New guy DIY wire extension


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Old 07-03-14, 12:08 AM
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New guy DIY wire extension

Hi Guys, Ill try to make this short and sweet to see if I can get the best detailed answer.

I am a DIY'er at almost anything I can think of. I have recently been remodeling my house and tackling each aspect as they come.

The passed few days I have removed a non load bearing wall, in the wall were water lines to upstairs and 5 wires, 4 are 12/2 one is 14/2.

Water lines were successfully relocated to the nearest wall to be housed in a column then I moved onto the electrical.

The wiring is for Master bedroom, Right rear bedroom, Left rear bedroom, Bathroom GFI and 2nd Floor lighting. 2nd floor lighting is the 14/2 of the group.

I measured my wiring and made my cuts in the basement, relocated the wiring and that resulted in a gap of about 8 feet between the 2 ends of the cut.

I used three junction boxes at each end, a 4x4 at each end with 3 connections and (2) 2x4s at each end each with a singe connection. (Ill add a rough sketch)

I used cable clamps on each entry and nuts on all the connections. looked it all over and flipped the power back on. Everything was fine until my girlfriend was in the master bedroom and had the window A/C running for a bit. When she plugged the vacuum in, the ac and vacuum shut off. I check the breaker and it was not tripped. I had to run to work for the night so I just cut the power to the 5 wires I had been working on until tomorrow.

After reading it appears I may have made a few mistakes.

1.) I did not ground the metal junction boxes, only spliced and nutted the ground wires to each other.

2.) I used 12/2 in between my junction box for the 14/2 wire.

3.) I MAY have over tightened the cable clamps, only guessing.

Based on what happened (A/C running fine and the vacuum for a few seconds, but no breaker tripped) what do you guys think happened? Did I fry some wiring along the path?

My plans for the morning are:

1.) Get to house and confirm power is off to all areas I worked on
2.) Ground the boxes properly with Pigtales and #10-32 Green screws
3.) Following wiring from breaker box to junction box to 2nd junction box up to 2nd floor
4.) Check insulation under cable clamps for damage
5.) Address any potential issues and restore power and watch closely for identifiers.

Any thoughts are welcome, always willing to learn.
 
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Last edited by PITT M3 RR; 07-03-14 at 12:30 AM. Reason: spelling
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Old 07-03-14, 12:32 AM
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Welcome to the forums.

1.) I did not ground the metal junction boxes, only spliced and nutted the ground wires to each other. Needs to be done but won't cause your problem.

2.) I used 12/2 in between my junction box for the 14/2 wire. That's ok and won't cause your problem either.

3.) I MAY have over tightened the cable clamps, only guessing. Overtightening the clamps can cause a breaker to trip if the wires get squeezed together..... also not your problem here.

One of the wires may have broken off in one of your splices or the splice isn't tight.
 
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Old 07-03-14, 12:39 AM
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Hey thanks for late night response. Yes, first thing tomorrow after confirming power is off is to pigtail and ground those 6 boxes. Good to know on the wiring, Ill eliminate that from my potential problems. lastly, thanks for clarifying that. I thought that because I didn't ground the boxes, that is why the breaker didn't trip. Is it weird the A/C ran for about 35 minutes, and then the vacuum for about a minute or two and THEN it all just shut off? Does that sound problem specific?

Luckily, the master bedroom connection was made in a single box so I can begin the fix only concentrating on those connections. Any other tips are appreciated.
 
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Old 07-03-14, 06:16 AM
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my girlfriend was in the master bedroom and had the window A/C running for a bit. When she plugged the vacuum in, the ac and vacuum shut off. I check the breaker and it was not tripped.
Are you absolutely certain the breaker didn't trip? Many times the position of the breaker handle won't change although internally the breaker is tripped. Did you try turning the breaker firmly to the off position and resetting it?

Look at the data plate on the vacuum and see how many amps it draws, probably around 12 to 13. Consider that load along with the load of the window A-C while the compressor is running. I am pretty sure those two loads together on the same circuit could have tripped the breaker. What else on that circuit was running when the breaker tripped?

Where did you locate the junction boxes closest to the second floor? Did you locate them so they will be forever accessible?
 
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Old 07-03-14, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by CasualJoe
Are you absolutely certain the breaker didn't trip? Many times the position of the breaker handle won't change although internally the breaker is tripped. Did you try turning the breaker firmly to the off position and resetting it?

Look at the data plate on the vacuum and see how many amps it draws, probably around 12 to 13. Consider that load along with the load of the window A-C while the compressor is running. I am pretty sure those two loads together on the same circuit could have tripped the breaker. What else on that circuit was running when the breaker tripped?

Where did you locate the junction boxes closest to the second floor? Did you locate them so they will be forever accessible?
Alright I will check the vacuum specs when I get over there today. This 4 hours of sleep a night isn't cutting it.

Anyway, I am pretty sure that I double checked the specific breaker and the others I tripped by hand and then restored power as well. After my check list above ill confirm full trip and restore one last time.

Since I was painting in the room, I only had those two appliances operating. A/C for awhile and the vacuum maybe a minte or two.

Both sets of boxes are secured to joists in the basement. I measured so when I cut and relocated the wiring, the new 8 foot gap would be along the basement ceiling. All new connections are permanently accessible and labeled.

After reading a bit more, I hear that a gfi in another location could have tripped and be causing my problem? Does this sound plausible?

Thanks for the help, heading to get those grounds and screws now for rewire. How can I safeguard against cable clamp damage (too tight)? Is there a certain method used? How tight should they be exactly?
 
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Old 07-03-14, 11:52 AM
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After reading a bit more, I hear that a gfi in another location could have tripped and be causing my problem? Does this sound plausible?
By all means, check the easy things first. It shouldn't have been wired that way, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility either.
 
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Old 07-03-14, 12:39 PM
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Originally Posted by CasualJoe
By all means, check the easy things first. It shouldn't have been wired that way, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility either.
Checked all gfi's, they're all fine. Just grabbed a test light, receptical tester and true grounds / #10-32 green screws and heading home to ground and then follow the masterBR wiring. Ill report back! Thanks guys.

Also A/C is 15A and the Vacuum is 12A...so yea, not doing that again.
 

Last edited by PITT M3 RR; 07-03-14 at 01:08 PM. Reason: Added amperage
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Old 07-06-14, 12:24 AM
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Figured out my problem, after making the boxes safe by ground, tracked back and found a fried wire nut on the hot in the second junction box. Cut back to fresh wire, re secured and all is well.

Thanks a ton everyone, much appreciated.
 
 

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