Page 17
Tracing Underground
These circuit tracers are not underground cable locators. But, in some environments they
can be used to trace buried cables, conduit, or metal pipe.
1) Connect the transmitter to the circuit to be traced and power it on.
a)
If possible, create a closed circuit by grounding the other end.
b) If possible, ground the adjacent conductors to eliminate capacitive-coupling
effects that can cause signal bleed-over.
c) Utilize a remote return path to maximize the signal produced.
2) Turn on the receiver and set it to Search High (SH/1) mode.
3) Use a sweeping motion and the back of the receiver to find the strongest signal
underground.
a) If the signal is too strong, reduce the sensitivity range .
b) If the signal is too weak, then check the quality of the ground connections
(<100
Ω
) and repeat step #3.
4) Continue following the highest reading until the end of the circuit is found.
Page 18
Inductive Clamp Applications
Caution:
The clamp does not have any indicators to sense if a circuit is energized.
Always disconnect the battery pack from the clamp when not in use to conserve battery
power.
The inductive clamp is powered solely by the battery pack. It generates its own specific,
time modulated signal, and by transformer action, couples that signal onto the energized or
de-energized circuit to be traced.
For the clamp to propagate a signal onto the circuit to be traced, the circuit must be closed
at the end where the clamp is applied, at a minimum. To maximize the signal produced,
both ends of the circuit should be closed to create a complete loop. Refer to the diagrams
for proper setup.
Three typical applications where the inductive clamp may be used in replace of the
transmitter:
•
Identifying downstream loads from a breaker
•
Tracing conduit
•
Tracing industrial control circuits
25 FEET
DISTANCE
OR
ND 6364-2 Circuit Tracer Instru 3/5/07 1:39 PM Page 17