| Author |
Message |
    
apm
Citizen
Username: Apm
Post Number: 217
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, February 7, 2005 - 7:02 pm: | 
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Help!! Some outlets in my house are not working, including the washing machine. This happened once before and I flipped all the switches on the breaker and it worked. Now it's not working. I have flipped all switches on and off and the main breaker too. What is the problem? |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 931
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Monday, February 7, 2005 - 9:27 pm: |
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Is there a GFI (ground fault interupter) that tripped somewhere -- in the bathroom, kitchen, outside?
I had this happen a few weeks ago. I had an outlet and hall light out. Circuit breakers ok -- etc.
THen I realized that it might be a GFCI. Went through each bathroom, kitchen, back door, front door -- still nothing.
Finally, I realized it could be from the garage! Sure enough, the outlet in the garage -- the GFCI had tripped. Solved the problem!
Good luck -- Pete |
mim
Citizen
Username: Mim
Post Number: 403
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 9:12 am: |
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It could also be a problem on your pole or the line into your house. We had a similar problem Sunday afternoon -- half the power in the house was suddenly gone, and tripping the main did not restore it. Just as I was choking at the prices that electricians were quoting me to come out on Superbowl Sunday, it occurred to me it might be a PSE&G problem, so I called THEM. They sent a bucket truck up the pole and fixed the problem in moments. |
apm
Citizen
Username: Apm
Post Number: 219
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 9:43 am: |
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The weirdest thing is that this morning, for no reason, the lights came back on. This makes me nervous since I was in two houses in Maplewood with fires caused by old and faulty electrical wiring. Should I have this looked at anyway?
Thanks! |
monster
Citizen
Username: Monster
Post Number: 517
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 10:12 am: |
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Sounds like you need to move to S.O. |
mim
Citizen
Username: Mim
Post Number: 404
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 11:21 am: |
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apm, this is exactly what happened to us: half our power went out, then spontaneously came back on. When it did, a shower of sparks rained down from the pole. Altho our power was restored, that didn't seem at all normal to me, so I called PSE&G, who sent a service person. He couldn't explain what might have happened (normal wear and tear, or some sort of electrical 'event'?), but did go up in his bucket and tinker with the wires. If I were you, I would ask PSE&G to check it out. |
parkah
Citizen
Username: Parkah
Post Number: 97
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 4:38 pm: |
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hey apm... not to freak you out, but a similar thing happened to us.
we had an outlet in the kitchen that would work for awhile and then quit with no explanation. the breaker for that outlet was never tripped and flipping it on and off would sometimes restore the power. this happened for awhile until one day the outlet just stopped working all together.
we had 2 different electricians look at the outlet/breaker box/etc, and neither could figure out the problem.
just recently we had the ceiling in our kitchen replaced, and when we did, the contractors discovered the problem for the *crazy* outlet. the bx to the outlet had detacted itself from the box of a ceiling light fixture. don't know if these was because of age or bad past wiring, but in that junction box sat exposed wires... guess we're lucky they never touched the metal housing or worse.
any way you can trace the outlets that aren't working to a junction box and take a peak? and yes... you should definitely try to get an electrician out to take a look.
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apm
Citizen
Username: Apm
Post Number: 220
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 5:02 pm: |
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Thanks. I will do that. You are very lucky those wires didn't cause a fire. Thankfully both fires I was present at were in the afternoon so no one was sleeping and no one got hurt. |
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 381
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 - 11:49 pm: |
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No offense, but it just doesn't seem to make any sense that a problem on the outside pole could cause only half a problem on your inside wiring. Also, it just doesn't seem to make sense that a licensed electrician could not find the problem for an outlet that did not "work". |
wharfrat
Citizen
Username: Wharfrat
Post Number: 1560
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 5:16 am: |
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If 1 phase of your 220A service is out, it could cause all the above things to happen.
The fact that mim saw PSEG working on the pole wires outside her house leads me to believe this is exactly what happened. |
parkah
Citizen
Username: Parkah
Post Number: 98
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 8:31 am: |
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tourne... i agree that it didn't make sense that 2 different licensed electricians couldn't find the problem... but that's what happened... and being that my electrical knowledge is limited, i was at a lost on what to do next.
both electricians work here in maplewood and one is highly recommended on these boards quite often. his solution was to disconnect the outlet and put a flat plate over the outlet box.
go figure. |
mim
Citizen
Username: Mim
Post Number: 408
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 9:11 am: |
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The PSE&G guy said that HALF the power was out because there are in fact two power lines into the house, and there was trouble on only one. He claimed that electricians often 'split the load' between two incoming power lines. |
apm
Citizen
Username: Apm
Post Number: 221
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 9:28 am: |
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So does anyone have a good electrician?? |
Leny
Citizen
Username: Leny
Post Number: 5
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 8:34 pm: |
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looking for a good electrician, too ... need to upgrade my ampage!! |
Local_1_crew
Citizen
Username: Local_1_crew
Post Number: 409
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 9:14 pm: |
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it was definitely a phase drop. i do theater electrics and that stuff happens all of the time. |
apm
Citizen
Username: Apm
Post Number: 222
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, February 10, 2005 - 9:51 am: |
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What is a phase drop Local? I did speak to an electrician and he said that if some wiring is loose in any of the connections on that line, it can go out. A strong vibration such as a door slam or walking can restore the connection. Does this sound normal?? |
mjc
Citizen
Username: Mjc
Post Number: 229
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, February 10, 2005 - 10:09 am: |
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apm, Is the power now reliably on, or off and on? If the former, you might call PSE&G to confirm whether they fixed your lines outside, just to put your mind at ease. If it's off and on, I'd get an electrician ASAP. Loose connection inside the wall sounds scary.
We use Stacey. Not cheap, but in our (limited) experience reliable. |
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