[Bobby Boucher]

Is there tool that can be used to deduce the electrical schematic of an apartment (which circuits are branched together + amperage potential of each circuit) without having access to the panel?

Just a very stoned morning musing. I've got myself a nice multi-meter and a circuit breaker finder, but.. without access to the panel, I don't see how they can do me any good.

I don't rent, I'm just curious if this is possible without having to overload each circuit 1 by 1 and calculate the draw it took to overload them. That seems like a stupid thing to do, all things considered.

Seems like a very application specific tool that probably doesn't exist, but I figured I'd ask anyway. Sorry, and thanks!

[EastCoast710]

Originally Posted by Bobby Boucher

Is there tool that can be used to deduce the electrical schematic of an apartment (which circuits are branched together + amperage potential of each circuit) without having access to the panel?

Just a very stoned morning musing. I've got myself a nice multi-meter and a circuit breaker finder, but.. without access to the panel, I don't see how they can do me any good.

I don't rent, I'm just curious if this is possible without having to overload each circuit 1 by 1 and calculate the draw it took to overload them. That seems like a stupid thing to do, all things considered.

Seems like a very application specific tool that probably doesn't exist, but I figured I'd ask anyway. Sorry, and thanks!

would love to know. .as I had to go through one by one.. and turn off each breaker.. and u leave lights on.. and put 1$ store night lights in each outlet.. and figure out whats what .. my entire electrical panel wasn't labeled.. and its all 70s wiring all fucked up. I gotta have an electrician come in in order to run anymore wattage here.

[dufous]

wanting to know why you cannot access the panel?

and wouldn't someone have to access the panel anyway, if you were to overload the circuits?

having to overload each circuit 1 by 1 and calculate the draw

[Bobby Boucher]

wanting to know why you cannot access the panel?

I have access to my panel, in my home. This is a theoretical musing. I have read of others in similar situations, where there panels are kept behind lock and key. If I were ever to find myself in such a situation, it would be nice to know what is what.

and wouldn't someone have to access the panel anyway, if you were to overload the circuits?

Yeah. If there isn't a tool that does what I am describing though, this would seem to be the only solution, asides from picking the lock and accessing the panel with a circuit breaker finder, a couple cell phones, and a buddy to go around your apartment with the receptacle end of the finder.

[EastCoast710]

that's why we try to avoid growing in apartments.. or any housing that doesn't allow for REAL POWER lol..

[Bobby Boucher]

Granted, but me and mine are all cash and no credit. I'm def not looking into apartments, but I'm also not looking into co-signers/roommates/partners, so.. I might be temporarily forced into an apartment situation. If worse comes to worst.. ya know. I've got the loochie to pay ~ a years rent in decent home up front, but a lot of people don't wanna hear that shit without verifiable income.

[Phaeton]

I used to work generator maintenance in a small (population 27) village. I had a handheld tool with a pair of half hoops I could open and close. When closed around a hot wire it would give a readout of the amps flowing in the wire.
With only fifteen houses in the village the loads would have to be rebalanced when folks would add high amp appliances. If all three phases were not close to equal problems would begin to add up.

The tool, I think it was made by Fluke, was over $100 at the time.
Access to the panel is not necessary, sometimes I would climb up the side of a house and measure from an incoming line.

[OldSSSCGuy]

You can pick up a clamp on amp meter at like Lowes/Home Depot for about $50. Might now work for this one though without tripping breakers. A circuit toner set would let you put a plug-in transponder in an outlet and then you can (at least) trace where the feed wire goes in the wall. A circuit tracer like that is at the same places for $30 or so.

You can also just open each outlet box and look to see if its wired in a series. If an outlet only has one set of wires going to it, its usually alone or at the end of a run. If you see a set of wires running maybe in one side and out the other - and you can usually follow the logical path and figure out what outlets are on a wire run. And check to see if the outlets are 15 amp or 20 amp (assuming you are talking USA 110 volt).

But without getting to the circuit breakers you will have no way to trust it, regardless. One hidden junction box above the ceiling ruins it all.

Just an opinion...

[Bobby Boucher]

A circuit toner set would let you put a plug-in transponder in an outlet and then you can (at least) trace where the feed wire goes in the wall.

Thank you! Exactly what I was thinking of.

You can also just open each outlet box and look to see if its wired in a series.

face palm. This should have been the first thing I thought of, and would have been the first thing I'd done as soon as I pulled my head out. Make a rudimentary blueprint based off of the punch-outs in the boxes and hope for the best.

And check to see if the outlets are 15 amp or 20 amp.

How can I check the max amp from the junction box?

Thanks for all the responses, guys.

[MJPassion]

Originally Posted by Bobby Boucher

How can I check the max amp from the junction box?

Thanks for all the responses, guys.

Without accessing the breaker you can go by wire size.
Most homes/appts are wired w 14g wire now. Some old residences were wired w 16g wire.

I dont recall the currents they can carry but it should be easy to find on the ol net.