool and not meet what's it's intended to do. The Noyafa NF816 is the best wire tracer in my toolbox where the other's are now stored and collecting dust. You don't want to waste a lot of time tracing circuits for opens and or shorts. Time is money and I can buy about 27 of the Noyafa NF816 for the price of my expensive Amprobe 4000 if it ever goes bad. Watching your video it seems like it's taking way longer to trace a circuit. You really have to keep the receiver up against the wall and work it back and forth and with trail and error hoping that you can find the problem. You shouldn't have to buy an expensive tool and work hard to find the the problem. As an industrial electrician of 41 years I have used very expensive wire tracers that worked very well and the company I worked got the very best because they could not afford the down time. The competition is great and expensive tool's doesn't mean better. Greed has taken over at the expense of the buyer. So what can I say just let your conscious be your guide.
How would you say this tracer compacted to the ones from ideal? At work we used to have the ideal tracers which work well but I don’t have access to them anymore so I was thinking of buying this one since it’s substantially cheaper
Ive used the Sure Trace from Ideal and they lasted about a year before it broke. There wasn’t a warranty on them.
The full SureTrace kit was roughly $1500 and it came with a few extra goodies.
The Klein ET450 is just as comparable to the SurETrace circuit tracer, but its less than $300 canadian.
Ive been using the ET450 for almost 2 years now on a daily basis and its still working like new. I have about a 90% success with it. There are a few times where I couldn’t find that cct but that usually happens in commercial buildings with multiple panels. Its extremely rare that I dont find the cct.
Thanks for the great videos Mike.. I am looking for a circuit tracer such as the ET450, but at the same time need to also be able to trace ethernet cables back to their punch / patch panel. I am familiar with and have used both individual types, but are you aware of a tool that does both, or do I have to have one of each. Thanks!
Hmmm… i will have to see if i can make a connector that will allow me to trace ethernet cable with the ET-450
I currently use the Klein tone and probe pro wire tracer for ethernet.
There’s a Klein device around the same price that does Ethernet and exactly what you need. It’s called scout 3 or scout 4
I don’t have the et450, but I just bought the regular small circuit breaker finder. I had horrible results and it did not work for me. I have a large electric panel and two small panels all in a small closet. Does this affect the circuit breaker finder? Thanks!!!
It can affect it if the smaller panels are sub panels to the larger one.
Slowly run the receiver along each breaker in the first panel. Dont stop even if the receiver indicates the breaker you are passing over is potentially the one. Make sure to scan every breaker, and then go back to the start and do it again. This time it should narrow down the breaker with the second pass.
I prefer the ET450 cause i can connect the common of the transmitter to a different ground or neutral , from the line i am trying to scan. This helps with the magnetic field not being cancelled out and makes for a stronger signal at the receiver.
Note: when you are scanning a circuit and you use the neutral and line from the same circuit the magnetic field gets cancelled out and the signal will be weaker.
You forget to mention about the tracking capability of the cable
Have you had better luck using ground or neutral? I used it at a business during working hours and was getting hits on circuits everywhere. It was frustrating. Also, has the tool diminished accuracy with the batteries?
Keep in mind that the business could be on a 3-phase system sharing a neutral.
I have run into issues where its picking up the signal over various breakers.
In that situation, i would try a couple of options.
1. adjust the sensitivity level on the receiver.
2. Pick a ground/neutral from a different receptacle near by. The kit comes with a really long lead for this purpose.
3. As a last resort, start shutting off the nuisance breakers that its picking up. (I haven’t had to do this option yet)
If the building has multiple panels, it can be annoying, but in that case I would run the receiver over the conduits/Bx wires going into each panel.
I had to do this and found the conduit coming through the wall into the loading garage area. I followed the conduit to the panel and ended up finding the breaker.
I hope this helps.
@@mikestoolfun Thanks for the info.
It will pickup a signal through emt?
@@coletonyanda269 yes
It looks like you moved Klein's Circuit Breaker Finder to the side as you described using the ET450 to find a circuit breaker. Does this mean that you don't like the circuit breaker finder? For 120 volt circuits, it seems to work well but it can't handle the higher voltages you talked about with the ET450.
The ET300 is handy to trace live ccts and fits nicely in my tool bag. I bring out the ET450 when I need to locate a stubborn cct, or de-energized one.
They both work really well
What brand tick tracers are you using?
Do you mean like a non-contact voltage tracer?
I use the Klein Tools NCVT-3 Voltage Tester, when I absolutely need to. I generally just use my Fluke 376 true RMS Meter for testing circuits.
Side note. Thank you for the follow. I’m trying to produce more content. I’m still learning to figure out my mojo.
Cheers
I do lots of residential work and often come across open neutral or open hots, how good is device tracing circuits through walls. Have you used it for diagnostics and troubleshooting?
czcams.com/video/zO_jhLseHgE/video.html
Click the link and watch my previous video.
To detect a broken/open neutral, use the ground connection and connect it to a different receptacles ground. It will trace through walls. I also have a video of it tracing through dirt. Cheers
@@mikestoolfun Thank a lot Mike very useful. One last question where in Canada did you get it? It seams to be our at HD and Amazon. Thanks
@@andresperdomo2699 i purchase all of my Klein Tools from Oscan Electrical. They are located
In Peterborough and Oshawa Ontario Canada.
You can also purchase it from Markham Industrial.
If Home Depot is you only option, they can order the tool for you.
@@andresperdomo2699 oscan.ca
Do you find that the volume on the ET450R receiver is sufficient?
I find it fine. Mine is loud.
Thanks. I wonder if something wrong with mine I just received it . I was outside testing the breakers in the panel. We’re 40’ or 50’ feet from the road. When traffic goes by I can barely hear the receiver. I’d say on a scale of 1-10 it’s maybe a 3 or 4 . 🤷♂️
@@GTLee9 I would look further into that because mine emits a loud beep that I can clearly hear. I feel like the speaker for the sound maybe damaged? Klein is usually really good to exchange the product.
Can you help me with some explication for UNITEST BEHA TELARIS 16 EDITION
I never heard of this product
Question: can you use this to find a break in dog fence that’s buried outside?
I have a video up where i found a break in my Moms horse fence on her farm.
@@mikestoolfun can you link it?
@@Dane_V czcams.com/video/EuQUCel1hO4/video.htmlsi=tlo7g6BWZsCZuDRS
What is the NCV button for?
The NCV (non contact voltage)button is a voltage detector.
You put the receiver in NCV mode and place a wire on the tip of the receiver to show if the wire is energized. The bar graph on the receiver will illuminate the signal strength.
data.kleintools.com/sites/all/product_assets/documents/instructions/klein/ET450%20Manual-web.pdf
Click the link i sent you and go to page 9. Its a quick start guide. Maybe this will help with some of your questions
347/600v ?
Max 480V.
I clip the line onto one phase (347V), the common onto a bond/ground, and trace it.
I mean come on, it’s the only 240v breaker in the panel 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
It’s actually a 120V/208V 3PH panel. Stepped down from a 600V service. 😎
A live demonstration would have been helpful.
Keep scrolling my channel and you will find several “live” demonstrations. 😎😎
Please do not record in the 5 x 7 position please only recorded 16 x 9. I do not watch Tik Tok style videos that are not recorded in the proper resolution thank you.
Lol you serious dude? Ok princess.
This coming from a person that made a video called "Creating a POE cable for your tester." in "5x7" format.
czcams.com/video/r5E6JdUafwc/video.html
Since you are complaining about other people's videos, YOU need to correct YOUR video entitled "Creating a POE cable for your tester." since you used the same format.....