Thursday #619 - Hot Stuff!

[Karen]

I heard an ever so faint infrequent popping (frying bacon) coming from the panel. I threw the main breaker, and pulled the panel face to find one of the neutral wires was loose in it's terminal socket, causing arcing between the wire and the panel frame. No bueno, that's the kind of issue which causes electrical fires.

So glad you heard what was happening and were able to fix things safely! With electrician in training help? Did Angel want to help too, or are there doggie-eating monsters in the basement?

[Lady's Human]

So glad you heard what was happening and were able to fix things safely! With electrician in training help? Did Angel want to help too, or are there doggie-eating monsters in the basement?

The electrician in training helped, he ran for tools as needed, held the flashlight, and watched. The panel in question wasn't in the basement, it's in the laundry room, so we didn't have to deal with the gremlins down there. If there were issues in that panel, however, I'm going to venture down at some point ove rthe next couple of weeks and check the main panel.

Angel was too busy being warmed by LOH, getting scritched, and soaking up attention.

We won't mention last night when she decided to help Patch try and catch a mouse.

[RICHARD]

The electrician in training helped, he ran for tools as needed, held the flashlight, and watched. The panel in question wasn't in the basement, it's in the laundry room, so we didn't have to deal with the gremlins down there. If there were issues in that panel, however, I'm going to venture down at some point ove rthe next couple of weeks and check the main panel.

Angel was too busy being warmed by LOH, getting scritched, and soaking up attention.

We won't mention last night when she decided to help Patch try and catch a mouse.

LOL, what does your intern charge an hour?

I went down to the breaker box and began to throw switches.

I managed to change one breaker switch, a Bulldog Push-o-matic -which, when the guy at Home Depot looked at, was able to properly ID, then laugh, and tell me that he "hadn't seen one like THAT in a long time". Call an electric warehouse for a replacement.........

Got the replacement, put it in and still nothing....


Thank you THIS OLD HOUSE for the info on how to change a breaker and to the basic tenet of common sense and electric work...

NEVER HOLD ON TO BOTH WIRES AT THE SAME TIME....