Last night our power upstairs started blinking, then went off for a few seconds, then went off entirely. My husband has done what he can in the fuse box but says it doesn't appear to be a fuse. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas of what might be wrong?
You need to determine how many lights and outlets are out, and in what rooms. The purpose is to figure if this is an open to part of a circuit or is it a partial power failure coming into the building. If it only involves a few lights and outlets, yet all the circuit breakers are on and functioning,(needs to be determined by opening the panel and checking each breaker with a tester) It is probably a loose connection in an outlet, or at a junction box. Sometimes you can find the location of this type of loose connection by banging on each dead outlet, and each live outlet in the vicinity of the dead outlets. When you bang on an outlet, if the lights flicker, it may be the location of the loose connection
Flickering lights can be caused by a loose wire. If you had a loose wire in the fuse (breaker?) panel or a junction box, it may have finally have worked itself completely open.
(I'll use "fuse" because you did - simply exchange it for breaker if that's what you really have)
You said your husband "has done what he can" in the fuse box. If checking the fuses is all he is confident in doing, then it might be time to call an electrician or a knowledgeable friend.
On the other hand, if he wants to keep looking, he could trying removing the main fuse (or shutting off the main breaker) and removing the front panel. If he can find the wires that go to the 2nd floor, he should start at the panel and check for any loose wires - both hot and neutral.
If all seems well in the panel, he could start tracing the wires and checking the connections in any junction boxes along the run. Keep in mind that any of the outlet and/or switch boxes could be considered a "junction box" in this exercise.
Once again, if your husband is not confident in digging deeper, please err on the side of caution and call someone who is. Tell him to hang around, ask questions and use it as learning opportunity.
Good luck!
bubblegummom wrote:
I check with your neighbors and see if they have any problems. It could be a problem with the power company.
How much of your home is without power? If a small part (5-20%) I would guess it is a loose connection somewhere. Finding it and fixing it is not impossible for the do it yourselfer, but I suspect from your question that it may be a little dangerous for you to try. You need to find (we can't help a lot here) where the problem is and then make sure the power is off (no always simple) and then fix it (not always safe.)
Good Luck
Could be a loose connection in the power panel. Shut off the main breaker/disconnect and make sure all of the screws are tight. If it is a fuse panel (it is old, if it is) remove all of the fuses and inspect them, clean if necessary (or replace) and screw them in firmly.
Second source of this kind of problem is a junction box loose connection. If the junction is in a box that you have access to, bang it firmly with a heavy but soft tool (like a rubber hammer) to determine if you can stimulate the blinking. If yes, then take it apart (after shutting that circuit off) and redo/clean/tighten the connections.
There is a safety issue here, so if you (or hubby) are not basically competent, don't mess with this on your own.
One thing I think is a good idea is to make a list of every outlet and every light in your house and what breaker they're on. After 25 years of owning the house I'm in, I just barely got around to doing that a few months ago (when I bought a generator). Now if I ever have those kind of problems, it will be easier to track down.
RBM (remove this) wrote:
Not liking the symptoms you explained. Presence of a fused box, makes wonder more. If you found the fuses ok in the service box, then get yourself a qualified electrician. Many times it takes years for faults to cause damage, you might have a broken splice, etc.
keep us up to date with your status,
tom @
If it's 50%, they could have lost a phase.
Red
RBM,
My husband says he doesn't think we have a partial power failure coming into the house because our hot water heater is working well.
We don't have circuit breakers, but fuses. It seems they are all working....and we don't seem to have any junction boxes.
Thank you for suggesting banging on the outlets. We tried it but couldn't get any flickering.
My husband says he thinks the problem is in the fuse box, which for some reason is on our back porch, but he can't figure out what is wrong or what is what.
The fuse box is a mess. If getting this fixed costs a lot of money, we can't do it, and I hate having these extension cords run up the stairway. This is miserable, thinking of having to live like this for an extended period of time!
Thank you for your suggestions!
Loretta
RBM (remove this) wrote:
We don't have a list, but I think these are basically the same things that go out when one particular fuse blows, but the fuse isn't blown. But I'm not positive, I'd have to ask my husband, who is sleeping right now.
Thank you!
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:
DerbyDad03,
My husband thinks it is something in the fuse box, but can't see what. I guess he doesn't know how to figure what goes where and has no schematic for the box. It is an old box and really a mess.
My husband does know quite a bit about electrical things, though not an expert, but he has been ill and can't handle things the way he used to.
We're afraid this is a huge expensive job, which we just can't have done.
I'll read him your e-mail again tomorrow and see if he feels he can do more, but these days everything just seems to be overwhelming to him.
Thank you so much for your suggestions!
Loretta
DerbyDad03 wrote:
Mr. Meehan,
The dining room and the upstairs is off. It looks like we are going to have to learn to live this way.
Thank you for your advice!
Loretta
Joseph Meehan wrote:
Red,
What does that mean, "lost a phase?"
Loretta
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote:
Mr. Schuler,
I guess we don't have junction boxes. Tried banging on all of the outlets but nothing flickered.
Yes, it is a fuse panel, and it is old. My husband seems sure that all the fuses are working and he thinks something else in the panel is probably wrong.
Thank you for taking the time to help.
Loretta
Charles Schuler wrote:
Dear Tom the Great,
Why is it you're not liking the symptoms? Frankly, we don't like them either.
What is a broken splice?
Unfortunately qualified electricians cost great big bucks.
Thank you for your input!
Loretta
Tom The Great wrote:
there might be several reason to this, it could be
system21 u568567
Check out his game Galactic Conquest
There are two types of plug fuses used in houses, one has a metal screw on it just like a light bulb, the other type, which is called fusestat or "S" type fuse, has a ceramic screw and is thinner than the other type. This type of fuse screws into an adapter, which in turn screws into the fuse socket on the panel. These fuses need to be very tight in order to make contact, so if this is what you have, have bubblegumdad try a little more elbow grease
...and a NEW fuse, regardless of the APPEARANCE of the old one.
Funerals cost even more.
If you are truly broke, contact your local United Way or similar agency and explain your plight. Like lawyers, there ARE electricians that do "pro bono" work. Heck, I can even "see" a handful doing community service - and helping in your situation would certainly qualify.
Go to the local farm store and ask if they know of anyone that might be able to help. Many churches have electricians in their congregation.
The help you need IS out there, and may not cost nearly as much as you fear.
This is a LOUSY time of year to be without power or with crippled power, especially with health ailments.
Offer a nice, hot meal and I'm sure someone can help for little or nothing. Good luck and may God bless you.
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