Stop “Easter Egging” in Panels: The Walk-the-Dog Method That Finds Electrical Opens Fast

Key Highlights

• If a load won’t run but you still read full voltage, you may be staring at an open return/common.

• “Walking the dog” means following the circuit step-by-step (terminal by terminal) until the truth shows up.

• A “weird” partial reading (like 16.9 V on a 24 V circuit) is often your clue that the circuit is floating because something is disconnected.

• This method prevents guesswork, reduces downtime, and protects equipment from unnecessary part-swapping.

If you’ve ever been in a cabinet staring at a diagram thinking…

“I’ve got 24V… so why isn’t the light on?”

…you’re not alone.

This is one of the most common traps I see in troubleshooting, especially with technicians who are experienced enough to move fast, but move fast in the wrong direction.

❌ The problem isn’t capability.
✔️ The problem is method.

And in this video, I walk through a dead-simple technique that solves it:

✅ The Walk-the-Dog Method

Instead of guessing and swapping parts (“easter egging”), you follow the circuit exactly as it’s built, until you prove where it breaks.

The Situation: “Voltage is there… but nothing works”

Video Timestamp: ~0:00–0:45

We’re working with a basic 24VDC circuit and a pilot light.

The light isn’t on.

So the first instinct for a lot of people is to assume:

• the lamp is bad

• the fuse is bad

• the power supply is weak

• the relay output is dead

• or something “upstream” is wrong

But here’s the punchline:

When you can read voltage across a device and it still won’t operate… you might not have a power problem.

You might have a return path problem.

And that’s exactly what this troubleshooting example demonstrates.

Why people waste hours: “Easter Egging”

Video Timestamp: ~0:45–1:10

“Easter egging” is when someone starts jumping around randomly:

• swapping bulbs

• replacing relays

• chasing power supply settings

• moving wires “just to see”

• trying three different things before confirming one fact

It feels productive.
But it’s actually just unstructured guessing.

And it can burn a whole shift.

So instead, we go back to something boring.. but lethal in a good way:

Start at the source. Prove it. Then walk it forward.

The Walk-the-Dog Method (step-by-step)

Video Timestamp: ~1:10–2:35

Here’s the exact workflow used in the video:

Step 1 — Verify the source voltage

We start at the known-good point.

We confirm we have 24VDC supply where we should.

Step 2 — Move one point at a time

Instead of jumping across the schematic, we go terminal-to-terminal:

• check the next terminal

• confirm the same voltage

• move forward again

• repeat

This is “walking the dog” — you don’t skip steps.

Step 3 — Prove power all the way to the load

We keep walking until we reach the device (the pilot light).

And sure enough…

✅ Voltage still looks correct.

Which is where many people stop and say:

“Everything checks out.”

But that’s the wrong conclusion, because…

Voltage doesn’t confirm current flow.

You can read voltage on a dead circuit if the return is broken.

The clue: the circuit is “floating”

Video Timestamp: ~2:35–3:25

In the video, we start checking the other half of the story:

The return/common side

And suddenly we see something weird:

📌 16.9V at a point where we expected a clean, solid return.

That partial reading is your clue.

It usually means:

• the circuit return isn’t actually connected

• the conductor is loose / lifted / open

• the load is “backfeeding” a measurement through internal resistance

• the node is floating because current can’t complete the loop

The key takeaway:

✅ When you see “almost voltage” in a DC control circuit, stop guessing. Start isolating.

The real fault: an open between the return terminals

Video Timestamp: ~3:25–4:25

Once we identify the return path is suspicious, we isolate where it breaks.

In this example, the issue is between:

• Terminal 6
  and

• Terminal 40

That’s your open.

And the best part?

It’s the kind of fault that causes endless confusion because people keep proving “voltage exists”…

…but the circuit still can’t function because the loop can’t complete.

Once corrected:

✅ The pilot light works.

The rule that saves time every time

Here’s the rule I want burned into muscle memory:

Voltage doesn’t mean “healthy.” Voltage only means “present.”

A working circuit needs:

✅ supply
✅ load
✅ complete return path

So if a device isn’t operating…

prove the loop, not just the voltage.

Real-world consequences: when “one loose wire” becomes millions in losses

This isn’t just a classroom thing. Loose terminations and open circuits have caused real failures with real costs.

1) A single loose wire contributed to the Key Bridge catastrophe (2024)

The NTSB determined that the containership Dali suffered a blackout because one signal wire electrically disconnected from its terminal block, which led to a loss of propulsion and steering and ultimately the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

That chain started with something extremely familiar to any controls tech:

a termination problem inside a switchboard.

Read more here 👈

2) A chemical plant power failure caused shutdown + major repair cost

The EU’s incident learning database documents a Seveso chemical plant event where an electrical fault escalated into a loss of power and DCS interruption. The plant shut down for a week, with operating losses reported and €430,000 to rebuild the electrical substation.

That’s the real cost of not catching electrical vulnerabilities early.

Read more here 👈

3) Downtime is now a board-level financial problem

Even without a dramatic headline event, downtime is brutally expensive. A 2025 Fluke survey report highlights how frequently unplanned downtime hits manufacturers and how quickly losses can stack up when systems stop unexpectedly.

Read more here 👈

Final takeaway

Most technicians don’t struggle because they “don’t know enough.”

They struggle because they skip structure.

So next time a device doesn’t operate, don’t swap parts first.

Walk the dog.
Start at the source. Move one point at a time. Prove the return path.
And let the meter tell you what’s actually true.

Want to sharpen your team’s troubleshooting speed and accuracy? Explore Orion’s hands-on electrical and I&C training programs here 👈