I have had problems with the breaker tripping in the past when i plug in heaters or a/c units. Then this morning the plug that shoots electriciy to my garage came out and while I was plugging it back in, that breaker that gives me problems flipped and I lost electricity in parts of the house. When I went to check the breaker, it was still on, not tripped??? Hope thats not to confusing. Is my breaker shot, or part of the wiring or what? Any ideas. I have minimal funds so calling an electrician is out of the question. I do most repairs myself, but this is "GREEK" to me.
2007-11-14 02:44:10 · 6 answers · asked by night_of_mystery29 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Overloading the breakers is not my doing. I think whoever wired the home is at fault there. I have Nothing plugged into those outlets on that breaker except my tv. The majority of the lights in my house are wired to it though. If I plug in a heater on that breaker, it will blow. Matter of fact if I plug a heater into any outlet in the house one of the breakers will blow. But items plugged in are minimal.
2007-11-14 02:55:30 · update #1
Thanks Avnurd ;). Thats how most of the 'hack' jobs got done in my house to begin with. However, nobody has touched the electric since I've move in.
2007-11-14 13:57:50 · update #2
The garage wire runs underground up into the house. At the end of that wire is a plug and an outdoor recepticle. When the plug came loose and that lost power in the garage, while wiggling the plug back into place that is when half the house lost power! Although the garage power remained on. When I went back out and wiggled that plug again, the power was restored inside. ...CRAZY
Could it be a faulty recepticle there at the plug? Just doesn't sound right to me.
2007-11-14 14:01:26 · update #3
It sounds like you have serious load balance problems, or maybe just not enough circuits. Electricity is serious stuff! I suspect that your main problem was caused by a home handy person that didn't know what he/she was doing. The garage plug arrangement sounds like the work of a hack. It should have it's own circuit. I"m sure you have a skill that you could barter with a qualified amateur or moonlighting professional who could access your whole system and help you fix it.
Regarding your immediate problem, I would unplug everything, turn off the breaker, and turn it back on. If that works, plug things in one at at time. If the breaker trips again, you may have found the problem.
Still no juice? You could take the front cover off the breaker box, and check the terminal on that breaker with a test light or VOM (volt ohm meter). Touch one (red or +) insulated test probe to the terminal, and the other (black or -) to the ground bar. With the breaker on, you should read 110 to 120 volts or light a test light. No reading or no light, means the breaker is probably not passing electricity. Never replace a breaker with one of a larger amp value unless you are absolutely sure that every wire in the circuit is rated for it. A "time delay" breaker of the correct value will allow a short over current surge while something is powering up though.
I strongly reccomend that you have the whole system checked out.
A smoldering foundation instead of a house could cause a really big financial burden.
2007-11-14 04:06:31 · answer #1 · answered by avnurd 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No!! in the experience that your place is provided with circuit breakers turn the breaker to the " On" place lower back. If it journeys to off, there is an overload to that circuit as a results of too many potential eating products. as an occasion, having an iron, a toaster and an electric powered fry pan all engaged on the comparable time will reason the breaker to instruct, thereby retaining the wiring from overheating that should effect in a hearth. shrink the burden on the circuit and the situation would be cleared.
2016-10-16 12:08:49 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should check the breaker with the problem that does not seem to be tripped. Try to push the breaker to the on position. If it moves part way, then push it all the way off to reset it and then turn it on. Something doesn't sound right if lighting circuits and receptacles are on the same the same breaker. Normally lighting circuits are 15 Amp breakers and receptacles are on 20 Amp breakers. They shouldn't be mixed. You can put a smaller breaker on a 20 Amp circuit but not the other way around. I really would have someone who knows what they're doing troubleshoot your wiring it really sounds hazardous and if something insurance company's don't pay for its unlicensed work done without permits and inspections not done and signed off. (Legally)
Good luck and be safe electricity bites.
2007-11-14 10:08:18 · answer #3 · answered by norman8012003 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your plug is probably on a GFI circut. The GFI plug outlets themselves have built in trip protection you can tell by the presence of tiny buttons on the plug. one is test the other reset. Most of these plugs are located in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and at the exteroir of the house. Check these areas for any plugs with buttons and hit the reset button if you find any that are tripped. Sometimes one GFI plug can protect many normal plugs downstream in different areas of the house and if it is tripped all the plugs downstream will go dead. Reset the GFI and everything will come back on.
2007-11-14 17:55:02 · answer #4 · answered by Eric W 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try turning the breaker off and on. Some times they don't trip all the way, and may give the appearance of being on.
2007-11-14 09:38:29 · answer #5 · answered by shawnd518 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
turn the breaker off, see if it feels hot or over warm, it may be wore out, if its tripped a lot,
stop over loading the breakers or you will cause the wireing to break down and make more problems,
2007-11-14 02:50:06 · answer #6 · answered by William B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋