This might be more of a home wiring question (for an x10 beginner) I have two circuit breaker boxes in my house. Each box has 220V. I tested a Radio Shack appliance module and it worked in a couple outlets that were wired to one box but not to the second box. My understanding is the there should be 2 - 110V lines to each box and that an x10 signal will propogate along only one phase.
Is there an easy way to tell if switches/outlets are on the same phase? I think if I pull the cover off the circuit breaker box, I should be able to see which breakers are tapped of the same line in - correct?
Are the the two phases on each circuit box likely to be connected as far as the x10 signal goes or might I theoretically need 3 repeaters to link the four. It could require a lot of testing to isolate problems like this and I'm not sure it is worth it to me. I don't even know how I might link two separate boxes????
The lines from both boxes come together at the meter. What you need is bridge between the two 110 volt legs which can be done at either panel - not both. Given that you have two panels I'll guess that your home is larger than 2000sf so I would recommend an active repeater/coupler rather than a passive unit. You can use one that plugs into a 220volt dryer outlet or one that wires into one of your panels. There are a number of sources for these but they can all be seen at
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for convenience. As far as knowing which breaker is on which leg, they alternate from top to bottom. That's why a 220 volt circuit will have two breakers stacked. Trying to keep everything on one leg isn't really practical.
It is larger that 2K sf but we just completed some construction so running all the new wiring from the old box wasn't practical either. Our house is a little over 3K sq ft.
Do you think having a repeater at one box will work for wiring coming off the other?
Does every house then require a repeater to get x10 everywhere?
re: alternating legs in breaker box - trying to minimize the time I have to invest in x10 testing: Do the two columns start with the different legs (so that the top two are on different legs)? I can then test some switches on the same leg.
A1. Yes, one repeater per house is generally enough and two repeaters can cause additional problems even if they're designed for multi-repeater service. If there is still a dead spot and plug-in booster may help or, you can find the source of the noise or attenuation and add a filter. But first things first, add the repeater. I recommend the ACT CR234 or CR230.
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You can try the plug-in unit for the dryer outlet from Smarthome. It works but the ACT product is better and wires to the panel. I use one ACT CR234 in my 8500sf home that has two panels and the Smarthome plug-in unit in my other 2500sf home with excellent results in both places.
A2. Perhaps not every house, but every house I've lived in over the last
20+ years has required a repeater for reliable operation. A repeater is recommended for any house larger than 2000sf. For relatively little money they solve a LOT of problems.
A3. The answer to this depends on the panel. If you take the cover off it will be apparent. However, even testing on the same leg is of little value as it could be a noise/attenuation problem on the same leg. An X10 tester is a handy device as you can walk around and plug it into different outlets and measure the results. But, no matter what, your
3000sf house needs the repeater so start with that and you may be done.
Here's a test you can do right now: Turn on a 220 volt appliance like your oven, electric (not gas) dryer, or central air unit and then try turning on the troublesome light. If it works you know it's a coupling issue as the appliance acts a signal bridge between the two 110 volt legs. If the light still won't work, however, you will not be proving anything since the appliance is not an ideal coupler and you could still have noise/attenuation issues.
Finally, or maybe 'firstly,' read this series from our good friend Uncle Phil:
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