Had a similar issue last winter when my heater just wouldn’t respond to the thermostat. Everything looked fine—wires seemed intact, no obvious damage. I figured it was the thermostat itself, but after swapping it out, still nothing. Pulled out a cheap continuity tester and, sure enough, found a break in one of the wires inside the wall. Never would’ve caught it by just looking. I’m always skeptical about spending on extra tools, but that tester paid for itself right there. Sometimes you really can’t trust what you see...
I’ve actually wondered about hidden wiring issues myself—seems like you can’t always trust what’s behind the walls. I usually try to troubleshoot step by step: check the thermostat, then the breaker, then the wiring connections at both ends. But I’ve never used a continuity tester before. Did you have to cut into the wall to find the break, or was it enough to test from the ends? I’m always a bit hesitant to start poking around in the drywall unless I’m sure.
You’re right to be cautious about cutting into drywall—once you open it up, there’s no going back without patching. In most cases, a continuity tester will let you check the wiring from end to end without opening the wall, as long as you can access both connection points. If you get no continuity, then you know there’s a break somewhere in between. I’ve only had to cut in rare cases where the wire was stapled too tight or damaged by a nail. Always make sure power’s off before testing, though... safety first.
I get the whole “don’t cut unless you have to” thing, but honestly, sometimes it feels like you’re just delaying the inevitable. I tried using a continuity tester when my heater started ignoring the thermostat, and yeah, it told me there was a break somewhere, but it didn’t tell me where. Ended up having to open the wall anyway, which was a pain. Maybe I’m just unlucky, but I feel like these “non-invasive” methods only get you so far before you’re patching drywall regardless.
Here’s what I’m wondering: if you do find a break or damage in the wire, is it ever worth trying to fish a new wire through the wall, or is that just asking for more trouble? I’ve heard some people say it’s easier to just run surface conduit, but that looks pretty ugly in a living room. I’m not super handy, so the idea of snaking wires behind walls is kind of intimidating. But at the same time, I don’t want to keep patching holes every time something goes wrong.
Also, has anyone actually found a break with a tester and managed to fix it without opening up half the wall? Or is that just wishful thinking? I feel like once you start down this road, you’re either living with a janky workaround or you’re knee-deep in drywall dust. Maybe I’m missing some trick here...
I feel like these “non-invasive” methods only get you so far before you’re patching drywall regardless.
I get where you’re coming from—last winter, I tried to trace a break in a thermostat wire using a tone generator. It narrowed it down, but not enough to avoid cutting. Fishing a new wire is doable if the old one pulls freely, but in older homes, staples or tight bends can make it a nightmare. Surface conduit just isn’t worth it for main rooms, in my opinion. Sometimes, patching a couple of small holes is less disruptive than living with exposed wiring. It’s a tradeoff, but I’d rather deal with drywall dust once than look at plastic raceways forever.