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#1
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my
front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo |
#2
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
"Jo" wrote in message ... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo ** There is a short circuit on the load side of that switch. Whatever light, that switch controls, or the wiring leading to it, has a problem. If you want to use other things on that circuit, just tape the switch "off", and there won't be any problem using other things on that circuit. Have the short checked by someone who is experienced in these matters |
#3
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 5:16*pm, Jo wrote:
The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on. If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV |
#4
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 4:38*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"Jo" wrote in message ... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo ** There is a short circuit on the load side of that switch. Whatever light, that switch controls, or the wiring leading to it, has a problem. If you want to use other things on that circuit, just tape the switch "off", and there won't be any problem using other things on that circuit. Have the short checked by someone who is experienced in these matters So when you say in the "off" postion do you mean so that the lights aren't on or do you mean there is actually an off position? There are actually three switches there for three different lights. Then there is another switch in the hallway for one of those lights. Then there's a switch at the top of the stairs for two of those lights. So depending on how you flip the switches, there is no actual "off" position. So I assume you mean "off" as in the lights aren't on. How complicated is this problem? Would it be as simple as removing the plate and checking and fixing what's behind it? Thanks, Jo |
#5
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 5:57*pm, Jo wrote:
On Apr 23, 4:38*pm, "RBM" wrote: "Jo" wrote in message .... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo ** There is a short circuit on the load side of that switch. Whatever light, that switch controls, or the wiring leading to it, has a problem. If you want to use other things on that circuit, just tape the switch "off", and there won't be any problem using other things on that circuit. Have the short checked by someone who is experienced in these matters So when you say in the "off" postion do you mean so that the lights aren't on or do you mean there is actually an off position? There are actually three switches there for three different lights. Then there is another switch in the hallway for one of those lights. Then there's a switch at the top of the stairs for two of those lights. So depending on how you flip the switches, there is no actual "off" position. So I assume you mean "off" as in the lights aren't on. How complicated is this problem? Would it be as simple as removing the plate and checking and fixing what's behind it? Thanks, Jo- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - FiRST, unplug everything, reset breaker and see if it trips again! Most shorts are lugged in things so elminate them first! |
#6
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 5:57*pm, Jo wrote:
On Apr 23, 4:38*pm, "RBM" wrote: "Jo" wrote in message .... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo ** There is a short circuit on the load side of that switch. Whatever light, that switch controls, or the wiring leading to it, has a problem. If you want to use other things on that circuit, just tape the switch "off", and there won't be any problem using other things on that circuit. Have the short checked by someone who is experienced in these matters So when you say in the "off" postion do you mean so that the lights aren't on or do you mean there is actually an off position? There are actually three switches there for three different lights. Then there is another switch in the hallway for one of those lights. Then there's a switch at the top of the stairs for two of those lights. So depending on how you flip the switches, there is no actual "off" position. So I assume you mean "off" as in the lights aren't on. How complicated is this problem? Would it be as simple as removing the plate and checking and fixing what's behind it? Thanks, Jo- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - plugged in things, typo sorry |
#7
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
"Jo" wrote in message ... On Apr 23, 4:38 pm, "RBM" wrote: "Jo" wrote in message ... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo ** There is a short circuit on the load side of that switch. Whatever light, that switch controls, or the wiring leading to it, has a problem. If you want to use other things on that circuit, just tape the switch "off", and there won't be any problem using other things on that circuit. Have the short checked by someone who is experienced in these matters So when you say in the "off" postion do you mean so that the lights aren't on or do you mean there is actually an off position? There are actually three switches there for three different lights. Then there is another switch in the hallway for one of those lights. Then there's a switch at the top of the stairs for two of those lights. So depending on how you flip the switches, there is no actual "off" position. So I assume you mean "off" as in the lights aren't on. How complicated is this problem? Would it be as simple as removing the plate and checking and fixing what's behind it? Thanks, Jo Whichever switch you touched, that made the breaker trip, leave in the "pre short" position. If there is a corresponding switch, to that one, that operates the same light(s), don't touch that one either. Put tape on them, so noone else touches them as well. The other switches and outlets on that circuit should be fine. No, it's not necessarily going to be a problem at or behind the switch plate. More than likely, it's a problem with one of the lights that the switch operates, especially if it's an outdoor light |
#8
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
"bob haller" wrote in message ... On Apr 23, 5:16 pm, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on. If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV First of all Haller, she just said, the breaker tripped when she turned on a light switch. Unless her light switch operates a table lamp, the problem isn't going to be with anything "plugged in". Second, if you did have a short in something plugged in, and followed your advice, by unplugging everything, resetting the breaker, then plugging things back in, you'd get a face full of hot sparks when you tried to plug in the shorted device. No wonder everyone who you've helped with electrical problems, has had fires in their houses, you're a menace |
#9
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 6:26*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"bob haller" wrote in message ... On Apr 23, 5:16 pm, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on. If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV First of all Haller, she just said, the breaker tripped when she turned on a light switch. Unless her light switch operates a table lamp, the problem isn't going to be with anything "plugged in". Second, if you did have a short in something plugged in, and followed your advice, by unplugging everything, resetting the breaker, then plugging things back in, you'd get a face full of hot sparks when you tried to plug in the shorted device. No wonder everyone who you've helped with electrical problems, has had fires in their houses, you're a menace- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - She earlier mentioned her TV is plugged into that circuit, so its not just lights, she was concerened the breaker tripping might damage her tv... and the most common shorts are small appliances. I seriously doubt anyone would get a faceful of sparks, plugs are designed to prevent that..... she could plug each item into a terminal strip and use the strips switch to power on test each plugged in appliance. please document anyone who has had a home fire from my advice!!! and to the OP no its not just a matter of removing a cover |
#10
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 6:26*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"bob haller" wrote in message ... On Apr 23, 5:16 pm, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on. If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV First of all Haller, she just said, the breaker tripped when she turned on a light switch. Unless her light switch operates a table lamp, the problem isn't going to be with anything "plugged in". Second, if you did have a short in something plugged in, and followed your advice, by unplugging everything, resetting the breaker, then plugging things back in, you'd get a face full of hot sparks when you tried to plug in the shorted device. No wonder everyone who you've helped with electrical problems, has had fires in their houses, you're a menace- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - her words. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. |
#11
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
"bob haller" wrote in message ... On Apr 23, 6:26 pm, "RBM" wrote: "bob haller" wrote in message ... On Apr 23, 5:16 pm, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on. If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV First of all Haller, she just said, the breaker tripped when she turned on a light switch. Unless her light switch operates a table lamp, the problem isn't going to be with anything "plugged in". Second, if you did have a short in something plugged in, and followed your advice, by unplugging everything, resetting the breaker, then plugging things back in, you'd get a face full of hot sparks when you tried to plug in the shorted device. No wonder everyone who you've helped with electrical problems, has had fires in their houses, you're a menace- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - her words. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. OK, let me translate "her words" for you. Other outlets, including the one her TV is plugged into, are on the same circuit as the faulty light switch. She is asking if it is safe to use those outlets, provided she doesn't turn on the "faulty switch" |
#12
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On 4/23/2011 5:16 PM, Jo wrote:
The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo Had a similar problem once. Turned out the box was cockeyed in the wall, and they 'englished' the switch to get it as close to vertical as possible. This was a large switch with a dimmer, so clearance was marginal anyway. The screws holding switch to box had worked loose, and the hot screw got close enough to the box to short out and trip breaker. FWIU, this is a common problem when boxes are too deep in wall, and they 'float' the device on the drywall with the mounting ears, or on a stack of washers or twist of wire, instead of using a proper extension ring. The fact that it happened right when switch was touched, tells me that it is most likely the switch. If it was me, I'd open that up, and since they are so cheap, probably replace it just for giggles, in case it has an internal fault. Of course, if OP has to pay somebody to do that, they should have them check out the entire string, since a 1-hour service call probably cost the same as a 5-minute call. -- aem sends... |
#13
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On 04/23/2011 08:24 PM, aemeijers wrote:
On 4/23/2011 5:16 PM, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo Had a similar problem once. Turned out the box was cockeyed in the wall, and they 'englished' the switch to get it as close to vertical as possible. This was a large switch with a dimmer, so clearance was marginal anyway. The screws holding switch to box had worked loose, and the hot screw got close enough to the box to short out and trip breaker. FWIU, this is a common problem when boxes are too deep in wall, and they 'float' the device on the drywall with the mounting ears, or on a stack of washers or twist of wire, instead of using a proper extension ring. The fact that it happened right when switch was touched, tells me that it is most likely the switch. If it was me, I'd open that up, and since they are so cheap, probably replace it just for giggles, in case it has an internal fault. Of course, if OP has to pay somebody to do that, they should have them check out the entire string, since a 1-hour service call probably cost the same as a 5-minute call. If screw to box clearance is in any way questionable (or if I've used Madison hangers) I always like to wrap the device with a length of electrical tape to prevent just this problem. nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
#14
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 8:28*pm, Nate Nagel wrote:
On 04/23/2011 08:24 PM, aemeijers wrote: On 4/23/2011 5:16 PM, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo Had a similar problem once. Turned out the box was cockeyed in the wall, and they 'englished' the switch to get it as close to vertical as possible. This was a large switch with a dimmer, so clearance was marginal anyway. The screws holding switch to box had worked loose, and the hot screw got close enough to the box to short out and trip breaker.. FWIU, this is a common problem when boxes are too deep in wall, and they 'float' the device on the drywall with the mounting ears, or on a stack of washers or twist of wire, instead of using a proper extension ring. The fact that it happened right when switch was touched, tells me that it is most likely the switch. If it was me, I'd open that up, and since they are so cheap, probably replace it just for giggles, in case it has an internal fault. Of course, if OP has to pay somebody to do that, they should have them check out the entire string, since a 1-hour service call probably cost the same as a 5-minute call. If screw to box clearance is in any way questionable (or if I've used Madison hangers) I always like to wrap the device with a length of electrical tape to prevent just this problem. nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.http://members.cox.net/njnagel +1 That is a general courtesy to the next guy who has to work on it anyway... ~~ Evan |
#15
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 9:03*pm, Evan wrote:
On Apr 23, 8:28*pm, Nate Nagel wrote: On 04/23/2011 08:24 PM, aemeijers wrote: On 4/23/2011 5:16 PM, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo Had a similar problem once. Turned out the box was cockeyed in the wall, and they 'englished' the switch to get it as close to vertical as possible. This was a large switch with a dimmer, so clearance was marginal anyway. The screws holding switch to box had worked loose, and the hot screw got close enough to the box to short out and trip breaker. FWIU, this is a common problem when boxes are too deep in wall, and they 'float' the device on the drywall with the mounting ears, or on a stack of washers or twist of wire, instead of using a proper extension ring.. The fact that it happened right when switch was touched, tells me that it is most likely the switch. If it was me, I'd open that up, and since they are so cheap, probably replace it just for giggles, in case it has an internal fault. Of course, if OP has to pay somebody to do that, they should have them check out the entire string, since a 1-hour service call probably cost the same as a 5-minute call. If screw to box clearance is in any way questionable (or if I've used Madison hangers) I always like to wrap the device with a length of electrical tape to prevent just this problem. nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.http://members.cox.net/njnagel +1 That is a general courtesy to the next guy who has to work on it anyway... ~~ Evan- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Everyone has overlooked the possibility that the "light" that the OP is turning on may contain a faulty electric light bulb. If she is turning on the lights by turning on a light switch by her front door, and the bulb in the fixture that she expects to light up when she turns on the switch has failed and developed an internal short, she will get exactly the situation described. Haven't many of us seen a breaker trip when a light bulb fails??? Disconnecting all applianes that are plugged in, that are on the same circuit, will not solve the problem if a bulb in a ceiling hallway fixture, for example, has a shorted light bulb. |
#16
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:16:21 -0700 (PDT), Jo
wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. There is some problem in the wires to that light, or the light fixture itself. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. I don't know what you mean by piggybacked?? But I gather everything was working until the other night, so I'm curious to know what you mean, but I doubt it's the problem. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? I doubt very much if there will be. The off position he mentioned was the position before you tried to turn the light on. If you have 3-way switches**, two switches controlling the same light, leave both of them the way they were. If you turned one on and blew the breaker, and didn't turn it back off, turn it back off and leave it that way. (Most people automatically turn a switch off if something goes wrong when they turn it on, if they know something went wrong. You hear the weird noise, so you probably already turned it off. You'll know when you reset the breaker. ** They call them 3-way, but they are really 2-way, so don't wonder which is the third way. My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. It will be okay. It's not especially likely that the problem will be behind the wall switch. You could take off the plate if you want, and look for soot or black marks on the inside of the plate, or anywhere near the switch in question. That woudl be clue there was a problem in that area, but I really don't expect it. Is your house more than 60 years old? when did they still use cloth insulated wires. 80 years ago? That kind of insulation can go bad and fall off just sitting around in the wall for 80 years, but even then the wires wouldn't be touching each other. It's more likely it's in the light fixture, which gets rained and snowed on, at the wires or the socket. I've never had a burned-out light bulb cause a short circuit, which is what you have. When my bulbs burn out, they just "open" and I have an open circuit, which is like having one more switch in the circuit which is turned off. It's like having a water pipe with a valve closed. A short circuit is like having a water pipe with a hole in it, except with electricity, the leaking wire has to touch something that conducts electricity and is connected to a return path. Water will just go anywhere. It wouldn't hurt to unscrew the light bulb some, or even to change the bulb, but I wouldn't throw away the old bulb without testing it in a lamp. It's probably fine. Thanks, Jo |
#17
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
IT SEEMS YOU HAVE SEVERAL TWO WAY SWITCH CIRCUITS AND A REGULAR
SWITCHED CIRCUIT IN A GANG BOX THAT CONTROLS THE LIGHTS IN THREE SEPERATE LOCATIONS. GET SOMEONE WITH CREDENTIALS TO TROUBLESHOOT IT FOR YOU, IF OPENING AND CHECKING FOR LOOSE WIRES DOESNT REVEAL ANYTHING SERVICEABLE BY YOU. PAT ECUM TGITM CO INC. |
#18
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 24, 6:02*am, The Ghost in The Machine
wrote: IT SEEMS YOU HAVE SEVERAL TWO WAY SWITCH CIRCUITS AND A REGULAR SWITCHED CIRCUIT IN A GANG BOX THAT CONTROLS THE LIGHTS IN THREE SEPERATE LOCATIONS. GET SOMEONE WITH CREDENTIALS TO TROUBLESHOOT IT FOR YOU, IF OPENING AND CHECKING FOR LOOSE WIRES DOESNT REVEAL ANYTHING SERVICEABLE BY YOU. PAT ECUM TGITM CO INC. I agree with this. My point though....... If the light switch has any outets on it with anything plugged in, UNPLUG ALL THAT STUFF! and see if the problem goes away. I have several switches here that turn on not just lights but outlets too. One is at the front door, it tuns on the outlets for the living room lights, all floor and table lamps since theres no cieling fixture, the living room switch is ganged, with a lamp outside the front door and a switch for a driveway flood light. OP may have ganged switches like that, they are pretty common so something plugged into a outlet thats switch controlled could have a short. In my case a living room light....... incidently this has occured here |
#19
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 23, 8:03*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"bob haller" wrote in message ... On Apr 23, 6:26 pm, "RBM" wrote: "bob haller" wrote in message .... On Apr 23, 5:16 pm, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on. If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV First of all Haller, she just said, the breaker tripped when she turned on a light switch. Unless her light switch operates a table lamp, the problem isn't going to be with anything "plugged in". Second, if you did have a short in something plugged in, and followed your advice, by unplugging everything, resetting the breaker, then plugging things back in, you'd get a face full of hot sparks when you tried to plug in the shorted device. No wonder everyone who you've helped with electrical problems, has had fires in their houses, you're a menace- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - her words. *And should there be *any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. OK, let me translate "her words" for you. Other outlets, including the one her TV is plugged into, are on the same circuit as the faulty light switch. She is asking if it is safe to use those outlets, provided she doesn't turn on the "faulty switch"- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - That was how I read it too. The switch controls the lights by the front door. Most people don't have the TV on a switch at all, let alone one the same one that controls the lights by the front door. |
#20
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
"Jo" wrote in message
... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Could be the "straw...". You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. Try turning something off on that circuit and see if the light then works. If that is the case, plug something from that circuit into another circuit or have an electrician install a new outlet on a separate circuit in that room for the TV. That will off-load the circuit... |
#21
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
"Bill" wrote You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. New TVs use lots LESS than older TVs if you are comparing LCD versus the old CRT. |
#22
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 24, 11:06*am, "Bill" wrote:
"Jo" wrote in message ... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Could be the "straw...". You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. Try turning something off on that circuit and see if the light then works. If that is the case, plug something from that circuit into another circuit or have an electrician install a new outlet on a separate circuit in that room for the TV. That will off-load the circuit... I've been an electrician for over forty years and I've never seen an overload of the type you are hypothesizing trip a breaker as soon as the load was energized. I haven't seen every fault type there is to see yet but that doesn't seem the most likely cause of the problem as described. -- Tom Horne |
#23
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 24, 11:24*am, Tom Horne wrote:
On Apr 24, 11:06*am, "Bill" wrote: "Jo" wrote in message .... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Could be the "straw...". You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. Try turning something off on that circuit and see if the light then works. If that is the case, plug something from that circuit into another circuit or have an electrician install a new outlet on a separate circuit in that room for the TV. That will off-load the circuit... I've been an electrician for over forty years and I've never seen an overload of the type you are hypothesizing trip a breaker as soon as the load was energized. *I haven't seen every fault type there is to see yet but that doesn't seem the most likely cause of the problem as described. -- Tom Horne- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - The dead give away here is the fact that Jo said in the original post that the switch makes a noise when she turns it on and trips the breaker. Hard to explain how if the light is just one load too much, it makes a noise and instantly trips the breaker. That is however explained by a short in the light circuit. |
#24
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:14:12 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
"Bill" wrote You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. New TVs use lots LESS than older TVs if you are comparing LCD versus the old CRT. Not so, if your new TV is a plasma. I was rather surprised when I put my PowerAngel on ours - ~500W! The 25" CRT set it replaced was around 150W. ....though even this wouldn't cause this problem. |
#25
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
wrote in message ... On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:14:12 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote: "Bill" wrote You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. New TVs use lots LESS than older TVs if you are comparing LCD versus the old CRT. Not so, if your new TV is a plasma. I was rather surprised when I put my PowerAngel on ours - ~500W! The 25" CRT set it replaced was around 150W. ...though even this wouldn't cause this problem. Maybe some of the older ones. An LG 55" LED uses 85W according to their specs A 50" Plamsa is rated at 145 watts Info is from the LG web site |
#26
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On 4/24/2011 11:06 AM, Bill wrote:
"Jo" wrote in message ... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Could be the "straw...". You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. Try turning something off on that circuit and see if the light then works. If that is the case, plug something from that circuit into another circuit or have an electrician install a new outlet on a separate circuit in that room for the TV. That will off-load the circuit... I still think it is the switch, or maybe a fried light fixture, creating a dead short. A breaker trip due to load wouldn't be 'instant' like OP implied. Check the cheap and simple stuff first. -- aem sends... |
#27
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message ... "Bill" wrote You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. New TVs use lots LESS than older TVs if you are comparing LCD versus the old CRT. 191-474 watts 50-56" Plasma television 210-322 watts 50-56" LCD television 150-206 watts 50-56" DLP television 188-464 watts 42" Plasma television 91-236 watts 42" LCD television 98-156 watts 32" LCD television 55-90 watts 19" CRT television And why did California make new this new TV energy use law??? http://www.energy.ca.gov/releases/20...gulations.html |
#28
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 12:31:35 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
wrote in message .. . On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:14:12 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote: "Bill" wrote You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. New TVs use lots LESS than older TVs if you are comparing LCD versus the old CRT. Not so, if your new TV is a plasma. I was rather surprised when I put my PowerAngel on ours - ~500W! The 25" CRT set it replaced was around 150W. ...though even this wouldn't cause this problem. Maybe some of the older ones. An LG 55" LED uses 85W according to their specs A 50" Plamsa is rated at 145 watts Info is from the LG web site It's three years old (46"). |
#29
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 24, 1:33*pm, "
wrote: On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 12:31:35 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote: wrote in message .. . On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:14:12 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote: "Bill" wrote You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. New TVs use lots LESS than older TVs if you are comparing LCD versus the old CRT. Not so, if your new TV is a plasma. *I was rather surprised when I put my PowerAngel on ours - ~500W! *The 25" CRT set it replaced was around 150W. ...though even this wouldn't cause this problem. Maybe some of the older ones. An LG 55" LED uses 85W according to their specs A 50" Plamsa is rated at 145 watts Info is from the LG web site It's three years old (46").- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Where is the OP - Jo, there are a lot of questions to be answered. |
#30
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
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#31
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:53:54 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote: On Apr 23, 5:16Â*pm, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on. If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV If the switch makes a noise when turned on and the breaker pops it is NOT anything not controlled by the switch.. I'm ASSuming this is an exterior light?. Wall mounted? Most likely needs replacement - but the wiring needs to be checked as well. If you are handy, turn off the breaker, and remove the light. Check the wiring closely, and with the wires "nutted off" (put wire nuts on the end of each wire to be sure they cannot ptouch anything) see if it pops the breaker again after turning the breaker on and then flipping the switch on. |
#32
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:57:00 -0700 (PDT), Jo
wrote: On Apr 23, 4:38Â*pm, "RBM" wrote: "Jo" wrote in message ... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo ** There is a short circuit on the load side of that switch. Whatever light, that switch controls, or the wiring leading to it, has a problem. If you want to use other things on that circuit, just tape the switch "off", and there won't be any problem using other things on that circuit. Have the short checked by someone who is experienced in these matters So when you say in the "off" postion do you mean so that the lights aren't on or do you mean there is actually an off position? There are actually three switches there for three different lights. Then there is another switch in the hallway for one of those lights. Then there's a switch at the top of the stairs for two of those lights. So depending on how you flip the switches, there is no actual "off" position. So I assume you mean "off" as in the lights aren't on. How complicated is this problem? Would it be as simple as removing the plate and checking and fixing what's behind it? Thanks, Jo Which light pops the breaker - and is it a lamp that is only controlled by one switch?? I say call an electrician or an experienced electrical handyman to check it out - see my previous post. |
#33
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:54:07 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote: On Apr 23, 6:26Â*pm, "RBM" wrote: "bob haller" wrote in message ... On Apr 23, 5:16 pm, Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Thanks, Jo First UNPLUG everything thats dead with the breaker trpped, and see if the light then comes on. If the light then works normally plug one item in at a time till the breaker trips again, that item is the one with a problem, its highly possible its the TV First of all Haller, she just said, the breaker tripped when she turned on a light switch. Unless her light switch operates a table lamp, the problem isn't going to be with anything "plugged in". Second, if you did have a short in something plugged in, and followed your advice, by unplugging everything, resetting the breaker, then plugging things back in, you'd get a face full of hot sparks when you tried to plug in the shorted device. No wonder everyone who you've helped with electrical problems, has had fires in their houses, you're a menace- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - her words. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. You english comprehension or your electrical comprehension are lacking. There are more than oneSUB-CIRCUITS on the breaker. The TV and other stuff are on the same breaker - which IS a circuit, but the TV is not on the switched sub-circuit. (he/she described it as "piggybacked") The question was, can the REST of the circuit be used safely if the light switch is left off - and the answer is a "qualified" yes. The "somehow" is the critical verbage - they are connected in that they share the same breaker - but they are not "downstream" of the switch. |
#34
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 05:45:18 -0400, mm
wrote: On Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:16:21 -0700 (PDT), Jo wrote: The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. There is some problem in the wires to that light, or the light fixture itself. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. I don't know what you mean by piggybacked?? But I gather everything was working until the other night, so I'm curious to know what you mean, but I doubt it's the problem. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? I doubt very much if there will be. The off position he mentioned was the position before you tried to turn the light on. If you have 3-way switches**, two switches controlling the same light, leave both of them the way they were. If you turned one on and blew the breaker, and didn't turn it back off, turn it back off and leave it that way. (Most people automatically turn a switch off if something goes wrong when they turn it on, if they know something went wrong. You hear the weird noise, so you probably already turned it off. You'll know when you reset the breaker. ** They call them 3-way, but they are really 2-way, so don't wonder which is the third way. My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. It will be okay. It's not especially likely that the problem will be behind the wall switch. You could take off the plate if you want, and look for soot or black marks on the inside of the plate, or anywhere near the switch in question. That woudl be clue there was a problem in that area, but I really don't expect it. Is your house more than 60 years old? when did they still use cloth insulated wires. 80 years ago? That kind of insulation can go bad and fall off just sitting around in the wall for 80 years, but even then the wires wouldn't be touching each other. It's more likely it's in the light fixture, which gets rained and snowed on, at the wires or the socket. I've never had a burned-out light bulb cause a short circuit, which is what you have. When my bulbs burn out, they just "open" and I have an open circuit, which is like having one more switch in the circuit which is turned off. It's like having a water pipe with a valve closed. A short circuit is like having a water pipe with a hole in it, except with electricity, the leaking wire has to touch something that conducts electricity and is connected to a return path. Water will just go anywhere. It wouldn't hurt to unscrew the light bulb some, or even to change the bulb, but I wouldn't throw away the old bulb without testing it in a lamp. It's probably fine. Thanks, Jo I have had bulbs short internally - much more common in low voltage bulbs like automotive tail lamps etc - higher current per watt of output and more vibration may have something to do with it - but #1157 dual fillament bulbs are well known for this failure mode. I HAVE had it happen on 115 volt (or 120 - whatever you want to call them) bulbs - the most recent one being a tri-light. |
#35
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 03:45:34 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote: On Apr 24, 6:02Â*am, The Ghost in The Machine wrote: IT SEEMS YOU HAVE SEVERAL TWO WAY SWITCH CIRCUITS AND A REGULAR SWITCHED CIRCUIT IN A GANG BOX THAT CONTROLS THE LIGHTS IN THREE SEPERATE LOCATIONS. GET SOMEONE WITH CREDENTIALS TO TROUBLESHOOT IT FOR YOU, IF OPENING AND CHECKING FOR LOOSE WIRES DOESNT REVEAL ANYTHING SERVICEABLE BY YOU. PAT ECUM TGITM CO INC. I agree with this. My point though....... If the light switch has any outets on it with anything plugged in, UNPLUG ALL THAT STUFF! and see if the problem goes away. Big if though. Does not sound like ANY of the receptacles are switched - only several lighting circuits. I have several switches here that turn on not just lights but outlets too. One is at the front door, it tuns on the outlets for the living room lights, all floor and table lamps since theres no cieling fixture, the living room switch is ganged, with a lamp outside the front door and a switch for a driveway flood light. OP may have ganged switches like that, they are pretty common so something plugged into a outlet thats switch controlled could have a short. In my case a living room light....... incidently this has occured here |
#36
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 08:06:29 -0700, "Bill"
wrote: "Jo" wrote in message ... The other night I went to turn on the lights at the light switch by my front door and it made some noise and the lights wouldn't come on. Some of the electrical outlets in the neigboring room wouldn't work either. It tripped the circuit breaker so I reset it. I tried again to turn the lights on at the switch and it tripped the circuit breaker again. When it does this, the light switch makes a weird noise. Does anyone know what might be wrong here? I know the wiring in the house is piggybacked, if that makes a difference. And should there be any problems using the electrical outlets that are somehow connected to the light switch, as long as I leave the lights off? My TV is plugged into one of those outlets, so I want to make sure it doesn't get damaged somehow. Could be the "straw...". You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. Actually, they use SIGNIFICANTLY LESS. Try turning something off on that circuit and see if the light then works. If that is the case, plug something from that circuit into another circuit or have an electrician install a new outlet on a separate circuit in that room for the TV. That will off-load the circuit... A whole lot of wasted time and effort - you can bank on it. |
#37
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Sun, 24 Apr 2011 11:14:12 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote: "Bill" wrote You can only use so much electricity per circuit, then the breaker will trip. New TV's use a little more electricity than older TV's. New TVs use lots LESS than older TVs if you are comparing LCD versus the old CRT. Plasma too. |
#38
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
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#39
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
On Apr 24, 6:45*am, bob haller wrote:
On Apr 24, 6:02*am, The Ghost in The Machine wrote: IT SEEMS YOU HAVE SEVERAL TWO WAY SWITCH CIRCUITS AND A REGULAR SWITCHED CIRCUIT IN A GANG BOX THAT CONTROLS THE LIGHTS IN THREE SEPERATE LOCATIONS. GET SOMEONE WITH CREDENTIALS TO TROUBLESHOOT IT FOR YOU, IF OPENING AND CHECKING FOR LOOSE WIRES DOESNT REVEAL ANYTHING SERVICEABLE BY YOU. PAT ECUM TGITM CO INC. I agree with this. My point though....... If the light switch has any outets on it with anything plugged in, UNPLUG ALL THAT STUFF! and see if the problem goes away. I have several switches here that turn on not just lights but outlets too. One is at the front door, it tuns on the outlets for the living room lights, all floor and table lamps since theres no cieling fixture, the living room switch is ganged, with a lamp outside the front door and a switch for a driveway flood *light. OP may have ganged switches like that, they are pretty common so something plugged into a outlet thats switch controlled could have a short. In my case a living room light....... incidently this has occured here THAT IS A POSSIBILITY...... AFTER A STRONG THUNDER STORM WERE LIGHTNING SENT SURGES THROUGHOUT A COMMUNITY SOME CIRCUITS WERE TRIPPED INSIDE A HOME... AFTER RESETTING THE BREAKERS, ONE OF THEM WOULDN'T RESET. SO WE SUSPECTED A DAMAGED CB, BUT AFTER REMOVING IT FROM THE CIRCUIT AND TESTING THE LINE, WE FOUND IT LEAD TO AN OUTLET WITH AN OUTLET STRIP "SURGE SUPPRESSER" CONNECTED, WE FOX & HOUNDED IT & FOUND IT WITH THE TRACER.....THAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE CULPRIT....WE UNPLUGGED IT AND THE CIRCUIT WAS FINE...THE EQUIPMENT ON THE OUTLET STRIP WAS TOAST TOO....LUCKILY THEIR TV WHICH WAS ON A DIFFERENT STAND ALONE CIRCUIT SURVIVED THE STORMS SURGES.....GO FIGURE. GOOD LUCK HUNTING FOR THE PROBLEM THERE. PAT ECUM |
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Turning lights on trips circuit breaker
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