BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Non smithing problem here, but I know we have some lectricin's on here. Came home the other day, and no lights in the bathroom, kitchen, and wash room which are all in line,and on the same side of the house. The fridge is still running, and the light over the stove still works. The house is a 1979 doublewide that was originally set onto a basement. Previous owners were not that handy, in more ways than one. Checked both breaker panels, no tripped breakers, and power out of them all checked good with a multimeter. No power at the switch I checked. As I see it there is some sort of a disconnect between the breaker, and the switch. The confusing part is the number of areas affected. It is pretty much right down the middle of the house. One side works, the other does not. Any ideas are welcome. This is just one more reason to do a full remodel with a backhoe. Would love to go underground here in the desert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Could be a netural fault, those can drive ya nuts but aren't that bad to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Well the fact that the kitchen and bath are affected makes me think it might be a GFCI kicked off. They often run the kitchens and baths all off of just one GFCI to save money I guess (they are not that expensive IMO... wire costs money too). Look for your GFCI first as that is the simple matter of flipping it back on... sorta like a mini breaker. Fridge and lights would be on separate circuits. There is even such a thing as a GFCI in the breaker box which would have a small breaker button in addition to the regular switch but I suspect that you have one in one of your outlets... I have had to hunt for them before... one house of mine had even the outside outlets run off of a single GFCI in an upstairs bath!!! Kitchen and two other baths also ran off that poor little GFCI! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't tread on me Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Trip all of your brakers and then flip them all back on. Sometimes a braker will trip but the switch will get stuck in the on position. I will talk to my Dad who is a electrical contracter and see what he thinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't tread on me Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Are the stove and the drier working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 As I see it there is some sort of a disconnect between the breaker, and the switch. The confusing part is the number of areas affected. It is pretty much right down the middle of the house. One side works, the other does not. It sounds like there should be a box where the two sides were originally wired together that you should look for. Maybe Aluminum wire and some corrosion in there. Al. wire was popular then. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 when setting sections of a modular such as a double wide; there are cheaply made connections at the marriage walls where the lines from one section plug in to join the lines form the other side. they can disconnect with temp changes, as well as people not knowing what they are doing pretending to be electricians... Also I see no reason why a GFCI would effect anything other than outlets that need protection, and should never effect any lighting, except for the moron factor mentioned in my first paragraph. IBEW 305 JIW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 If your circuits have been previously, correctly labeled... Is only one circuit affected? Bathroom, kitchen and laundry should be 3 circuits. (But my 1973 house has 3 bathrooms, 2 bedrooms, and the laundry on one breaker...) If multiple circuits are affected you may be looking at a different problem than if one circuit is affected. Switch the breaker(s) off then on and see if it is the breaker. If the panel is particularly old budget to replace the panel soon, if new breakers are still made replace the affected breakers. I have seen some goofy things slaved though a GFCI before....and definitely not right. If a GFCI caused this you need to figure out how to set it right. I am not an electrician. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Steve is probably right... I didn't read close enough to see that you had some lights out too. Could easily be the connections between the two sides of the double wide. I don't pretend to be an electrician but I have wired a lot of coaches at the factories... several houses too and many additions or basement finishes, also three phase circuitry in the factories. I once had the plant foreman pull my taped sign off my breaker and throw it while he could see me up on my ladder with the wiring in my hands... that was three phase 220 and He got as much shock as I did when I jumped off that ladder and chased him into the office and CHEWED HIS REAR right in front of the whole office staff! I already had one of my guys out on disability cause one of the other foremen did the same thing while he was on top of a sidewall fixing a chain hoist! I will say that he took it and never talked back or retaliated in any way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 In my house, if the GFCI goes off, it shuts off electricity to all three bathrooms, the master bedroom, the outside outlets and the pool pump. Yes, it's odd, but because of that I'm not surprised by what might be connected to a GFCI anymore. And no, I'm not an electrician either. I don't even play one on TV. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 Well,I found the problem while looking at another. I really need to rip out the plumbing too, as the old crappy poly piping is constantly springing random leaks. Yep the same stuff that had a class action lawsuit over it years ago. Had another drip in the basement, so I start tracking it down. Cut away some of the insulation, and I find a junction box with 4 Romex lines in it that is soaking wet, and sizzling. So, I turned off the breakers, along with the water. I really hate this house, love my neighbors, and the acerage, but absolutely hate the house. It is nothing but a never ending series of things like this. Future plans for the house are; give it away, backhoe, or possibly fire dept training. Hmmm , I wonder if Hollywood needs one to blow up? What I want to do is expand the basement, then roof it over to leave the whole house underground. This really makes sense here in the desert anyway. Subterranean homes stay cool in the summer, and warm in the winter natrually . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Ripped up a water soaked partical board cabinet floor to more easily access the offending box. Turns out it was an outlet with a watertight cover. The cover held the water in till it shorted the outlet. Cut the wires loose, as the outlet was rusted, corroded, split, and totally shot. Cooling off before going back at it to meter the wires out to see which Romex is feeding the other two-there was only 3 when I looked closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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