I've got two "non contact voltage detectors". One from
Walmart, that takes button cells. Other from HF, takes two
AAA cells. Both seem to detect live wire. That kind of thing
might help trace the open, if it's in the hot side. Of
course, having both ends near each other, it's easy to use a
VOM to determine if the hot or cold is open. Or both.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"The Daring Dufas" wrote in
message ...

A little pocket AM radio works well as a break finder. Tune
it so it
picks up the hum from a live line then run it up and down
the cord.
You may have to energize the wires separately to prevent
interference.
The AM radio will even pick up the RF harmonics from a tone
generator
like those used for tracing phone wires.

TDD

On 2/25/2011 8:07 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
I've got two "non contact voltage detectors". One from
Walmart, that takes button cells. Other from HF, takes two
AAA cells. Both seem to detect live wire. That kind of thing
might help trace the open, if it's in the hot side. Of
course, having both ends near each other, it's easy to use a
VOM to determine if the hot or cold is open. Or both.


I've used a little AM radio to trace romex inside sheet rock
walls. :-)

TDD

wrote:

On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:49:27 -0800 (PST), Bob Villa
wrote:

I bought a non-contact tester for about $5. Plug the cord in and (if
it's the black wire ) check the length. If it's the white, you need to
use an adapter for the plug to reverse the polarity. (You could jumper
*short* the female end and then check going back to the plug...not the
safest!)

To do the reverse thing, just use one of those 3prong to 2 prong
ground adaptors (made to use a grounded plug on a none grounded
outlet). If one prong is wider on the adaptor, just grind it down.

With most of these, you'll have to also remove the ground prong or cut off
the useless bitof plasticon the plug (that keeps you from putting a plug in
reversed).


Another thing the OP could do is cut the cord in half. One of the
halves will always work. Out a new male or female end on that part an
toss the other half in the recycle bin. You'll have one working 50ft
cord in the end.

Unless the break is exactly in the middle, that'd give you a shorter working
cord than if you find the break and cut there.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

off."

On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:51:05 -0600, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

On 2/25/2011 3:54 AM, mm wrote:
How do I find a broken wire?

I have a 100 foot orange extension cord that doesn't work.

Usually when I cut one in half with a hedge trimmer, it's fairly easy
to find the defect. And then I fix it.

Other times I use pins to check continuity near the plug or socket,
where cords usually break.

But this time the problem is somewhere in the middle! If I worked for
the electric compnay, or the cable company, or even probably the gas
company, I'd have some clever tool that find open circuits in the
middle of wires, even underground.

Is there something I have around the house or can buy cheaply that
will do this?

I found for only 45 dollars an Armada Tone Probe, that works with a
tone gneerator, but I guess I want some method that is cheaper!

A little pocket AM radio works well as a break finder. Tune it so it
picks up the hum from a live line then run it up and down the cord.
You may have to energize the wires separately to prevent interference.
The AM radio will even pick up the RF harmonics from a tone generator
like those used for tracing phone wires.

These are very good ideas. Thanks. I wish I had time tomorrow to
try all this stuff.

TDD

On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:14:14 -0600, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

On 2/25/2011 8:07 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
I've got two "non contact voltage detectors". One from
Walmart, that takes button cells. Other from HF, takes two
AAA cells. Both seem to detect live wire. That kind of thing
might help trace the open, if it's in the hot side. Of
course, having both ends near each other, it's easy to use a
VOM to determine if the hot or cold is open. Or both.


I've used a little AM radio to trace romex inside sheet rock
walls. :-)

Then my problem should be child's play.

TDD

On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:21:46 -0600, wrote:

On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:49:27 -0800 (PST), Bob Villa
wrote:

I bought a non-contact tester for about $5. Plug the cord in and (if
it's the black wire ) check the length. If it's the white, you need to
use an adapter for the plug to reverse the polarity. (You could jumper
*short* the female end and then check going back to the plug...not the
safest!)

To do the reverse thing, just use one of those 3prong to 2 prong
ground adaptors (made to use a grounded plug on a none grounded
outlet). If one prong is wider on the adaptor, just grind it down.


Another thing the OP could do is cut the cord in half. One of the
halves will always work. Out a new male or female end on that part an
toss the other half in the recycle bin. You'll have one working 50ft
cord in the end.

I'm reluctant to do the shorter cord thing, because with 100 feet I
can reach almost the entire townhouse back yard when it's plugged in
at the front. I can also reach my car. I have another 100 foot
cord, but if that were to break, I'd have none, so I have to fix this
one before that one breaks.

Yes I could use more than one cord in a row, but that's not
esthetically pleasing to me. :)

On 2/25/2011 3:01 PM, Sjouke Burry wrote:
mm wrote:
How do I find a broken wire?

I have a 100 foot orange extension cord that doesn't work.

Usually when I cut one in half with a hedge trimmer, it's fairly easy
to find the defect. And then I fix it.
Other times I use pins to check continuity near the plug or socket,
where cords usually break.
But this time the problem is somewhere in the middle! If I worked for
the electric compnay, or the cable company, or even probably the gas
company, I'd have some clever tool that find open circuits in the
middle of wires, even underground.
Is there something I have around the house or can buy cheaply that
will do this?

I found for only 45 dollars an Armada Tone Probe, that works with a
tone gneerator, but I guess I want some method that is cheaper!

A break in some random place means an olmost worn out cable.

Get a new one.

Agreed. The orange cables should be considered consumable items. Unless
the failure can be found by Mark I eyeball exam and easily repaired,
time for a new one.

--
aem sends...

mm wrote:
How do I find a broken wire?

I have a 100 foot orange extension cord that doesn't work.

Usually when I cut one in half with a hedge trimmer, it's fairly easy
to find the defect. And then I fix it.

Other times I use pins to check continuity near the plug or socket,
where cords usually break.

If you can stick a pin in at the end, why can't you stick a pin in the
middle and do the same?
Half-interval search should get you close in no time.


But this time the problem is somewhere in the middle! If I worked for
the electric compnay, or the cable company, or even probably the gas
company, I'd have some clever tool that find open circuits in the
middle of wires, even underground.

Is there something I have around the house or can buy cheaply that
will do this?

I found for only 45 dollars an Armada Tone Probe, that works with a
tone gneerator, but I guess I want some method that is cheaper!

On Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:57:31 -0800, mike wrote:

mm wrote:
How do I find a broken wire?

I have a 100 foot orange extension cord that doesn't work.

Usually when I cut one in half with a hedge trimmer, it's fairly easy
to find the defect. And then I fix it.

Other times I use pins to check continuity near the plug or socket,
where cords usually break.

If you can stick a pin in at the end, why can't you stick a pin in the
middle and do the same?
Half-interval search should get you close in no time.

I could but it it would take more than no time. In fact, it took too
long just to do the ends. I have to try several times to hit the wire
and each time is hard because the rubber or vinyl is tougher than it
used to be a few years ago. But it was worth it since it was most
likely at the end. I could use an awl instead of a pin, and that
would go faster, but I don't want to make holes that big. (When I try
multiple times, I can usually use the same outer hole.) I used to
have a collection of corsage pins for jobs like this, with big
handles, but they seem to have been used up, so I was reduced to using
plain straight pins, and they don't work as fast either.

But either way, this is a trip of discovery. To find new ways to do
things. To buy new tools (while still making a distinction betwwen 7
dollars and 45 plus S&H.), or by using the radio, and that's the
advantage of this discussion, .


But this time the problem is somewhere in the middle! If I worked for
the electric compnay, or the cable company, or even probably the gas
company, I'd have some clever tool that find open circuits in the
middle of wires, even underground.

Is there something I have around the house or can buy cheaply that
will do this?

I found for only 45 dollars an Armada Tone Probe, that works with a
tone gneerator, but I guess I want some method that is cheaper!

On Feb 25, 4:54*am, mm wrote:
How do I find a broken wire?

I have a 100 foot orange extension cord that doesn't work.

Usually when I cut one in half with a hedge trimmer, it's fairly easy
to find the defect. *And then I fix it.

Other times I use pins to check continuity near the plug or socket,
where cords usually break.

But this time the problem is somewhere in the middle! *If I worked for
the electric compnay, or the cable company, or even probably the gas
company, I'd have some clever tool that find open circuits in the
middle of wires, even underground. *

Is there something I have around the house or can buy cheaply that
will do this?

I found for only 45 dollars an Armada Tone Probe, that works with a
tone gneerator, but I guess I want some method that is cheaper!

I measure the capacitance of the cable using the C function of my VOM.
Measure from each end. Add these two together to get the total
capacitance of the cable. Smallest cap value will indicate the short
side largest the longest. percent of total capacitance will correspond
directly to to percent of total length of the cable.

Now you know everything you need to know to locate the break. Breaks
immediately at either end (the usual case) will be very obvious.

Jimmie