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

On Feb 25, 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!

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!)


That sounds like a great idea. I even have one of those somewhere.
And maybe another one somewhere else.

It will be a while before I find them.