Some hurricane questions

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farmerjohn1324

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So there was just a hurricane here. My first questions are about the trailer park that I manage. When the power came back on, some of the fixtures and appliances didn't work. There was a 4 day period with no power, then a 2 day period when the power was flickering because one of the neutral lines was down from the utility company.

When all was restored, there was a microwave, a window a/c, and a light fixture that didn't work. Do you know why this could be? Is there anything I can do to try to fix them or to verify what went wrong with them?

Next questions are about my house. I have some fence panels down. What's the procedure for getting these back up? I don't want to buy new fences and I don't think I have to. Here's my guess...

Detach the posts from the rest of the fence and cement the post in the ground right where it was. Then, nail or screw the rest of the fence to that post? Should I take the individual vertical slats off the horizontal beam first?
 
Are the electrical items all in the same trailer? If so, are they on the same circuit? The microwave and window AC unit likely have electronic control boards and a surge could have taken them out. If the lamp is a simple lamp with a manual on/off switch I'd move it to another circuit and see if works, check the bulb. Check the outlet with a known good item. For the microwave and window AC unit, do you have power at the outlet? Simple enough to check, plug a known good lamp into the outlet and see if it works. You need to isolate whether it is the circuit or the device. With plug-in items, it is a pretty easy thing to do. It doesn't even require tools. Once you know you have power to the outlets, then you need to look at the device in question. Microwaves have an internal and replaceable fuse, usually behind the control panel. If the outlet is good and microwave won't run that is about the only user repairable item on it. Most microwaves are more expensive to fix than they are to replace once they are out of warranty.

For the fence, what type of fence? Can you post a few pictures?
 
An open neutral will cause voltage fluctuations. Some parts of your house will get low voltage and some will get high voltage. The high voltage will blow many electronic devices like TVs, microwaves and anything with an electronic control board.
 
An open neutral will cause voltage fluctuations. Some parts of your house will get low voltage and some will get high voltage. The high voltage will blow many electronic devices like TVs, microwaves and anything with an electronic control board.

Oh okay.

But why wouldn't the breaker stop the surge?

Would you think it would be possible to replace fuses to fix the microwave or a/c?

Someone told me the light fixture was smoking before it stopped working.
 
Are the electrical items all in the same trailer? If so, are they on the same circuit? The microwave and window AC unit likely have electronic control boards and a surge could have taken them out. If the lamp is a simple lamp with a manual on/off switch I'd move it to another circuit and see if works, check the bulb. Check the outlet with a known good item. For the microwave and window AC unit, do you have power at the outlet? Simple enough to check, plug a known good lamp into the outlet and see if it works. You need to isolate whether it is the circuit or the device. With plug-in items, it is a pretty easy thing to do. It doesn't even require tools. Once you know you have power to the outlets, then you need to look at the device in question. Microwaves have an internal and replaceable fuse, usually behind the control panel. If the outlet is good and microwave won't run that is about the only user repairable item on it. Most microwaves are more expensive to fix than they are to replace once they are out of warranty.

For the fence, what type of fence? Can you post a few pictures?

The microwave, a/c, and light were not in the same trailer. The light is actually outside. It is meant only to come on at night.

The outlets all work. I tested the microwave and a/c on different outlets and they still did not work.

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The fence boards look salvageable, the 2x4 will be questionable. Best if you don't try to use the same holes. If the 2x4 are still good I would cut 12 inches of the first on and that puts all holes in a new location. If you have 8 ft 2x4 that are rotten then go with 9 ft 2x4s to move the holes.
If the bottom of the boards are soft, cut a few inches off.
 
But why wouldn't the breaker stop the surge?
Breakers protect the wires from too much current(amps). This type of problem is too many volts. Breakers do not detect too many volts.
 
Breakers protect the wires from too much current(amps). This type of problem is too many volts. Breakers do not detect too many volts.

Is it possible to fix the microwave, a/c, and light fixture? Or any way I can test them to see if they can be fixed?
 
It is possible to fix anything but it might cost more than buying a new one.
I would certainly call for A/C service. That is likely better to fix than replace unless it is extremely old.
 
The light fixture is not a simple light fixture. It has a photocell on the top of the fixture to turn it on at dusk and off at dawn. They are replaceable items, it will require climbing a ladder to replace it. A lot of times those lights are provided by the power company and billed on a monthly flat rate. The power company also is responsible for maintenance. Since yours is mounted to a palm tree I suspect it isn't supplied by the power company. The photocell should be available at an electrical supply house. It may be available at a home center but I don't know, I've never had the need to look for one. You don't want to throw an aluminum ladder up against the tree to change it. You may want to call in an electrician to replace it. If you do, you might look at upgrading to an LED street light instead, much lower power consumption and longer life.

For the microwave, you probably need to open up the front of the unit and look for a fuse. On a GE I had the fuse was located above the control panel and after removing a couple of screws was easily replaceable. I'd do a search on the model for the owners manual to see if there is a replaceable fuse. Same with the AC unit. If there is a fuse, test it and replace if blown.
 
It is possible to fix anything but it might cost more than buying a new one.
I would certainly call for A/C service. That is likely better to fix than replace unless it is extremely old.

It is a window unit, that could be a disposable item as well. Hard to say without knowing the size of the unit and what a new replacement unit would cost.
 
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