Update on my failed power in apartment -- it gets worse.

[Grasswire2]

You all were very helpful in hints for me last week. Hold my hand now, would ya?

Last Friday, the outlets in the LR and K just stopped working. Ceiling lights, everything else okay. But no power to outlets.

The landlord wanted his son to come and fix the problem. (I wanted an electrician.) His son finally came today, a week without outlets.

BUT..........yesterday when the turkey was in the oven, the stove stopped working and I didn't know it until two hours later. We had to call Popeye's for delivery.

Today the son came. He said there's a short in the oven.

He also said that the ground and hot wires are reversed, causing the K and LR outlets to fail. He said he couldn't fix it, and said to call an electrician.

NOW, he apparently found something on youtube that he thinks will work, and is coming back in an hour.

I'm getting alarmed at the potential risk.

And I'm told that no electricians are available for another week, due to holiday and many out of business.

Any thoughts on true danger?

[LiberalArkie]

1. Go down to Walmart, hardware etc and get one of those plug in devices with the lights

that will tell you if it is wired correctly.

[Turbineguy]

5. This

These guys that come up with "the wires are reversed!" are iffy.

[Grasswire2]

6. not my job to fix it.

It needs an electrician.

[LiberalArkie]

9. I agree, but the little cheap device may save your life or someone else's.

[regnaD kciN]

25. This wouldn't be to fix it...

...it would be to verify on your own that the son is telling the truth.

Anyway, I'm really skeptical. If the wires were flipped, they would have been since the apartment was last rewired. Wires don't just flip themselves! I'm wondering if someone was screwing around with the wiring at the circuit-breaker panel to your unit.

[Shermann]

2. You can check for reversed polarity if you have a receptacle tester

If it doesn't confirm his diagnosis I'd be pretty skeptical.

EDIT: Arkie beat me to it.

[DonaldsRump]

3. Make sure you get a discount on your monthly rent

For the hassle of the kitchen outlet not working.

The first reply is a good one: I invested in a few of these, and they come in handy. I also have one that resets GFCI outlets that won't work even when I reset it.

Not sure your landlord's son is accurate, but I'm not an electrician. Wouldn't the problem have manifested itself a long time ago if it were something like he is saying?

[Grasswire2]

11. yeah, TV's been out all this time as well.

I suspect a Comcast visit will be needed to get it working after this, and landlord will resist. They (almost 90 years old) hate dealing with Comcast.

[Rorey]

4. I'm no expert, but it sounds like your landlord's son is an idiot

And your landlord is also no prize.

I replaced all of the outlets in my kitchen a few months ago. It's easy. I mean, if I can do it, anyone should be able to do it.

[ret5hd]

7. I think (know) that son has absolutely no idea of what he is doing.

ask him this:
1) How many volts does the oven run on?
Answer: 220v

2) How many conductors carry current in a 220v system?
Answer: 2 (110v each)

3) What happens if you reverse the 2 current carrying conductors?
Answer: Nothing. Everything is absolutely fine.

4) What happens if you reverse one of the current carrying conductors with the ground conductor?
Answer: An dead short that would have been noticed AS SOON AS SOMEONE WIRED IT THAT WAY! It would blow a fuse or circuit breaker IMMEDIATELY! It would NEVER work...even once...even once for a very short time.

[Wellstone ruled]

8. Reset your GFI's,

not uncommon for those suckers to drop out when the power cuts out. Not uncommon for power to produce a slight surge causing GFI's to pop or do a partial pop. Also check your Circuit breakers,they too can do a partial cut out.

[Laelth]

13. That's my go-to response for electrical problems.

Then check the fuses, then ... electrician.

-Laelth

[Grasswire2]

16. the only GFI in the place is in the bathroom

The bathroom outlets still work. We re-set that GFI. There are no others, although there should be one in the kitchen, I'm told.

Circuit breakers did not pop. I find that alarming. Outlets out on two circuits, but the breaker did not pop.

[Wellstone ruled]

18. Should be a GFI some where in and around the Kitchen.

Check your closest Wall outlets by the kitchen. Refrig? or under the Sink for the Dishwasher or Disposer.

[keithbvadu2]

22. Sometimes an apt is wired so that one GFI covers all the outlets that need one.

Sometimes an apt is wired so that one GFI covers all the outlets that need one.

[regnaD kciN]

26. Yes, our house (which we didn't buy new) is weird...

It has the GFI in the master bathroom, which then runs to the other bathroom, the outlet in the garage, and the one on the back patio. (They should all be wired separately, with GFIs on each.) When the one in the master bathroom failed, all the other outlets lost power until I replaced it.)

[Rorey]

10. As a landlady myself, I wouldn't instruct my tenant to call an electrician

I'd call the electrician.

[Grasswire2]

14. true dat

But the bill is his to pay, and he's tight.

[Rorey]

17. Even more of a reason for HIM to call the electrician

Prices vary, and if he's a property owner (as I am), he should have a list of people to call.

I actually just call my son, who happens to be an electrician. He has a lot of connections in all areas, and he connects me to good people. Just last week he saved me about $1500 by making a couple of calls.

[PoliticAverse]

12. Do you have a fusebox or circuit breaker box in the appartment?

Do you know the electrical "map" of your apartment (which outlets/lights go to which breaker/fuse)?

If you suspect reversed hot/neutral or ground buy (< $10) or borrow one of these type devices:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Receptacle-Tester-400-029/206303234

[Grasswire2]

15. there is no map

But the breaker box is just outside my door in the laundry room. This house is 100 years old, a beautiful historic home. The landlord (who lives upstairs) is a Yale-educated architect. The remodeling was done by the son twenty years ago, and the workmanship is not journeyman, if you know what I mean.

[Rorey]

19. I used to live in an old Victorian house with tube wiring

It was actually kind of scary.

[PoliticAverse]

23. Electrical issues like this can be a serious fire hazard. A competant electrician should be involved

as soon as possible.

[abqtommy]

20. Find out about your local Renters Rights information. Here in Albuquerque it's located

on the city's website. Besides knowing your rights they'll also provide contact information
for Legal Aid. That's a good place to start.

[LSFL]

21. My bathroom and kitchen have outlets with little breakers on them

The little breakers also cut power to other outlets when they are thrown, including the outside outlets and one in the back bedroom. Try looking at your outlets and if you see two little buttons that read "test" and "reset". Unplug anything in them then push test, then reset.
As far as the oven, a dead short in that would likely cause your main breaker to throw and possibly melt wires or terminals in the stove. The stove maybe Unrelated to your other problems.

Good luck.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

24. Sorry this is a bit long-winded

First get the polarity/ground checker already suggested.
Check all of the outlets in the house. Have anything that shows wrong fixed.

About 20 years ago I had a house that had power in several places. The cause was that one of two connections at the weather head had failed. Here's an image of a breaker box:
https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/breaker-box-safety-how-to-connect-a-new-circuit/


The 2 black lines entering the top of the box come from the meter/weather head/outside.
The third line (white) is the neutral line. The 2 columns of breakers take power from one of the black lines. If one of the 2 lines fails, several outlets stop working.

To me it sounds from what you report that it's more likely to be an open circuit inside but if nothing can be found inside, have the electrician or power company check the weather head. If the problem is at the weather head the power company should fix it for free.

[Worried2020]

27. OK - I read all the previous posts - noone mentioned calling ur municipality . . .

.
.

Call your local by-law enforcement officer and/or your fire department.

They are very concerned about electrical malfunctions as they are definitely a fire hazard, and no municipality is unaware of the dangers a fire can have, and the costs to the municipality.

Nothing to lose, eh?



W

[Phoenix61]

28. Your stove should be on its own circuit breaker

since it’s 220. My first guess is you have a little furry roommate.

[Grasswire2]

29. I do.

My kitty.

Are you thinking a mouse got in the circuit breaker??

The stove is on a breaker switch of its own. So is the fridge. The outlets on different ones.

[Phoenix61]

30. I was thinking mouse. nt

[Grasswire2]

31. Saturday -- I have been quarantined in the bathroom for almost three hours now..

....while the son is working on whatever problem it is.

I hear wires being pulled through the walls. Someone had to go to Ace and buy a part of some kind and bring it back.

Son and landlord are still working on it.

I had no idea that Kitty and daughter and I would be in the bathroom this long.

Crazy.

I have a grocery delivery coming in under an hour from now.

[Grasswire2]

32. So.....while I was quarantining in the bathroom...

....a new outlet was installed in the kitchen. Don't know what else happened in the three plus hours.

But that's some progress.

Oven is still out. TV is still out.

Thanks for all your hints, everyone. At least I think we are safe from fire danger. Hopefully.