I am trying to help a friend find an electric short in an older home. The
house is served by two circuits protected by breakers. One of those
circuits is shorted. I have removed and isolated every receptacle and switch
but not found the cause, what sort of suggestion might you have?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated,

rog

Have you tried replacing the breaker? They go bad sometimes.


"Roger Jensen" wrote in message
. com...
I am trying to help a friend find an electric short in an older home. The
house is served by two circuits protected by breakers. One of those
circuits is shorted. I have removed and isolated every receptacle and
switch but not found the cause, what sort of suggestion might you have?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated,

rog

"Roger Jensen" wrote in message
. com...
I am trying to help a friend find an electric short in an older home. The
house is served by two circuits protected by breakers. One of those
circuits is shorted. I have removed and isolated every receptacle and
switch but not found the cause, what sort of suggestion might you have?

Well, if you have ruled out all the devices, that leaves the wiring. The
short must be in the wiring between two devices. Isolate it and replace the
bad wiring.
Actually though, I would go over the devices once more; they are both more
likely and easier to fix.

Thanks for the replies..

I read on line of a device for isolating (finding) shorts in household
wiring. Do they work?

I have replaced the breaker and feel pretty confident that devices are OK..

rog



Well, if you have ruled out all the devices, that leaves the wiring. The
short must be in the wiring between two devices. Isolate it and replace
the bad wiring.
Actually though, I would go over the devices once more; they are both more
likely and easier to fix.

In article , "Roger Jensen" wrote:
I am trying to help a friend find an electric short in an older home. The
house is served by two circuits protected by breakers. One of those
circuits is shorted. I have removed and isolated every receptacle and switch
but not found the cause, what sort of suggestion might you have?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated,

Let's start from the very beginning: how do you know it's a short? What are
the symptoms.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Doug, Initially the C/B popped, reset--no avail. Eventually C/B replaced,
but still popped. Circuit pegs a clamp on amp meter then pops... removed
each switch one at a time as well as all receptacles. Still pops the
breaker.. rog




"Doug Miller" wrote in message
. com...
In article , "Roger
Jensen" wrote:
I am trying to help a friend find an electric short in an older home. The
house is served by two circuits protected by breakers. One of those
circuits is shorted. I have removed and isolated every receptacle and
switch
but not found the cause, what sort of suggestion might you have?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated,

Let's start from the very beginning: how do you know it's a short? What
are
the symptoms.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Are you sure you got every device and box disconnected? Also before doing
anything drastic I would buy another C/B incase the new one is bad. Did it
come factory wrapped or just in a bulk box. Someone could have switched
their bad one at the store for a good one. I almost bought someone's old
faucet at lowes in a new package.


"Roger Jensen" wrote in message
. com...
Doug, Initially the C/B popped, reset--no avail. Eventually C/B
replaced, but still popped. Circuit pegs a clamp on amp meter then
pops... removed each switch one at a time as well as all receptacles.
Still pops the breaker.. rog




"Doug Miller" wrote in message
. com...
In article , "Roger
Jensen" wrote:
I am trying to help a friend find an electric short in an older home.
The
house is served by two circuits protected by breakers. One of those
circuits is shorted. I have removed and isolated every receptacle and
switch
but not found the cause, what sort of suggestion might you have?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated,

Let's start from the very beginning: how do you know it's a short? What
are
the symptoms.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Sat, 20 May 2006 20:51:47 GMT, "Art"
wrote:

Have you tried replacing the breaker? They go bad sometimes.


"Roger Jensen" wrote in message
.com...
I am trying to help a friend find an electric short in an older home. The
house is served by two circuits protected by breakers. One of those
circuits is shorted. I have removed and isolated every receptacle and
switch but not found the cause, what sort of suggestion might you have?

Yes, indeed, they do. And what about ceiling fixtures with chains
and not swtiches? Or things hard-wired like furnaces and water
heaters?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated,

rog

Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

I downloaded your newgroup filter thingy. It doesn't do anything;
presumably it needs a filter?

"Roger Jensen" wrote in message
. com...
Doug, Initially the C/B popped, reset--no avail. Eventually C/B
replaced, but still popped. Circuit pegs a clamp on amp meter then
pops... removed each switch one at a time as well as all receptacles.
Still pops the breaker.. rog

It trips with everything disconnected?!

In article , "Roger Jensen" wrote:
Doug, Initially the C/B popped, reset--no avail. Eventually C/B replaced,
but still popped. Circuit pegs a clamp on amp meter then pops... removed
each switch one at a time as well as all receptacles. Still pops the
breaker.. rog

Yep, you've got a short. Never hurts to verify, though, because many people
use the term "short" to refer to *anything* electrical that isn't working.

My best guess is that there's one more device on the circuit somewhere that
you haven't found yet.



"Doug Miller" wrote in message
.com...
In article , "Roger
Jensen" wrote:
I am trying to help a friend find an electric short in an older home. The
house is served by two circuits protected by breakers. One of those
circuits is shorted. I have removed and isolated every receptacle and
switch
but not found the cause, what sort of suggestion might you have?

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated,

Let's start from the very beginning: how do you know it's a short? What
are
the symptoms.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.



--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article , "Toller" wrote:
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

I downloaded your newgroup filter thingy. It doesn't do anything;
presumably it needs a filter?

I guess you haven't been following the filtering discussions over at
rec.woodworking.

The filter file I provide is an accompaniment to the filter program Nfilter
(aka NewsProxy). You need to use them *both* for anything to happen.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"Art" wrote in message
.net...
Are you sure you got every device and box disconnected? Also before doing
anything drastic I would buy another C/B incase the new one is bad.

But if it pegs the clamp-on ammeter, isn't it most likely a short? A bad
circuit breaker would trip with amps below its rating.

Ben Miller


--
Benjamin D. Miller, PE
B. MILLER ENGINEERING
www.bmillerengineering.com

On Sun, 21 May 2006 03:29:10 GMT, "Toller" wrote:


"Roger Jensen" wrote in message
.com...
Doug, Initially the C/B popped, reset--no avail. Eventually C/B
replaced, but still popped. Circuit pegs a clamp on amp meter then
pops... removed each switch one at a time as well as all receptacles.
Still pops the breaker.. rog

It trips with everything disconnected?!


IMHO, I would disconnect the wire off the terminal on the break, and
then try closing it. From the other posts, it does seem like the
consensus is to rule out the breaker.

later,

tom @ www.WorkAtHomePlans.com

Toller wrote:


"Roger Jensen" wrote in message
. com...
Doug, Initially the C/B popped, reset--no avail. Eventually C/B
replaced, but still popped. Circuit pegs a clamp on amp meter then
pops... removed each switch one at a time as well as all receptacles.
Still pops the breaker.. rog

It trips with everything disconnected?!

Sounds like the cable itself is shorted somewhere, possibly crushed by an
improperly installed strain relief, cut on the edge of a box with no strain
relief or bushing, or it has a nail through it. Charring from a fire or
gnawing by rodents could also do it. Another possibility is that it was
cut on a steel stud.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)