Electrical short: did something stupid today
#1
09-15-23, 11:43 PM
Electrical short: did something stupid today
So I'm replacing older style plugs and switches.
Turned off the breaker or so I thought!
Seems there are two breakers with same description, didn't check to see if things were hot at plugs. (That's where the stupid comes in)
I replaced 6 of the 11, no problem. Guess I was lucky.
On the 7th one after taking out the screws it was stuck to the wall with old paint. I used my screwdriver to pry and break it loose. Screwdriver in side of plug touched hot terminal to box,shorted out as to be expected. Breaker tripped, checked breaker and saw my mistake. Since power was off now I finished the plug. Turned the breaker back on it won't go on.
Pulled the plug disconnected wiring, tried breaker again.
Same thing.
I thought bad breaker and disconnected hot from breaker.
Turned on breaker and it's good.
Didn't have meter with me check for short on wiring.
If I shorted to ground like I did is there something else I could have done to not be able to reset breaker
Turned off the breaker or so I thought!
Seems there are two breakers with same description, didn't check to see if things were hot at plugs. (That's where the stupid comes in)
I replaced 6 of the 11, no problem. Guess I was lucky.
On the 7th one after taking out the screws it was stuck to the wall with old paint. I used my screwdriver to pry and break it loose. Screwdriver in side of plug touched hot terminal to box,shorted out as to be expected. Breaker tripped, checked breaker and saw my mistake. Since power was off now I finished the plug. Turned the breaker back on it won't go on.
Pulled the plug disconnected wiring, tried breaker again.
Same thing.
I thought bad breaker and disconnected hot from breaker.
Turned on breaker and it's good.
Didn't have meter with me check for short on wiring.
If I shorted to ground like I did is there something else I could have done to not be able to reset breaker
Top Answer
09-16-23, 01:23 AM
Did you reconnect the wire to the breaker again after you tried resetting the breaker after removing the wire? You may have reset the breaker after removing the wire but not the times trying before you removed the wire.
Breakers take some force to reset. Connect the wire to the breaker again. Try resetting the breaker. you have to apply some force to the "off" position first and then to the "on" position. When a breaker trips many people think yu just flip it to "on" - you need to turn it off first and then back to on.
Double check your other single pole breakers. Wiggle each one back and forth gently. If you find one that is far more loose then the other ones then that may be a breaker that haS tripped.
Also, I would check all GFCI receptacles in the house. No matter where they are located. Normally a dead short on a circuit will not trp a GFCI but you may have caused a ground fault when working live so you may have tripped a GFCI upstream on the circuit. GFCI receptacles should be checked monthly anyway so going around and resetting all of them won't hurt them and you will be testing them at the same time. Press the "test" button first on each one and then with the very tip of your finger push hard on the "reset" button. You may find that you had tripped a GFCI in the midterm working and not realized it. Testing the GFCIs is the first line of troubleshooting. Again, does not matter where a GFCI is located, test them all.
Next time you work on switches and reptacles test them first to be sure the p;ower is off. Also, on a rainy day grab your neighbor, offer him a beer and map out the receptacles and lights in your home and then do the same for him. One at each receptacle and flip breakers until the receptacle is dead. Plug a lamp into the receptacle before flipping the breakers. Or if you are home alone plug in a radio and turn up the volume. Flip until the radio goes off. Make a quick drawing/layout of your home floor by floor, mark your receptacles and light switches and make note next to each of them what breaker number controls it. This way in the future you know what breaker controls what and you won't "spark out" the circuit.
Breakers take some force to reset. Connect the wire to the breaker again. Try resetting the breaker. you have to apply some force to the "off" position first and then to the "on" position. When a breaker trips many people think yu just flip it to "on" - you need to turn it off first and then back to on.
Double check your other single pole breakers. Wiggle each one back and forth gently. If you find one that is far more loose then the other ones then that may be a breaker that haS tripped.
Also, I would check all GFCI receptacles in the house. No matter where they are located. Normally a dead short on a circuit will not trp a GFCI but you may have caused a ground fault when working live so you may have tripped a GFCI upstream on the circuit. GFCI receptacles should be checked monthly anyway so going around and resetting all of them won't hurt them and you will be testing them at the same time. Press the "test" button first on each one and then with the very tip of your finger push hard on the "reset" button. You may find that you had tripped a GFCI in the midterm working and not realized it. Testing the GFCIs is the first line of troubleshooting. Again, does not matter where a GFCI is located, test them all.
Next time you work on switches and reptacles test them first to be sure the p;ower is off. Also, on a rainy day grab your neighbor, offer him a beer and map out the receptacles and lights in your home and then do the same for him. One at each receptacle and flip breakers until the receptacle is dead. Plug a lamp into the receptacle before flipping the breakers. Or if you are home alone plug in a radio and turn up the volume. Flip until the radio goes off. Make a quick drawing/layout of your home floor by floor, mark your receptacles and light switches and make note next to each of them what breaker number controls it. This way in the future you know what breaker controls what and you won't "spark out" the circuit.
#2
09-16-23, 01:23 AM
Did you reconnect the wire to the breaker again after you tried resetting the breaker after removing the wire? You may have reset the breaker after removing the wire but not the times trying before you removed the wire.
Breakers take some force to reset. Connect the wire to the breaker again. Try resetting the breaker. you have to apply some force to the "off" position first and then to the "on" position. When a breaker trips many people think yu just flip it to "on" - you need to turn it off first and then back to on.
Double check your other single pole breakers. Wiggle each one back and forth gently. If you find one that is far more loose then the other ones then that may be a breaker that haS tripped.
Also, I would check all GFCI receptacles in the house. No matter where they are located. Normally a dead short on a circuit will not trp a GFCI but you may have caused a ground fault when working live so you may have tripped a GFCI upstream on the circuit. GFCI receptacles should be checked monthly anyway so going around and resetting all of them won't hurt them and you will be testing them at the same time. Press the "test" button first on each one and then with the very tip of your finger push hard on the "reset" button. You may find that you had tripped a GFCI in the midterm working and not realized it. Testing the GFCIs is the first line of troubleshooting. Again, does not matter where a GFCI is located, test them all.
Next time you work on switches and reptacles test them first to be sure the p;ower is off. Also, on a rainy day grab your neighbor, offer him a beer and map out the receptacles and lights in your home and then do the same for him. One at each receptacle and flip breakers until the receptacle is dead. Plug a lamp into the receptacle before flipping the breakers. Or if you are home alone plug in a radio and turn up the volume. Flip until the radio goes off. Make a quick drawing/layout of your home floor by floor, mark your receptacles and light switches and make note next to each of them what breaker number controls it. This way in the future you know what breaker controls what and you won't "spark out" the circuit.
Breakers take some force to reset. Connect the wire to the breaker again. Try resetting the breaker. you have to apply some force to the "off" position first and then to the "on" position. When a breaker trips many people think yu just flip it to "on" - you need to turn it off first and then back to on.
Double check your other single pole breakers. Wiggle each one back and forth gently. If you find one that is far more loose then the other ones then that may be a breaker that haS tripped.
Also, I would check all GFCI receptacles in the house. No matter where they are located. Normally a dead short on a circuit will not trp a GFCI but you may have caused a ground fault when working live so you may have tripped a GFCI upstream on the circuit. GFCI receptacles should be checked monthly anyway so going around and resetting all of them won't hurt them and you will be testing them at the same time. Press the "test" button first on each one and then with the very tip of your finger push hard on the "reset" button. You may find that you had tripped a GFCI in the midterm working and not realized it. Testing the GFCIs is the first line of troubleshooting. Again, does not matter where a GFCI is located, test them all.
Next time you work on switches and reptacles test them first to be sure the p;ower is off. Also, on a rainy day grab your neighbor, offer him a beer and map out the receptacles and lights in your home and then do the same for him. One at each receptacle and flip breakers until the receptacle is dead. Plug a lamp into the receptacle before flipping the breakers. Or if you are home alone plug in a radio and turn up the volume. Flip until the radio goes off. Make a quick drawing/layout of your home floor by floor, mark your receptacles and light switches and make note next to each of them what breaker number controls it. This way in the future you know what breaker controls what and you won't "spark out" the circuit.
CircuitBreaker,
Kooter
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