Outlets on 2 circuit breakers?

travesty

I've been using a circuit breaker finder to determine which circuit breaker controls the specific outlets in my house. I've run into a situation where the finder thinks a set of outlets are on two breakers (6 & 13). I powered off the box and was able to trace both of the wires that are going into the two breakers. I'm 99% sure that these two wires don't connect in any type of box. The reason I'm 1% unsure is because of a few lights that I haven't traced yet.

When I turn off breaker 13, all of the outlets on breaker 6 stay on. I haven't tried the opposite yet, due to the fridge being on breaker 6.

I asked a friend what he thought and he said that if the wires on crossed the signal might be jumping the wires. Does anybody else have any other idea why this might be happening?

a7ecorsair

All those gadgets that don't physically connect to any test point are not always accurate. Get yourself and automotive trouble light so you can really test things. Why are you afraid to turn off the frig.? Tell everyone to keep their hands out of it for 30 minutes....

frenchelectrican

I am more leaning to interconnected circuit before you can confirm turn off both breakers and turn one back on and see what the results some case the breaker tracer gimzo not alway be accture { correct }

It will only take a second to comfirm that part.

Merci,.
Marc

__________________
The answer will be based on NEC ( National Electrical code ) or CEC ( Cananda Electrical code ) or ECF ( Electrique Code France )

travesty

a7ecorsair, can you explain how an automotive trouble light would work?

frenchelectrican, for your test, you want me to turn off both breakers and then turn one back on and then confirm which outlets are on? What do you mean by interconnected circuit?

frenchelectrican

Oui please do turn of both breakers to confirm it.

then turn one back on either one to to see if that circuit is engeriszed.

The term of interconnected mean someone may hook up by mistake when someone done the wiring in the house most common is typically netural which I have see it from time to time but few case hot conductors as well if someone turn off more than just one breaker espcally when do major remodeling in the house.

and when someone reroute the cable or conductors it can get it mixed up by mistake.

Merci.
Marc

__________________
The answer will be based on NEC ( National Electrical code ) or CEC ( Cananda Electrical code ) or ECF ( Electrique Code France )

a7ecorsair

You can use any type of lamp to plug into an outlet to see if it is active. Trouble lights are just one thing I find easy to move around and connect.

Red Squirrel

You can probably get away with a few hours, if more, of no power to the fridge if it's efficiently insulated. Just don't open it.

If you are scared grab a large salad bowl, fill it with snow and put it in.

For testing, pretty much any 120v item will work. Incad lights are great as they can tollerate lower voltages too and will easily tell you. So if you put it in somewhere and it's dim then you know there's power, but there's a problem. You can get sockets where it's just two wires sticking out, those are nice.

travesty

Thanks for all your help, it appears my friend was right. There was two spots where the wires where run and they were touching each other. So the signal from the circuit breaker finder was jumping from one wire to another. A separated the wires where they were touching and the circuit breaker finder only found one breaker for the outlet, instead of two.

The wires weren't touching in the breaker box, just where they were stapled to the joists.

frenchelectrican

Staples.,, humm that is prety common issue when you overdrive them or pound them too tight.

That why I don't overdrive them in and just keep it sung but not supertight where it can actually cut the insluating materals.

Merci,
Marc

__________________
The answer will be based on NEC ( National Electrical code ) or CEC ( Cananda Electrical code ) or ECF ( Electrique Code France )