Morning and maybe late but still - Happy NY. Most of my kitchen wall outlets went dead this morning. We cook and use all of them. Likely not even enough of them for our needs. The way it all started, I tried to plug a new gismo into available outlet, that we normally do not use. Somehow, plug didn't want to go into the upper outlet, but went into bottom one and the thing worked. Now that got me curious, why it wouldn't plug into the upper one (it's standard single I believe, with 2 outlets). So I tried a few times more, until something like a crack sounded, land line phone beeped, and then about 5 outlets out of 6 went dead. I have 2 outlets, behind the kitchen cook-top, with those blue and red breakers. Our kitchen is pretty much a larger horse shoe shape countertop. Coocktop on one end, sink on the opposite. Wall opposite to coocktop has a bunch of those outlets and the sink side has one more. Now, one outlet on the cooktop right hand side works. The rest of them is dead. Resetting 2 outlets with breakers on the cooktop LEFT hand side produces no effect on the dead ones. And those are the most used ones. Of course, all this happened Friday am right before I have to go to work. So now I have 3 outlet extension cord left behind in the kitchen, to have coffe maker and cattle and phone charger connected. Here's where I need help. Is it safe to assume that the stubborn outlet simply broke and is permanently tripping one of the breakers? How do I figure all this out? Before you help, please, consider 2 things: 1. that I am 89 yo senile grandma that knows nothing of beautiful terminology and tools and 2. that wiring in this house was done by the guy who built it, so I can easily have 3 black wires to the same outlet, or black and 2 greens. He appeared to have used whatever was at hand to do wiring. All SWITCHES appear to be working fine. Why he has 2 outlets with breakers side by side, one controlling circuit all the way across the kitchen, that I do not know. I'd rather not call electrician on this. Shame to do so. Thank you.

I am renovating my basement and one of the first steps I need to move my washer and dryer. Was looking things over to figure out the fittings, boxes, lengths of wire, etc. I need and noticed that the dryer is wired with 12/3 with a ground. It is on a 30 amp breaker. It looks like a two pole (not sure if they all are). Is there any valid reason this would be done like this?