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Vent: A crawl space job in Portland turned into a wiring nightmare
I was under a house running wire for a new panel when I hit a nest of old, unmarked cables. My drill bit caught one and sparked, killing power to half the system. I had to trace every line back with a toner for three hours in the dark. The homeowner was cool about it, but I lost a whole afternoon. Anyone have a better way to map out unknown wiring before you start drilling?
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kellygarcia5mo ago
Grab a non-contact voltage tester and use it before you drill. Also snap photos of every cable bundle with your phone before you touch anything. That toner method is a lifesaver but you gotta avoid the mess first.
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perez.thea5mo ago
Saw a guy on YouTube fry his tester by poking it into a live wire... photos are good but they don't show what's buried in the wall.
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