Electricity in our modern time plays an important role, since much depends on it. We all use electrical appliances that greatly simplify our lives. In addition, any production sector is not complete without this type of energy. But from time to time the question may arise - how to find a wire break in the wall? In homes of the residential sector, wiring can be open or hidden, and the latter option is found in most cases.
To solve the problem, it is not necessary to have professional skills or to call a qualified specialist at home. Sometimes a simple desire and some effort are enough, and then the wiring becomes "open to the eye." And you can even do without the use of special devices.
When the need arises
The need to search for hidden wiring usually arises for various reasons:
- redevelopment;
- open circuit;
- septum drilling.
Redevelopment is usually carried out by those residents who, over time, are not happy with their situation, and they want to bring something new to their home. For example, make a doorway in a new place. To do this, you need to know how to find wiring in the wall to avoid trouble. There are also other reasons for carrying out such work.
As for open circuit, this is a real problem. It is necessary not only to find the location of the wiring, but also to determine exactly where the phase or zero conductor breakage occurred .
The need for drilling a partition arises if you want to hang a wall mount for a TV or other household appliances. This may also be relevant in the case of mounting wall lights, if you need to hang a picture, a shelf, etc. And since in this case several holes should be made, you should know how the wires are located. Otherwise, it is fraught with many troubles, including the risk to life.
A similar need still arises when buying a new apartment, as the new owner must know all the technical equipment of his home. And the first thing to know is exactly where the electric line goes.
Nature of the fault
Many home masters are interested in how to find and fix a wire break in the wall with their own hands. But it is also important to understand what is meant by a fault in the electrical network.
As a rule, problems are caused by a number of factors:
- Incorrect installation
- damage to the insulating layer;
- wire breakage;
- violation of the integrity of the circuit elements;
- high wiring load.
The symptoms themselves are the following:
- the absence of signs of the presence of zero or phase;
- there is no phase, no zero;
- the presence of sparks;
- short circuits;
- protective automatic devices operate regularly.
Often the cause of wiring malfunctions is a violation of the technology for laying electrical networks. Either the wrong cross-section was chosen for installation and connection, or the old good and well-known technique known to many home craftsmen was used - the twisting of wires.
For this reason, if the apartment was purchased in the secondary market, the desire to know how to find a wire break in the wall with your own hands will be more than justified. If necessary, it is better to correct immediately all the shortcomings after moving to a new place.
Fault Classification
In most cases, breakdowns are localized at the junction of wires with light switches, outlets. Also, the malfunction can be in the area where the junction boxes are located and in the areas where the wiring is connected to the automatic switchboard devices. This nature of breakdowns is correlated with class I, which is more than half of all cases of problems with electrical wiring.
Fault class II - these are problems with regard to hidden wiring. This, in turn, is connected with the installation work during the repair, when the craftsmen are forced to violate the integrity of the concrete floors. For example, a wire can easily be damaged in the process of screwing in a screw or drilling with a drill, which leads to a violation of its insulation.
As a result, it ends with a short circuit in the wall. Moreover, the problem itself may not begin to appear immediately after the repair is completed, but much later.
That is, a violation of the insulating layer of the wires after contact with the drill or screw will fully make itself felt after a few months.
How to find a break in hidden wiring in the wall? Here we smoothly move to class III breakdowns, which is usually not associated with the intervention of third-party objects or equipment. Fortunately, this phenomenon is quite rare and occurs as a result of wear of aluminum wires or increased load on the electrical network. In this case, it is almost impossible to find a cliff without using special devices.
The most harmless thing that can happen as a result of a break is the lack of voltage on any part of the circuit. But sparking and short circuiting is already a more serious problem.
Wiring Methods
If there is a need to find hidden wiring in the apartment, then you can attract a specialist to the case, although it is not so difficult to do it yourself. To do this, you should familiarize yourself with different ways. Moreover, both with the involvement of additional devices, and dispensing with their help.
Time-tested simple ways to find a wire break in a wall are still successful. But which one should be used depends on the specific situation.
The technique of our ancestors
The high cost of professional appliances is not affordable for every home master. And so they are looking for ways to find the right wiring in the wall without the help of special equipment. But the old-fashioned methods have been repeatedly tested by time in practice and have proven themselves well.
This is now, when progress has stepped far forward, many instruments and tools have been implemented, and then, during the Soviet Union, such a variety was not. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers did well without special technical equipment. But even in our time, old techniques can come to the rescue, and each of them differs in the degree of accuracy.
Visual diagnosis
Typically, this technique works in the event of a planned overhaul. Moreover, it is relevant for the most part with respect to brick or concrete walls. How to find wiring in the wall without a device with your own hands? To do this, just remove all the old wallpaper and carefully inspect the walls.
As a rule, hidden laying of wires can be detected immediately - it is issued by the strobes, under which the wires are located. These lines are not so difficult to notice, since they stand out against the general background: the putty in these places is rougher, the shade is also different.
"Listen" to the wall
When using this method, you will need a radio receiver, which should be tuned to a specific frequency (100 kHz). The device should be held along the walls, in the places of the proposed wiring. Where there is voltage, the receiver will begin to make noise.
Also, as a good alternative to the radio, you can use a microphone connected to the radio. The technology here is the same - to carefully guide it along the surface of the walls. When entering a zone with current, a crackling or noise will be heard - an electric network has been found.
When deciding how to find and fix a wire break in the wall using a microphone or a radio receiver, one should take into account a high error of 150 mm. In this regard, guided by the signals from these devices, it is advisable to observe safety measures. To avoid electric shock, you should step back a little.
Logic to help
You can find the location of the wiring by connecting a bit of logic. If the installation of the electric network was carried out by a professional, then all the wires are usually located in a horizontal or vertical plane in the partitions of the apartment or house. At the same time, every specialist in the field of electricians knows that all turns must be done exclusively at right angles (90 °).
To decide how to find a wire break in the wall, the logical chain looks like this:
- From any switch or socket, the wire rises, and then at the ceiling itself is directed towards the junction box. In this connection, in this place it is better not to drive in nails, not to screw in screws and not to work with a drill.
- In accordance with the rules, the electric line runs 10-15 cm from the ceiling and 10 cm from the floor.
- Given all the defined electrical points, you can visually imagine the entire wiring diagram by sketching it on paper.
At the same time, this visual perception cannot be called completely safe. It is better to consolidate the obtained information with proven grandfathering methods. However, it is still more reliable to use special devices.
"Wiring" wiring or how to find a break point with a multimeter
This technique for determining the wiring in an apartment or a private house will appeal to many radio enthusiasts. It will require the use of a multimeter - this device combines the functions of several electronic devices (ammeter, ohmmeter, voltmeter). Among them, the most widespread models are:
- LA-1014 - is able to accurately determine the location of not only the electrical network, but also to detect the cliff. With it, you can assess the status of a computer or telephone line, as well as places where there is a circuit.
- PMV-504Fb PMV-503b PME-92b MZ-440 - using these devices, you can also find places of wire breakage and assess the condition of hidden cables.
Naturally, professional devices are expensive, but for our purposes you can use a cheap analog - any Chinese multimeter is suitable. Also, a KP103A, KP303,2SK241 field-effect transistor is also needed.
The device should be switched to the resistance measurement mode (200 kOhm), and the probes should be connected to the contacts of the electronic part - one with the left (drain), the other with the middle (source). The right pin is used as an antenna.
How to find a wire break in the wall? The principle of operation is based on the following - as soon as a field-effect transistor enters an electromagnetic field, its internal resistance changes. It is easily fixed with a multimeter. Such a hand-held device should also be driven along the walls, as when using a radio or microphone. And in the place where the tester shows the maximum value - the wiring is found. By attaching a piece of copper wire to the free lead, you can significantly increase the sensitivity of the device.
Special appliances
When using special devices, the location of the wiring or even a break will be detected with a high degree of accuracy. And if the means allow, it is worth using them. And the first thing that comes to mind is a metal detector. As you know, wires are made of metal, due to the good conductivity of the material. Consequently, the power grid with this device is easy to detect.
However, it makes no sense to think about how to find a wire break in relation to reinforced concrete walls - there is a lot of metal here. However, in most cases, the device is considered almost indispensable. In addition, many people have such a device for different purposes.
Thermal imagers differ in more accurate results, but their price is very high to use them in everyday life. It is more rational to call a master at home, which will cost much less than the cost of an expensive thing. In addition, it will be necessary to use such professional equipment in rare cases, and therefore this waste is fully unjustified. At the same time, specialist services are also not cheap.
Available options
A device such as an E-121 signaling device or the well-known Woodpecker will be the best option for finding hidden wiring in your apartment or house. The price-quality ratio of such a device is at an optimal level. Moreover, with the help of this detector it is possible not only to determine the exact location of the wires, but also to find the places of their breakage. The depth of the electric line with which the device is capable of working is up to 70 mm, which is more than enough for most apartments.
Another no less useful assistant in solving the problem of how to find a wire break in the wall is the MS signaling device from a Chinese manufacturer. Only such a tester should be adapted, since the device responds equally to wiring and to a nail driven into a wall. “Having filled a hand”, it is already possible to distinguish signals.
The device is not able to find wires "dressed" in a foil screen, and therefore many electricians bypass it. However, in domestic conditions, the use of an alarm is justified.
In addition, you can find the wiring indicator screwdriver. Only the method works with a shallow bed of conductive conductors. In addition, de-energized and shielded wires, this tool is also not able to determine.