I had a flood in my basement and some drywall/sheetrock had to be repaired.Since then one of my baseboard heaters doesn,t work.It is only getting 110 not 220.I think there must be a break in the wires or a loose connection.How can I detect where the problem is?OIs there a tool I can hook up.I don,t want to end up with the mess of ripping out all the drywall again if I can avoid it.

 

Check all the connections. If nothing is found then replace the cable. If you find the break you need to splice it in an accessible box. The wire won't be long enough to make a splice(it won't stretch). You need 6 inches of both ends sticking out of the box. Might as well go ahead and replace the cable.

 

The insulation and drywall is back on and covering up the connections.I was wondering if there was a tool or meter I could hook up to help me find the problem.I can,t see how a new line could be run from the panel to the heater unless you cut all the wall up.

 

That is a code violation and must be fixed. ALL connection must be in an accessible box. You can not bury a connection inside a wall just for the reason of the problem you have now.

 

It could be a srew or something has pierced through one of the wires.I need to know how to find out where the problem is.The contractor who did the repairs suggested running the a new wire behind the baseboard...now that would be a code violation
Also where is the 110 that is coming out of the panel but not the end of the wire going to the heater ending up?????

 

Also where is the 110 that is coming out of the panel but not the end of the wire going to the heater ending up?????


That question does not make sense.

 

Why would running a new wire behind the baseboard be a violation. If you remove the baseboard and drill the studs and feed the wire, I don't see a problem.
Even if you find the break you will need a box to repair it.
If it is a screw then the screw will have power on it as it is probably in contact with the wire. Get and extension cord and measure from the ground hole to the screws in the drywall.

 

I'd also like to add that if the water came in contact with any of the baseboard heating or any electrical equipment to apoint where it was underwater {even barely} it & the wire feeding it should be replaced as well.

 

Sorry..there is 220 coming from the panel and 110 out of one wire..where is the other 110 ending up.
And when they mean running it behind the baseboard,they mean just that.It would run along the floor up and around the the cold room door and along the floor to the panel in the basement.There other idea was running it from the main panel in the garage ,OUTSIDE through conduit and then down into the basement.

 

A straight 220 system consists of two hot wires plus a ground wire. Under normal operations the ground wire does not carry current.

Each hot wire is at 110 volts with respect to ground. However, with respect to each other the diffrerence is 220 volts. If you break either hot wire then you break the circuit, and no current flows. However, if you take a voltmeter and measure the voltage of each wire to the ground wire, you will see 110 on the intact wire and nothing (or perhaps a phantom voltage) on the broken wire.

Your baseboard heat is straight 220. If you verified that the circuit breaker panel connections are intact, and if you only measure voltage on one hot wire at the thermostat and/or at the heater itself then there is a break in the wire that measure no voltage somewhere between the panel and first location where you measure no voltage.

 

The electrician wants to come on Monday to fix the problem.I need to know my options before he shows up so I don,t get into a big mess I don,t want

 

Anybody?Electrician is coming on Monday and i want to be prepared.

 

We've already told you the options. Find the break in the wire and repair it or run a new wire. Running a new wire is usually, but not always, easier.

Even if you can find the break, there may not be enough line to add a junction box and make a repair, so you may end up replacing the line anyway, or at least a portion of it.

 

Trouble is I don,t think the electrician is looking at right place to find break and wants to put in a new linw.The only way I can see of running a new line would be cutting out the drywall and insulationand drilling through the studs.Is that correct?
I realize the contractor is responsible for the wire problem in the first place but I am smart enough to not want to have a giant mess eventhough he,s paying for this.The electrician has come up with such genious ideas as running conduit along the front outside my house and then to the basement(wouldn,t that look nice?) or using a 110 heater (that isn,t efficient or what I had before)

 

Some thoughts to consider:

• The electrician is charging by the hour. The most cost effective use of his time is to get in and out quickly, and that probably means a new line.
• The electrician doesn't have to fix the drywall so he's not going to spend a lot of time trying to avoid it, especially since drywall damage is very likely even if he does spend time searching for the break.
• Drywall repair is pretty easy stuff for an experienced person.
• Replacing the line is your best chance of fixing the problem completely the first time.
• Bottom line, in my opinion, let them do the job right. Messes can be cleaned up.

 

Don not let them convert to 110volt heater. That cable is damaged and you you don't know the extent of that damage.

 

Yes,drywall can be repaired but would thet not have to cut a 2 or 4 inch band out and drill through the centre of the studs to feed the wire in properly?

 

There are a hundred different ways to put in a new line. Without seeing it, I can't guess the appropriate way for your situation.

 

Picture a fully finished insulated basement with a sheet rock ceiling and 30 feet between the panel and the heater.Does a wire not have to run in the middle of the wooden studs to meet building code?

 

Not necessarily.

 

Outside of shielded cable or conduit how else could you do it?

 

Electricians are masters at fishing wire.

 

Not these ones as it is some franchise outlet called Mr Electric and they have kids working for them.They didn,t arrive as planned last week so I,d really like to have a game plan in play before they arrive.

 

Why would you let them in then? Find your own electrician and bill the contractor.

 

I don,t know any electricians around so the restoration company chose these guys.Just using common sense it doesn,t seem right or feasiable what they are planning.I realize the contractor is on the hook for the costs which I really don,t care about.It would be the mesas created cutting into the drywall now that the new carpets and everything are in.