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Thread: Merde

  1. #1
    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Merde

    aww, foo.

    we are getting a significant cold snap after nearly 2 months of unseasonably mild weather. And today the outlet that our porch heater (where my mom spends at least 50% of her day) decides to stop working, along with its companion outlet that the TV is plugged into. It's not the circuit breaker, checked them all already. Not the GFI outlet that's on the same circuit. Tested it already. This is almost certainly going to be inside the wall somewhere on the porch. We do not have a regular electrician guy that we call since it is so seldom we ever need anything done.

    man, that's a pisser

  2. #2
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    Sorry, man. Having paid a small fortune on home repairs recently, I have empathy for you.

    I thought when I saw merde that you were going to talk about shitty French music. Hahahaha.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  3. #3
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    Re: Merde

    Dan, do you have a volt meter? I don't know the age of your house, but some built in the 60's-70's used aluminum wire, (which is OK in itself), but the outlet fixture may not be compatible. Gain access, and see if you have voltage at the wire itself. If so, the fix is to replace the receptacle with one rated for CU-AL, and use some penetrox on the wire when you replace it.
    I bet I replaced most every fixture in my father in laws house back in the 80's

  4. #4
    Forum Member CoyotesGator's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    Alright, is the house wired with aluminum?

    My first step would be to purchase three of socket to lamp holders and three 40 watt appliance bulbs.

    Put one in the first dead receptacle and give it a good side to side shake. If it blinks your problem is there. If it doesn’t blink, leave it inserted and go to the next dead receptacle and repeat the process with your second “test light.”

    If you don’t find the issue in either of these two dead receptacles, take your third test light and start shaking every receptacle, starting with those closest. Have someone watch the dead plugs with your inserted test lights. When you shake something that makes them blink you have found your problem. Normally you will find one between the non-ops and the panel.
    What happend?
    Who let the magic smoke out?

  5. #5
    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    the house was built in 1962, the porch where the dead outlets are was added on about 25 years later.

  6. #6
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    "Dead Receptacles" Great band name.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

  7. #7
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    I will start out by saying that before you stick your hands in a distribution panel know what you're doing. You can get injured or killed pretty easily if you don't.

    If you're not qualified, call an electrician.

    My advice s to start at the distribution panel and work from there. There earlier in the circuit you find the issue the easier it is to diagnose and repair. Working from the receptacles back is just hoping to get lucky.

    Step 1) Do you have power going out of the breaker?

    If no replace breaker,

    If yes pull a cover and test the closest outlet to the breaker. Is there power to the outlet? If no, take your probe and work along the wiring outside the wall to find the dead rodent or or offending nail.

    Since the breaker didn't trip I suspect bad connection at the box or the first of the two outlets. No big whoop.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

  8. #8
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    Re: Merde

    Quote Originally Posted by Offshore Angler View Post
    "Dead Receptacles" Great band name.
    +1, especially if you have an acoustic band...

  9. #9
    Forum Member CoyotesGator's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    Any luck?
    What happend?
    Who let the magic smoke out?

  10. #10
    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    not yet

  11. #11
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    Re: Merde

    CoyotesGator, listening to your troubleshooting reminds me of the electrician at a little mine I worked for back in the day. He was also a mechanic, and I served as his helper some, whichever hat he was wearing. He too had tricks with lamps, and jumper wires!
    We were having some problems with a gang of pumps, so we went into the shed with the fuse/breaker panels, he told me we needed to check power. I offered to run get his meter, but he said it wasn't necessary, and proceeded to lick his fingers, and swipe them over the wire connections. He then had me get his meter, and he verified the voltage at the suspect breaker. We changed the breaker, and all was well, he told me "you really don't need a meter unless you're working on 480, and above"!

  12. #12
    Forum Member CoyotesGator's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    Yeah, I knew a guy like that too.

    Everythings gets checked by a meter that was checked for proper function and then locked out.
    What happend?
    Who let the magic smoke out?

  13. #13
    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    The electrician came today. I know I'm getting old but damn he looked really young. Knew his stuff very well, though

    How to start a fire 101
    That's what the electrician said when he pulled this outlet from the wall box.



    The idiots who built our porch ran the wires through the outlet instead of using jumpers from a wire nut. This outlet wasn't even being used, it was behind the artificial tree that stays on our porch year round. I remember smelling burning insulation a number of times on the porch and never could find the source. We are damn lucky that we never had a fire, very damn lucky

    This guy was good. I'm going to call him next time I have any electrical gremlins.

  14. #14
    Forum Member CoyotesGator's Avatar
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    Re: Merde

    Backstabbed wires.

    No bueno for nada.

    Glad you’re back in business.

    Did he make sure all the wires are screw wrapped?
    What happend?
    Who let the magic smoke out?

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