Electrical Problems?

[xia]

My tank has been running for at least a month on this circuit, but a couple of days ago, the breaker went off. I switched it back on, and it worked for a day, then the breaker went off again yesterday.

Even after switching the breaker back on it still doesn't work. So I unplugged all outlets, and there's no power on this side of the wall. I'm assuming I just had too many things plugged in, but shouldn't the power kick back on once I switch the breaker back on?

Anybody have any ideas what could be the problem, before I call the electrician? Or perhaps can you reccomend me a good electrician? Thanks.

 

[BlueCorn]

Is the breaker panel in direct afternoon sun?

I had that problem last year. A breaker is a thermoelectric device. If you're running it at near it's rated current and expose it to a temperature source it will trip. You need to determine how much load you have on that circuit and possibly split some off to another circuit.

Another possibility is that the breaker is wearing out but again you need to determine how many amps you're trying to get out of it first.

 

[xia]

My breaker is on the east side of my house, and I have my lights coming on at 8pm so it tripped at night.

"Splitting the load" and replacing the breaker, is that something I can do myself? Or should I call in help?

I'm trying to figure out how many amps I need, but the problem now is that there's no power at all.

 

[BlueCorn]

Splitting the load means plugging some items into an different circuit.

Replacing a breaker isn't hard but if you've never done electrical work before it'd be in your best interest to get help from a professional.

 

[Nu2SW]

If its dead the the fuse is probably blown. you can get a circut tester and see if its getting any juice....Having someone come out is a pretty penny, but its better then juicing yourself.

 

[xia]

Replaced the breaker, but still no juice. The website I was looking at says it's probably a short circuit, and to call an electrician. Anyone else with suggestions?

 

[Nu2SW]

welll one thing that happened to me once, when I was running something on a power line that couldnt handle was that the actual power line inside the wall blew..... maybe that happend to you also.

 

[Justin74]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7598197#post7598197 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xia
Replaced the breaker, but still no juice. The website I was looking at says it's probably a short circuit, and to call an electrician. Anyone else with suggestions?

What are you using to test if your getting juice or not?

-Justin

 

[xia]

I just plug in a fan to the outlet to see if there's power.

 

[Nu2SW]

was this fan plugged into another outlet b4, does it work in any other outlet in the house....

If you replaced the breaker, it might be the line.... the hard part is trying to find it.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Does the breaker reset ok and stay reset? If so it may be an open in one of the outlet boxes in the circuit. If the breaker will stay reset correctly you can check the other outlets prior to the bad one on the circuit to determine where the failure is. If you have a meter you could check the output of the breaker to verify that it is properly reset. Just as a note if there is a direct short somewhere in the circuit it can fry the circuit breaker so replacing it can result in another fried breaker.

 

[xia]

Fan was plugged into a non-working outlet and still works. Old breaker resets okay. The new one didn't even go off, so I don't think it got fried. I will go buy a circuit tester or meter to test the outlets. Any reccomendations on a cheap one?

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7608153#post7608153 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xia
Fan was plugged into a non-working outlet and still works.

I don’t really understand what you are saying here. Do you mean that the fan works fine on a good outlet?

Old breaker resets okay. The new one didn't even go off, so I don't think it got fried.

Sounds like you have an open not a short. If you know what other outlets are on this circuit then you can probably find the culprit. To find the other outlets on this circuit just test each outlet that you suspect is on the circuit using a tester or your fan. Then trip the breaker and test again. The ones that stop working are on the same circuit. If there are other outlets that no longer work even with the breaker reset they are probably “down stream” from your problem point. The next part is a little harder. You have to check all of the boxes in the circuit to see if the problem is in that box, there is seldom a problem with in in-wall wiring although it does happen (usually due to new construction).

I will go buy a circuit tester or meter to test the outlets. Any reccomendations on a cheap one?

You can try Radio Shack I think they have a usable cheap meter. You could also get an outlet tester from Home Depot that would serve the purpose with the exception of testing within the breaker panel.

 

[Reefugee]

I am not trying to flame anyone, but reading this thread causes me some concerns.

Based on all the post, it sounds like the original poster has very little knowlegdge in electrical work, and yet all these people are giving him advice. An improperly wired house could lead to a house fire. If someone is not knowlegable in wiring, I would strongly recommend hiring a licensed electrician to do the job or have someone over who is knowledgable to help you.

Also - for those who are giving him advice - you might want to put a disclaimer to do this at his own risk.

Just my $0.02


Minh

 

[funman1]

I'm an electrician I may be able to swing by,
I Pm'ed you my phone number..
~Steve~

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7608475#post7608475 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefugee
I am not trying to flame anyone, but reading this thread causes me some concerns.

Based on all the post, it sounds like the original poster has very little knowlegdge in electrical work, and yet all these people are giving him advice. An improperly wired house could lead to a house fire. If someone is not knowlegable in wiring, I would strongly recommend hiring a licensed electrician to do the job or have someone over who is knowledgable to help you.

Also - for those who are giving him advice - you might want to put a disclaimer to do this at his own risk.

Just my $0.02


Minh

You are correct Minh. I have worked with this stuff so long I forget that others don't necessarly have the knowledge to do some of these tasks.

 

[Nu2SW]

Well if he is going to buy a tester and test it, it seems like he kinda knows what he is doing.... If he didn't feel comfortable doing any of this, Im sure he would say so...

There is always cause for concern with electricity... So please be safe

 

[xia]

Thanks for the concern. I've read up a little bit on wiring stuff, and there's been plenty of disclaimers and warnings on what's hot and what to avoid touching. Right now, I'm just trying to problem shoot, so that I don't have to uneccessarily have someone come out to flip a switch for me.

Yes, I mean that the fan works fine on a good outlet.

It's easy enough to figure out which outlets aren't working. There's only 3 of them and a ceiling fan. So when I check all the boxes on the circuit, do I have to unscrew them and take them out and look at the wiring? When you say boxes, I'm assuming you're referring to the outlets where you plug in stuff.

 

[Nu2SW]

Now this is where I would get someone to come in and help, when you start opening boxes.... Lots of wrong things can happen.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7608969#post7608969 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xia
It's easy enough to figure out which outlets aren't working. There's only 3 of them and a ceiling fan. So when I check all the boxes on the circuit, do I have to unscrew them and take them out and look at the wiring? When you say boxes, I'm assuming you're referring to the outlets where you plug in stuff.

I agree if you are going to open the outlet boxes (take off the covers and remove the outlets so you can examine the wires) you need to know what you are doing. You can electrocute yourself even if the circuit breaker is turned off (due to a mis-wire somewhere). You need to be able to check for the presence of voltage prior to doing the work. If a neutral is mis-wired you may not be able to detect the voltage until the wires are disconnected. A very dangerous situation.

In any case, the outlets are wired such that in all except the last outlet box there are two sets of wires. The one from the panel or the previous outlet box which supplies the current, and the one that goes to the next box. If the hot or neutral comes loose at some point in the chain then all boxes downstream from that box will not work correctly.