Does such an item exist....

The Extech version is nice because it will also check for miswiring:

--Winston

If you're not averse to tripping the breakers, then plug an electric heater into the circuit. It will have an obvious effect on the power consumption at the meter (particularly with the revolving wheel type), and you can see the consumption drop when you trip that circuit.

Sylvia.

Connect a cordless phone base station to the outlet in question and take the handset to the panel to see when it loses power.

A good idea in theory, but the meter is generally outside your home, where it can be read. It's hardly ever (if ever) next to the breakers.

Maybe we have a different system in Australia. Certainly at my house, the breakers are in a steel box which also contains the meter and the main fuse. The box is on an outside wall.

Sylvia.

I suspect that, in the US, the utilities are worried that if the meter is easily visible, you might start thinking about ways to bypass it.

Very cool, thanks!

Cool, thanks!

Yep, would like to avoid tripping breakers :)

The meters here in the US are easily visible :)

handset to the panel to see when it loses power.

I'd prefer to avoid tripping breakers. Thanks for the suggestion though.

ss.

Most meters for single-family homes are on an outside wall so they can be read by the meter reader and the customer billed for usage. The breaker panels are almost always on an inside wall, close to the meter to minimize the heavy wiring needed between the meter and the panel. Maybe smart meters will shange this someday, by right now the old meters are being placed bgy smart meters in the exact same location.

ere

This is the setup in California as well (although main breaker instead of fuse). Probably only in colder climates are breaker boxes mounted inside the house.

The devices on eBay and Harbor Freight certainly are one possibility. About a year ago I used an alternative method that worked well. It requires an assistant, a switchable load, such as a lamp, and a non-contact AC current meter, such as an Amprobe or similar device. I had my assistant flip a light switch on and off at 3 second intervals while I monitored the current draw at each circuit breaker using the Amprobe. Sure enough, the current draw on one breaker changed every three seconds, and that was the circuit I needed to disable.

PlainBill

Clever!

Here is an "assistant in a blister pack":

--Winston

Here's a similar, but still cheaper. device:

(...)

Tag! You're It! :)

--Winston

That one would work well with the Amprobe approach. I do believe I will look for Harbor Freight's device the next time I'm over there.

PlainBill