Monday, December 14, 2015

Troubleshooting Electrical Nightmares Service Call's Residential

Basic electrical knowledge is essential hot, line, load. neutral, ground. Knowing what each part is and what they correctly should be used for. Well all that goes out the window usually when troubleshooting older residential electrical panel/fuse box locations aka home's.

Example here is 2nd floor bedroom lights and outlets ?

 Troubleshooting 2nd fl br rm s1,lights,outlet.all not working. But 1 outlet in the ceiling is working for a lamp operated by 1 s1, yes a outlet is in the ceiling. But the 2 light fixtures are not working when the single pole switch aka s1 is operated? Other room wall outlets are not working either?

Discovered switched neutral meaning the light still had power with the switch off but no path to ground. Hum wonder what's up here? Client poor can not upgrade wiring harness it worked once make it work again. Well alrighty then let's look at the numbers Further discovery of original wiring harness over 40 openings on 1 20 /amp single pole breaker hum the plot thickens. 
Panel box main location filled with 4 piggyback  hot, line, load. neutral, ground and amazement of wires here there and everywhere inside the main breaker panel. 
Ok Client poor can not upgrade wiring harness it worked once make it work again.

Solution

4 new afci protected 15/amp single pole breaker. Rearranged
wiring inside main breaker location to step down highest amp cloest to main largest amp down the buss bar. 4 transfers piggyback  hot, line, load. Transfer above lods to new 200/amp sub panel  neutral, ground and amazement of wires here there and everywhere inside the panel rearage as necessary.
Clean the mess of wires here there and everywhere inside the main breaker panel. Then pigtail each original opening/device true serious tap wired to proper openings  (40 openings to 4 new 15/amp 1/pole afci breaker) this would take 1 new 200/amp 2/pole breaker to feed new 200/amp sub panel 30 space and transfer the piggyback mess of wires from main panel to sub panel with zero piggyback breakers as necessary. Ok now everything here there and everywhere  is true series circuit step down highest amp main on down and subpeaneld and new breakers as required.

My thoughts on this nightmare electrical harness and to make it work once make it work again  is that it's all in the numbers and they don't lie. Either do any electrical work correctly and consider also that safety from the start on down the line load neutral true serious circuit will provide proper #4 bare copper to earth ground rod protection. 1-room pigtailed according folded true serious circuit many more to go and All repaired. after many grueling hours of tone generating original wiring harness on to the next one boy's. Ok Client poor can not upgrade wiring harness it worked once make it work again






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