master of my domain

A couple of nights ago the lights in the hallway and dining room stopped working. I went down to the basement and flipped the circuit breaker and they came back on. The next day they were off again and flipping the breaker did not appear to bring them back. The breaker it was on was from the original house, and not one of the new sub-panels we installed. It seemed likely that it could be defective

Today, rather than sit at home like a damsel in distress waiting for electrician Michael to get home, I took matters into my own hands. I've always walked a wide circle around the elctrical. Michael had a notion for it, so I let him own that body of knowledge. I like to think of it as the same division of labor we have over baking and cooking.

The circuit was a 15amp. I powered down the house and flipped the main, removed the 15, and replaced it with a brand new 20 I had just gone out and purchased. Got it all screwed into place, flipped it back on...and nothing.

Hmmmm... So in the spirit of "the house the internet built" (that will be the book deal I'm sure), I went on-line and asked mr google "testing circuit breakers". It produced the dummies page and I was off to the races. I tested the new 20 as instructed, and appearnetly it was deffective. So, I rooted around the "left-over electrical parts" drawer and found a 30.

Then I turned everything off again and went through the process once more. Flipped it on, and, Voila!, lights. Took a few hours, but after returning the newly purchased circuit breaker, it cost me nothing. Now I am basking in that warm cozy glow of figuring out something new.

 

 

Comments

[Reuben]

So.... I'm glad you got it working again.... but... I'm assuming there's a part 2 coming along soon about how you tracked down why the breaker kept flipping and charted a plan to have correctly matched wires/breakers?

[derek]

You don't want to replace a 15amp breaker with a 20 or 30amp, since you probably have 14ga wiring. YOu need 12 ga. wiring for 20amp. It can cause a fire, since the wires will overheat, because the breaker should trip at 15amps... I'd try to find out what's caussing the breaker to trip. It could be something faulty plugged in to it, or just too many outlets/lights on one circuit.

[toby]

We newly installed 12 ga wiring in the entire house. The sub-panel that is in the basement had a few of the old breakers still in it that we had tied the new 12 Ga into.

That circuit runs three things. Two circuits of 4 50watt halogen lights (each with their own transformer). And a Second large transformer that runs the low voltage lighting in the dining room.

On the wiring front I think we're safe, the more concerning thing now is, the circuit next to this previously faulty breaker now seems to be faulty. This systemic breakdown is causing me the most concern (along with the ability to convince myself I faintly smell an electrical fire) and we're already looking for the advice of a pro.

[Italian Lighting]

Hey there is nothing worse than sitting watching TV, when bump, one of the lights goes out and the fuse trips. In my old house, the circuit breakers were overly sensitive and I had nothing but problems every time a light popped in the kitchen. Glad you got it sorted. I had to move house to get rid of my problem lol.

[Clint Rowley]

It can be a pain waiting for an electrician to make it out, I don't blame you for looking further into it yourself.

[Helen]

Hey I am married to a good electrician, but the worst thing is for any electrician is fault finding and retracing somebody elses work!

[sara]

I think always air on the side of caution, never fiddle with electrics if you are unsure what you are doing, you are more likely to cause harm than do good. It is however, had waiting around for someone to solve a problem with electrics, it can take ours when fault finding.

[julia]

I had a similar problem with my lights, every time I switched the shower off my lights would blow, it was something to do with the main breaker being over sensitive, don't know much about this but I got it fixed in the end by a reliable electrician.

[Clint Rowley]

I'm glad you were able to get your electrical system back up and working again without too much trouble.

[Vivan Lantry]

Sara makes a good point. When you're trying to fix anything that involves electricity, it's best to practice caution. But since it turned out to be a success, then congratulations to you!

[Electrical Contractor]

You might want to enlist the services of a professional electrician. I have a feeling the problem isn't fixed, just hidden behind a larger breaker.

[Matt@electrician thousand oaks]

I tell all of my customers to fix it yourself. It is cheaper and faster than hiring someone like me. Just make certain the power source is turned off before you mix it up!

Matt From Thousand Oaks Electrical

[Santo Badenoch]

Finally, your wait is over! Thank goodness he came. LOL! What would have happened to you if he did not come? If I were you, I would have gotten scared. Hahaha!

[Clint Rowley]

Too bad electricians can't have something like a 30 minutes or less arrival time garantee like pizza delivery.