Hi-Tech: How to find which breaker an electrical socket is on.
Channel: fluffymcdeath
Date: 2013-11-27

Obviously, one quick way is to shove something metal into the socket to short it out. That should trip the breaker and produce sparks and ozone and excitement at the same time. I don't recommend it though - especially as I have seen, in older houses, some circuits not hooked up to a breaker (or fuse). In that case this little stunt would could allow you to draw 100 to 200 amps (depending on your main breaker) through probably ancient wires - a good way to make globules of molten metal inside kindling dry spaces in one's home.

No. Far better to methodically search the breaker panel for the circuit you want, even if it means having to reset all your clocks afterwards. Usually I do this procedure with another person who plugs in a lamp or some such and then I flip breakers while communicating by shouting.

But what if no-one wants to help and you don't want to run around the house after each breaker to find out what turned off?

And is there something that goes through walls and ceilings as well as or better than shouting?

Now is the time to vindicate your habit of storing all kinds of electronic junk just because "this could be useful one day"! Use the not quite latest technology to solved a pretty nineteenth century problem.