The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise.
Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow.
** There is a short circuit on the load side of that switch. Whatever light, that switch controls, or the wiring leading to it, has a problem. If you want to use other things on that circuit, just tape the switch "off", and there won't be any problem using other things on that circuit. Have the short checked by someone who is experienced in these matters
First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on.
If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV
So when you say in the "off" postion do you mean so that the lights aren't on or do you mean there is actually an off position? There are actually three switches there for three different lights. Then there is another switch in the hallway for one of those lights. Then there's a switch at the top of the stairs for two of those lights. So depending on how you flip the switches, there is no actual "off" position. So I assume you mean "off" as in the lights aren't on.
How complicated is this problem? Would it be as simple as removing the plate and checking and fixing what's behind it?
So when you say in the "off" postion do you mean so that the lights aren't on or do you mean there is actually an off position? There are actually three switches there for three different lights. Then there is another switch in the hallway for one of those lights. Then there's a switch at the top of the stairs for two of those lights. So depending on how you flip the switches, there is no actual "off" position. So I assume you mean "off" as in the lights aren't on.
How complicated is this problem? Would it be as simple as removing the plate and checking and fixing what's behind it?
Thanks, Jo
Whichever switch you touched, that made the breaker trip, leave in the "pre short" position. If there is a corresponding switch, to that one, that operates the same light(s), don't touch that one either. Put tape on them, so noone else touches them as well. The other switches and outlets on that circuit should be fine. No, it's not necessarily going to be a problem at or behind the switch plate. More than likely, it's a problem with one of the lights that the switch operates, especially if it's an outdoor light
First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on.
If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV
First of all Haller, she just said, the breaker tripped when she turned on a light switch. Unless her light switch operates a table lamp, the problem isn't going to be with anything "plugged in". Second, if you did have a short in something plugged in, and followed your advice, by unplugging everything, resetting the breaker, then plugging things back in, you'd get a face full of hot sparks when you tried to plug in the shorted device. No wonder everyone who you've helped with electrical problems, has had fires in their houses, you're a menace
She earlier mentioned her TV is plugged into that circuit, so its not just lights, she was concerened the breaker tripping might damage her tv... and the most common shorts are small appliances.
I seriously doubt anyone would get a faceful of sparks, plugs are designed to prevent that.....
she could plug each item into a terminal strip and use the strips switch to power on test each plugged in appliance.
please document anyone who has had a home fire from my advice!!!
and to the OP no its not just a matter of removing a cover
And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow.
And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow.
OK, let me translate "her words" for you. Other outlets, including the one her TV is plugged into, are on the same circuit as the faulty light switch. She is asking if it is safe to use those outlets, provided she doesn't turn on the "faulty switch"
Had a similar problem once. Turned out the box was cockeyed in the wall, and they 'englished' the switch to get it as close to vertical as possible. This was a large switch with a dimmer, so clearance was marginal anyway. The screws holding switch to box had worked loose, and the hot screw got close enough to the box to short out and trip breaker. FWIU, this is a common problem when boxes are too deep in wall, and they 'float' the device on the drywall with the mounting ears, or on a stack of washers or twist of wire, instead of using a proper extension ring.
The fact that it happened right when switch was touched, tells me that it is most likely the switch. If it was me, I'd open that up, and since they are so cheap, probably replace it just for giggles, in case it has an internal fault. Of course, if OP has to pay somebody to do that, they should have them check out the entire string, since a 1-hour service call probably cost the same as a 5-minute call.
If screw to box clearance is in any way questionable (or if I've used Madison hangers) I always like to wrap the device with a length of electrical tape to prevent just this problem.
Everyone has overlooked the possibility that the "light" that the OP is turning on may contain a faulty electric light bulb. If she is turning on the lights by turning on a light switch by her front door, and the bulb in the fixture that she expects to light up when she turns on the switch has failed and developed an internal short, she will get exactly the situation described. Haven't many of us seen a breaker trip when a light bulb fails??? Disconnecting all applianes that are plugged in, that are on the same circuit, will not solve the problem if a bulb in a ceiling hallway fixture, for example, has a shorted light bulb.
Do as stated above. Also, remove the lightbulb in that fixture. It's rare, but can happen that the bulb filament support wires touch each other inside the bulb. If it still trips when you turn on that switch, open the switch box and inspect the switch and wiring inside that box. (with the breaker turned off). Sometimes a switch can come apart or a bare ground wire touched the switch's wire screws. Or there could be a pinched wire inside that box and it will look bare or burned. If that dont fix it, remove the light fixture that the switch controls and look for bare or burnt wires. If the fixture wires are burned, replace the fixture. If the supply wires are burnt inside that box, you may need an electrician. If none of this fixes it, you probably need to call an electrician anyhow, because there's a short in the wiring in the walls, but I'd bet the problem is either in the switch box or fixture. If you have any DIY skills, you can likely fix this, just be sure the breaker is OFF when you open any wiring boxes, and use a flashlight to carefully check for bare or burnt wiring. Remove the lightbulb FIRST. No sense ripping stuff apart because of a shorted bulb, adn if it's a CF bulb, those too can short out.
There is some problem in the wires to that light, or the light fixture itself.
I don't know what you mean by piggybacked?? But I gather everything was working until the other night, so I'm curious to know what you mean, but I doubt it's the problem.
I doubt very much if there will be. The off position he mentioned was the position before you tried to turn the light on. If you have 3-way switches**, two switches controlling the same light, leave both of them the way they were. If you turned one on and blew the breaker, and didn't turn it back off, turn it back off and leave it that way. (Most people automatically turn a switch off if something goes wrong when they turn it on, if they know something went wrong. You hear the weird noise, so you probably already turned it off. You'll know when you reset the breaker.
** They call them 3-way, but they are really 2-way, so don't wonder which is the third way.
It will be okay.
It's not especially likely that the problem will be behind the wall switch. You could take off the plate if you want, and look for soot or black marks on the inside of the plate, or anywhere near the switch in question. That woudl be clue there was a problem in that area, but I really don't expect it. Is your house more than 60 years old? when did they still use cloth insulated wires. 80 years ago? That kind of insulation can go bad and fall off just sitting around in the wall for
80 years, but even then the wires wouldn't be touching each other.
It's more likely it's in the light fixture, which gets rained and snowed on, at the wires or the socket. I've never had a burned-out light bulb cause a short circuit, which is what you have. When my bulbs burn out, they just "open" and I have an open circuit, which is like having one more switch in the circuit which is turned off. It's like having a water pipe with a valve closed. A short circuit is like having a water pipe with a hole in it, except with electricity, the leaking wire has to touch something that conducts electricity and is connected to a return path. Water will just go anywhere.
It wouldn't hurt to unscrew the light bulb some, or even to change the bulb, but I wouldn't throw away the old bulb without testing it in a lamp. It's probably fine.
If the light switch has any outets on it with anything plugged in, UNPLUG ALL THAT STUFF! and see if the problem goes away.
I have several switches here that turn on not just lights but outlets too.
One is at the front door, it tuns on the outlets for the living room lights, all floor and table lamps since theres no cieling fixture, the living room switch is ganged, with a lamp outside the front door and a switch for a driveway flood light.
OP may have ganged switches like that, they are pretty common so something plugged into a outlet thats switch controlled could have a short. In my case a living room light.......
That was how I read it too. The switch controls the lights by the front door. Most people don't have the TV on a switch at all, let alone one the same one that controls the lights by the front door.
I've been an electrician for over forty years and I've never seen an overload of the type you are hypothesizing trip a breaker as soon as the load was energized. I haven't seen every fault type there is to see yet but that doesn't seem the most likely cause of the problem as described.
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