Reading @Sebastien's reply got me wondering if there's some program or app anyone can recommend to organize all this information related to circuits and floorplans.
I did have a "spreadsheet" at one time but it went walk-about one day and all that's left now is a few random notes on the panel.
Something like these tools to gather the information seems less disruptive than plugging in a radio and randomly flipping breakers.
I did my mapping by turning on/off breakers, but if I had to re-do it, I probably would use a device like the one you linked. I have a similar one that I have used a few times and it worked great.
For the floor plan, I used Corel Draw because I know it well and have been using it for a long time now.
The spreadsheet needs to be updated with every update, but I sometimes like to put off updating documentation, so I keep a pencil close to my panel and mark every changes I make on the plan until there are too many, or I feel like making the updates on the file.
If you house’s electrics where done by a competent electrician just flipping breakers works well. Just having a list of all outlets, lights, or devices on the breaker works for me.
The electrician who wired my house should be taken out back and shot! Basement lights on four different circuits. Switches to nowhere, turned out to be miss-wired 3 way to an outlet. A switch to an outlet behind a built in bench. Two circuits to a 4 gang box!
My trouble shooting toolkit consists of a Extech CB10 circuit breaker finder an a Extech TG20 wire tracer for unpowered circuits.
The circuit breaker finders work very well for powered circuits.
The wire tracer is useful for issues out on the run.
@matt1@Sebastien
One of the things you can also do to assist in your mapping is when you've mapped an outlet/switch, pull the cover off and either using a label maker or a sharpie note which breaker it's on. That way you don't have to dig out stuff to figure out your map. I also do this with paint colors. I put a label behind a primary switch plate with the paint manufacturer and name so if I ever need to touch up I know what to ask for)
Funny enough, that’s the first thing I did! I marked the inside of the covers. However, when there were changes in the breaker panel, this became difficult to manage… hence the use of a map.
I personally installed every inch of wire in my house so was able to do a lot in terms of documentation (including writing on the cable insulation in sharpie denoting what wire was pulled) I don't see it changing much here That said I'm surprised there isn't a good mapping software out there
I put a tiny little number printed with a label marker on the bottom lip of each cover plate, and wrote a description with a sharpie on the inside of the plate of where it belongs. The former makes knowing which breaker to turn off easy, no reading though a massive list, and the latter means if I'm painting a room, I know exactly where each plate goes back, so no mix ups.
Circuit finder tools like that are "OK", but their usefulness goes down quickly if you've got a crowded electrical panel, particularly with mini breakers, as in this panel (not mine!).
A common problem is labeling breakers by function ("Tim's room" or "Jane's office" or "table saw"), rather than a definitive location. It's easy and seems natural to do that, but think how much you'd hate buying a house where the breakers have labels like that, especially after a couple of decades of renovation.
Sure, keep those descriptive names in your own spreadsheet (with a printed copy taped inside the breaker panel), but the permanent circuit names (on the panel or tagged to wiring) should be definitive and related to the architecture, such as "2nd Fl West Bedrm". Oh, that's also required by the US electrical code for new work or substantial renovation.
The advice from @rlithgow1 about writing the breaker number inside the faceplate for outlets & switches is also very good.
It's not breaker-specific, but I'm a fan of Sweet Home 3D -- easy to use & free 3D architectural drawing/rendering software.
Having personally done a lot of electrical work in my home over the past 19 years of living here and having an electrician neighbor who taught me a ton, I thought I would provide a few thoughts for those wanting to tackle this as well as a picture of my electrical panel.
Obviously a lot depends on when your house was built but if your home is like mine your panel likely has a bunch of breakers labeled “Lights and Recs (receptacles)” which is all that code required back in the late 80s and early 90s. Some breakers may have a 15 on them and others may have 20. Here are a few things to be aware of to help you find the right breaker:
Kitchens and Dining Rooms require 20A breakers. This is because the appliances that you typically plug into these outlets such as coffee makers, microwaves, refrigerators, etc require a lot more power especially on the startup of that appliance.
Bathrooms require 20A breakers. This is because of hair dryers, curling iron, etc also require more power
Traditional Living Room (I live in the South) sometimes also have 20A breakers
Lights within the rooms above are typically 15A breakers
I bring these up in case you are ever looking for a breaker for a particular room, the above may help you determine which one to look for.
A few years after I moved into my home, my wife decided she wanted to switch from ivory switches and receptacles to white. Obviously I needed to know which breaker supplied power to each switch and outlet so I had my wife turn off a breaker and then I went around and determined which outlets and switches didn’t work. I then totally dorked out and created a spreadsheet of breaker to room but also created a Visio diagram of my house with breaker numbers so I can visually see which breaker supplies power to a given switch or outlet versus having to scan a list.
That said I'm surprised there isn't a good mapping software out there
