View Single Post
  #3   Report Post  
Posted to alt.home.repair
Joseph Meehan Joseph Meehan is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 54
Default electrical problem, continued

bubblegummom wrote:
We still haven't been able to figure out our problem. Our power went
out in our upstairs and our dining room. Basically the same things are
out that would be out if a fuse blew but it's not a fuse, so my
husband thinks it might be a problem in the fuse box, but he can't
find it.

I started a different thread and wanted to continue with it, but can't
find it now.

Anyway, my husband is afraid that if an electrician tried to find the
problem, he would want to replace the fuse box. Can a fuse box be
replaced with a circuit breaker box?

We have old style wiring (very old) and my brother says it would be
hard to get it to work with a circuit breaker box.

How much money would an electrician likely want to change the box if
it can be changed?

Our fuse box is on the back porch. Is that a problem?

Loretta


A few possible problems.

A GFI may have tripped. These are devices to protect outlets and lights
that my be shock hazards like bathrooms, kitchens, basements, outdoor
fixtures or garages. They are often built into an outlet. They have push
buttons to test and reset. One may be controlling the circuit you see as
out. It may need to be reset. These are often added to older homes.

You could have a loose wire. It would be somewhere between the breaker
box and the first non-functioning device. Likely at the device. Of course
there is no easy way of determining what that first devise is.

Breakers and sometimes fuses are difficult to determine if they are
really tripped, they also can go bad.

I suggest that after reading both this and the original message that
unless you find a GFI that fixes the problem, you really should plan on
calling in a professional. It is not easy to provide the information you
need to safely check the other problems over the internet.

As for cost, that could vary greatly as code (local or national) may
demand this or that to be done if a replacement is required.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit