I was doing some work on installing a new outlet. I went started turning off circuit by circuit and the power would not go off. I then threw the main breaker and added the outlet and then put my circuit tracer ( sends a tone on the line) only to find the outlet was on both circuit #5 & #9. Is there a quick way to find this cross over? In this 15 year old Cutler Hammer load center and #5 & #9 are on the same phase. Is this a dangerous situation? These combined circuits power all garage & breezeway power, 2 kit outlets, 2 kit ceiling lites, and 1 outlet in the dining rm. There was easy access to junction boxes for the breeze way and garage so I systematically disconnected all hot connection in these boxes. However the circuits are still tied. In the load center these two circuits are wire correctly and exit the box and enter the basement ceiling in two separate bx cables. Any thoughts???? [This message has been edited by jackrick (edited March 10, 2000).]

Our house was built in 1957. We have a low voltage wiring system. It works most of the time. The high voltage lines enter a transformer box and go through relay units and out to the switch plates through the house. One small remote box with six relays serves one part of the house, and a several others all together serve the rest. We have one relay that seems to work during warm weather, but not when the attic area is cold. Sometimes the bathroom light cannot be turned off for several weeks! Several times, when one push plate was stuck down, the whole house was frozen--no on or off--until we unstuck the switch! Two lights are connected to two different switch plates, but most connect to just one. The units for the switch plates are locked together unlike the switchplates you normally would install, so painting means pulling the whole thing out of the wall. We cannot figure out how a dimmer switch might be installed. What is involved with changing this set up to the standard wiring and switches? Oddly, there are a few of the traditional flip switches in the house and garage. Each one of these relay units costs $37, and as they go (like the one I mentioned) we can change them out. Replacing the 20 or more over time (we are told they will begin failing in the next few years) is expensive, and also quite time consuming. Having the place rewired is also expensive! We can do some of this ourselves, but hiring an electrician is very expensive. Any suggestions about what we can do?