I have a one bulb flush mount light operated by a pull chain in my pantry in the kitchen. This is a very tight space and i was hoping to use an adapter kit in the lightbulb socket to find which circuit breaker i need to flip off to actually change out the fixture.

I put a new bulb in this fixture and pulled the pull chain and nothing happened, so i can not tell if i have the fixture in the on or off position.

Can i still put an circuit breaker adapter in the socket even if i can not determine if it is in the off or on mode?

 

Welcome to the forums.

Yes.

Put the tester in place and check for the tone. If you can't find it..... pull the chain and check again.

 

PJmax great , thanks so much! Is there a brand from Lowes or Home Depot that you recommend for a circuit breaker finder and light bulb adapter?

 

I thought you already had it.

There are circuit breaker finder kits around. I'm not aware of any that have a screw in socket adapter.
In your case.... it may be easier to purchase the replacement fixture..... turn off the main circuit breaker.... replace the light and then turn the main back on.

 

the problem is that i dont know which circuit it is on yet. This is an extremely tight space and i have to get on my 6ft ladder to get up there. I tried flipping breakers last night, but there is no obvious match. And since the lightbulb wont even come on i have no way to be sure. My house was built in 1937 so the wiring is sometimes non-sensical i was wanting to use the circuit finder instead of going down the panel one by one. And then use a voltmeter to make sure it is off once i find the breaker with the circuit breaker finder.

P.S. I have never done this before. Sunday was the first time i ever did anything electrical, which was removed a flush mount ceiling fixture and replace the pull chain and wire it back. So feel free to talk to me like i am a beginner, because i am.

 

Klein makes a tester that should work.
You'd need to purchase a screw in receptacle adapter in order to use it.

Klein circuit trace

 

If the light your having a problem with is the one you worked on Sunday, maybe you rewired it incorrectly. It is highly unlikely the pantry light is not protected by a breaker/fuse. If you don't want to follow PJMax's suggestion to change the lamp with the main breaker off you can lower the pantry light and short the two wires attached using a piece of insulated wire. This will trip the source breaker or blow the source fuse. Hold the shorting wire by its insulation with with a pair of pliers with insulated grips.

 

I am not sure this will help you if the switch in the fixture is shot.

But then again I have never used one.

 

beelzebob the light in the pantry is a different light than the one i fixed on Sunday. But by a weird coincidence, the TYPE of light is the same as the one i did sunday.
I agree that i am sure it has a circuit breaker, but i cant tell WHICH circuit breaker it belongs to because the lightbulb in the socket wont come on. Thats why i was going to get a circuit breaker finder with a light bulb adaptor.
Is there something reliable i can pick up from Lowe's or Home Depot? I will buy from Amazon Prime as well as long as i can return it if necessary. Links would be GREATLY appreciated because i am totally new to this.

 

How do i know which breaker is the MAIN breaker? I have never noticed having a breaker labeled as such.

 

I left you a link previously for a tester.

In order for us to help you.....we need to see what you see. Post a picture of the electrical panel.
How-to-insert-pictures.

 

I went to Home Depot and got the below 3 items:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-To...9411/202266613
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-To...T310/308709729
https://www.homedepot.com/s/69149?NCNI-5

I did a test on a socket that i know works to make sure the tool and adapter are in fact working.
Then I put the socket adapter in the fixture I need to fix and I pulled the pull chain multiple times and nothing lit up on the adaptor AT ALL.

I have attached a pic of my 2 electrical panels. Thanks for the link on how to do this, i tried to do it on my phone and wasnt able to and I wasnt sure what was going on.

 

Here are 2 more pics closer up

 

I took the liberty of resizing and labeling your panels.
I see both sub panels are outside.
The 2P60A breaker in the sub panel runs the sub- sub panel.

Your main breaker must be on a pedestal or a pole mounted meter service.

 

I want to post an update since y'all were so gracious with your time and effort to help me. Especially this being my first time, I could not have done it with out y'all's guidance.
I used the Klein tools i mentioned in a previous post that y'all recommended. After I figured out which breaker it was using a socket adapter I double checked it with a non contact sensor. Then I took the fixture down and rewired a new one. And SUCCESS!! I attached a picture of the light all fixed and working. Thanks again for yalls patience with me! 😀