Replaced Breaker now Circuit DEAD!

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savatreatabvr

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I had a flakey breaker, (loose breaker), so I simply replaced all of them in my panel so I wouldn't have to worry about any future problems! Well when I flipped on the main breaker the circuit that had the original flakey breaker tripped! I flipped it on again and heard something POP in the house, not sure where it came from but the outlets on one kitchen wall don't work now so I've obviously got other issues. I'm actually pretty good at electrical work so I don't need to hire an electrician I just need some helpful hints on troubleshooting!
 
In newer houses you will find a gfi plug in the first outlet on a cercuit, could be else about in the house as in anywhare in the house.
Some older houses used two cercuits in the kitchen so one all top half on the outlets were on one cercuit and and all lower half were on another.
When you are sure that you don't have a tripped gfi and that all outlets are dead top and bottom. Open the outlets and look for visible dammage, loose screws, burnt wires, loose wire nuts.
 
savatreatabvr said:
Well when I flipped on the main breaker the circuit that had the original flakey breaker tripped! I flipped it on again and heard something POP in the house,
Click to expand...
You cleared a short in the kitchen wall wiring by melting it with the second pulse of energy you whacked it with. A 'bolted short circuit' would have kept tripping the breaker.

If there is a GFCI upstream of the short its contacts are ruined.

I've used this over-current technique to melt shorts located somewhere on wire-wrapped circuit boards. The wire melts at 10A and I used a 5v source that could supply 30A.

http://www.google.com/search?q=wire...m%2Fcategory%2Fbreadboard-freaks%2F;2048;1536

The problem with this is that the gap that melts can be very small and so it can come back as an intermittent short.

Same with yours. :(

Open circuits are easier to find than short circuits. Have at it!

Another possibility is a short downstream of a flaky wirenut connection. Both held during the first pulse and the wirenut opened on the second pulse. After you fix the wirenut you still have to find the short.
 
Last edited:
nealtw said:
In newer houses you will find a gfi plug in the first outlet on a cercuit, could be else about in the house as in anywhare in the house.
Some older houses used two cercuits in the kitchen so one all top half on the outlets were on one cercuit and and all lower half were on another.
When you are sure that you don't have a tripped gfi and that all outlets are dead top and bottom. Open the outlets and look for visible dammage, loose screws, burnt wires, loose wire nuts.
Click to expand...

I found the problem! A few months ago I replaced all of the light switches and outlets throughout the house and all the cabinets in the kitchen but the cabinet guys covered up a outlet so it never got replaced. For some reason the outlet blew apart so I replaced it and everything's good for now! Knock on wood, lol!
 
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