Found a dead short in my basement last night using a toner

Was hunting a mystery tripping breaker for two days. Grabbed a Klein toner, clipped it to the hot wire behind the drywall, and found the nail through the Romex in 15 minutes. Anyone else keep a toner in their daily bag or just me?

3 comments

3 Comments

robert_smith361mo ago

Bought a toner years ago thinking I was some kind of super electrician and then spent the first hour trying to figure out which end was the transmitter and which was the receiver. Felt real smart when I realized I had it backwards the whole time. Still swear by it now though, saved my bacon more times than I can count. Actually found a wire that was just floating loose behind some insulation once, no idea what it was even for. Felt like a detective until I accidentally clipped the same wire with my drywall saw ten minutes later. That toner is probably the only reason I haven't burned my house down yet.

harper_wright2mo ago

Read a forum post where a guy found a hidden junction box with his toner that had been buried behind a wall for years. Pretty wild what you can track down with one.

joelp812mo ago

Honestly I used to think toners were overhyped but that kind of story changes my mind completely. Crazy what's hiding behind walls that you'd never find otherwise.