How to Find a Break in a Wire

Wires are fundamental to any electrical circuit - but over time, they can become worn and damaged, and broken. This renders a circuit useless, sometimes dangerous. A standard multi-meter can function as a wire break locator by conducting a continuity test on an electrical circuit. 

When handling electric components always make sure that devices are switched off before anything else. Never work near water (it's also worth wearing protective clothing such as gloves).

Underground wires are usually concealed to protect them from being damaged. Underground wiring can be susceptible to damage when digging for a new fence, planting a tree, gardening, or even just the activity of pets and other animals. 

Locating where the break in the wiring might occur isn't an exact science, but there are newer tools available that will help you narrow down your search before you dig up huge portions of your yard.

What Are the Causes of Broken Wires?

As time passes, wires can be subject to wear and tear - or other problems such as dry rot, rodent damage, and loose connection points - that can lead to wire breaks or shorts. Older homes are especially susceptible because of wear-and-tear from age and rodents; newer homes tend to fare much better in this regard because of advances in technology.

Sometimes when there are problems with wiring, there will also be smoke or sparks coming from it. The sparks may come about for several reasons; one being that the wires have been fried due to improper wire and cable selection.

Signs of a Cable Break

In the event of a loss in power, it is possible to detect an electrical problem by looking for an outage. One way this may happen is when there's no voltage at outlets in one area but power in all other areas. Another sign would be lights not working in another room but lights elsewhere still functioning correctly.

Sometimes, when there are issues with the wiring, there may also be smoke or sparks coming from the wires. The cause of this could either be because a cable has been cut open or due to incorrect wire and cable selections.

Damage can occur on various portions of the network: the power supply can be interrupted when it connects to the junction point of a cable with either an outlet or a switch. There are also instances when damage can happen in the area between these devices and the box or light device.

Methods To Find a Break in a Wire:

1. Underground Wire Locator

2. Multimeter

How to Find a Break in a Wire Using an Underground Wire Locator: Noyafa NF-826

There are many different kinds of wire detectors, but they do the same thing. NF-826 Underground Wire Locator is able to detect the electric wire's signal below the ground.

The main function of 826 is to find the short circuit/break point of the cable

"1. Find the short-circuit point, the red/black clips respectively clamp the short-circuit line, adjust the sensitivity to the appropriate size, the receiver will ring before the short-circuit point, and the receiver will not ring after the short-circuit point.

2. Find the breakpoint, clip the target line with the red clip, connect the black clip to all the remaining lines and then connect the grounding rod to the ground (good grounding is required), the receiver will sound before the breakpoint, and the receiver will not sound after the breakpoint

Use this to find short-circuit and breakpoints in the cable"

Short-circuit point wiring: connect the short-circuited two target lines to the transmitter's two test leads respectively; Open circuit point wiring: connect the open-circuit target line to the transmitter's red test lead, and the other remaining cables and black test leads are fully connected to the ground. connect.

After correct wiring, firstly adjust the transmitter power to the third gear for transmission, set the receiver to automatic mode, and move slowly along the cable. If there is a signal, it is preliminarily judged as the fault location of the line. At this time, lower the transmission power level of the transmitter, set the manual mode of the receiver, and select the appropriate receiving sensitivity to accurately locate the detection part.

How to Identify a Break in a Wire using a Multimeter

To detect a broken wire, it's best to test the entire device as well. To do this, use a digital multimeter. Multimeters are handheld devices that measure voltage, amperage, capacitance, and resistance.

First, disconnect the device from its power source. Unlike other circuit testers, the multimeter will provide enough electricity needed to complete the test. Next, turn on your multimeter and select continuity mode. Hold one probe of the meter in between the cords of the device being tested. Connect one lead to an empty port at one end of a slot that is located on top of an electrical socket (either side) on the device being tested; connect the other lead to an empty port at another end of a slot that is located on the top off an electrical socket (either side) on an electrical outlet (either side). Ensure probes are secured into open slots—if they aren't secured then there may be no connection and therefore no continuity. If there is continuity then this means you found where wires were damaged or broken.