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Electrical problem


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I hate it that I'm always asking for prayer, but things keep popping up.

When we got home from church Sunday the breaker wad switched off in our bedroom. I switched it on but a few hours later it switched off again. I started unplugging things to see what was doing it, and one lone power strip (with nothing plugged in it) was the culprit (so i thought) I unplugged it, but a short time later the breaker switched off again, and wouldn't switch back on. My wife happened to be there, and tried to "fix" it by shutting of all the breakers on one side. I hadn't realized they were off so I thought half the house was messed up. By the time I'd figured it out I had calls into some relative that are electricians, but they were all busy. Linda took it upon herself to ask the neighbors and one said he'd come by the next day. I finally figured out it was just the one breaker, got the nerve up to take it out, and had Linda go get a replacement since she was heading to town. She caem back right as the neighbir showed up, and rather than be rude, I let him put it in, then he charged us $20 (on top of the cost of the new breaker.)

Our finances are stretched really tight. We had just enough in the bank for groceries, and jobs have been scarce so we don't know when more will come in. So it hurt to have to pay that. But now a few hours later, the breaker switched off again. It seems there's a short somewhere and until we can find it we have no electricity in half our bedroom and none in our bathroom. My relatives have been impossible to get a hold of and even if I were, it looks like it may be a big job that they wouldn't want to tackle.

Pray for us that we can figure out how to solve this and the Lord wold provide the money to pay for the repairs if needed.

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I can usually fix anything electrical, but I'm no electrician, but I have done quite a bit of rewiring in the country store I use to have them in my chicken houses, and I don't have the knowledge of really telling you what to look for.

My best guess.

If there be several items on that breaker turn them off one at a time, you might be able to eliminate what is causing the problem.

Being as you replace the breaker more than likely there is a short in the wiring, and or something that is hooked up to that line.

Once on a similar problem I checked all connections on that line starting at the breaker working my way out and found a wire nut loose, tightened it and all was well. Who ever put it on must not have tightened it up.

Oh, before doing this make sure the breaker is off, if not you will get a surprise that you will not like.

Maybe someone else has a better idea.

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Changing a breaker is very simple....
!. Turn off the main breaker.

2.WIth a flathead screwdriver, disconect the wires from the old breaker*. There will be one black wire if it's a single breaker. Two wires...a white and a black, if it's a double. Do not disconnect any of the wires going to the 'bus' ( the connector bracket at the sides of the panel.)

3. Pust the wires out of the way. Be carefull they don't touch any metal.

4. You can connect the new breaker to the wire/wires outside the box, then push it back in place, or push it in place first. Just make sure the main is off. Make sure the connections are tight.

5. Turn the breaker to the on position and flip the main back on; if there is a short, the new breaker will trip.

If it's a double breaker, then it's 220v. This means it is going to a large appliance like a dryer, water heater, air-conditioner. If it's single, it's usually just receptacles or lights; but 120v appliances like a refrigerator, washing machine, or microwave also use a single.


Some things you can do.

Try to determine what and how many appliances, lights etc. are drawing on that one breaker. It could just be an overlaod. Feel the surfaces of the breakers to see if they are hot. This can indicate an overloading too.
Note that each applance like microwave, refrigerator, freezer, washing machine should always be on a dedicated circuit....there should be nothing else on it. This can cause the problem too.

Buy a multi-tester. You can pick one up at Walmart for about $15. Read the instructions. Using the Ohm feature, a continuity test will help you find a short. Always check volts with the power ON, Ohms with the power OFF.

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Well, we still haven't solved the problem. We have no electricity in the one bathroom that works, and no overhead light or outlets in half the bedroom. Outlets in one half work, so we have a bedside lamp and our alarm clock (which is good because we wake up to James Dobson/Alistair Begg/J. Vernon McGee which we enjoy)

Actually, since we've had to put off fixing this, we've found it's not as much of an inconvenience as we thought. Primarily I didn't want Linda to get upset, which she does when problems happen. She's taking it okay, and it's actually created a much more relaxed atmosphere in the bedroom, and the kids are enjoying the candlelight in the bathroom.

I'm working out of the living room instead of partially out of the bedroom, and still get the same amount of work done.

Thanks for the prayer. I guess it's been partially answered by the problem turning out to be not as bad of a problem, and in some cases an improvement.



I'll tag this on to this thread rather than starting another...

It looks like our router is dying. We are scraping by financially, and even the cost of a router will be a blow. But I need it for my freelance work, which is pretty much 100% of our income right now. Pray that we'll be able to find a dependable one for a good price.
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Danny,

Sorry to hear your woe's. Older wiring will deteriorate, and can cause a short. Praise God for the breaker working, as the alternative is a house fire.

There is no good answer to this. Rip out the walls and start replacing the wiring. When was your house built? You will want to be careful with the rest of the house as, depending on load, the wiring in other areas may be just as bad.

What kind of router do you need? I have access to some used options that would be free.

PM me or email: dwayner79 at gmail dot com

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Danny,

Sorry to hear your woe's. Older wiring will deteriorate, and can cause a short. Praise God for the breaker working, as the alternative is a house fire.

There is no good answer to this. Rip out the walls and start replacing the wiring. When was your house built? You will want to be careful with the rest of the house as, depending on load, the wiring in other areas may be just as bad.
Actually, it's a mobile home, so the walls aren't that easy to get in to. For now we're waiting to see if one of our relatives will volunteer some expertise. Other than that we'll wait until we have enough cash to pay an electrician. We have a business plan in the works for this fall that may pull in a lot of money, so that may solve a lot of problems.

What kind of router do you need? I have access to some used options that would be free.

PM me or email: dwayner79 at gmail dot com
Already got a new one at Wal-Mart. It turns out their cheapest one had the most positive reviews. It's working perfect, and only cost $29.95.
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