Can a bad wall outlet cause a whole wall to go dead?
#1
02-22-14, 02:38 PM
Can a bad wall outlet cause a whole wall to go dead?
Hi, last night I was turning on my A/V equipment in my master bedroom and all of the sudden boom it all went dead. Now everything on that wall will not work. The ceiling fan/lights, 2 closet lights all of my A/V gear, routers, and even the outlet on the outside of the wall into the den. So, I checked the breaker box and nothing was tripped, but today I went to Lowes and bought a new circuit breaker anyway just to be sure. The old circuit breaker was a 20A and the new one is 30A because I thought it might have just failed instead of tripping. There is a whole lot of current draw on that wall, but no luck. Everything is still dead even after replacing the circuit breaker. I would like to get this fixed as quickly and easily as possible. Also without calling an Electrician if that is at all possible.
Thanks, Jarrod
Thanks, Jarrod
#2
02-22-14, 02:45 PM
So, I checked the breaker box and nothing was tripped
The old circuit breaker was a 20A and the new one is 30A
Last edited by ray2047; 02-22-14 at 04:24 PM.
#3
02-22-14, 02:46 PM
Forum Topic Moderator
Breakers can but, rarely go bad. Secondly you need to install the proper size breaker before you create a fire hazard.
Try the troubleshooting sticky at the top of the forum and let us know what you find out.
Try the troubleshooting sticky at the top of the forum and let us know what you find out.
#4
02-23-14, 08:33 PM
I think I bypassed the problem.
I think the problem was with the actual wiring, so I got an elctrical book and it said to use 10 gauge wire with a 30A breaker. So I ran new wire and replaced the outlet and now everything is working fine. For some reason the washing machine was on the same breaker too, so it is now rewired to a dedicated 20A breaker that has been routed into the garage. Thanks for your advice!
#5
02-24-14, 04:38 AM
But if you don't have any high load appliances connected, 30 amps is too much for a residential set up. The converse of the book you read, would have indicated a 20 amp breaker for 12 gauge wire, which makes more sense. Changing the breaker to 20 amps and replacing any defective wiring would have been better, IMO.
#6
02-24-14, 05:55 AM
Your lack of knowledge is scarey. You read only part of a book, took what you read out of context, and created a non code compliant situation. As Larry wrote by code general purpose 120 volt circuits can not exceed 20 amps. You can leave the #10 but the circuit breaker should be changed to a 20 amp.
#7
02-25-14, 11:52 PM
I'm not that ignorant.
Current only flows by what is being pulled. It isn't like having a 30A breaker is going to be pushing out 30A of current. The Wire can handle the extra load in the event I have ALL of my A/V equipment on and cranked to 11, both closet lights on, the ceiling fan at max, the overhead light burning and maybe a major appliance plugged into the other outlet.
Meeting Code isn't all that important to me I will probably live here for the rest of my life, but in the event that I do leave this house I will defer to your knowledge and install a 20A breaker.
Meeting Code isn't all that important to me I will probably live here for the rest of my life, but in the event that I do leave this house I will defer to your knowledge and install a 20A breaker.
