15Feb Electrical short
An electrical short (nickname for short circuit) can cause blown fuses, tripped circuit breakers, even fires. A short occurs when a bare!i hot wire touches a grounded wire or metal, or sometimes when water gets into electrical equipment. Shorts occur in wiring or in appliances. Overloaded circuits blow fuses. Try to determine the cause. The last appliance you turned on may have a short, or it may just be one too many. Count up the wattage of appliances and lights operating on that circuit. Divide wattage by 120 to determine amps being drawn. Maybe you can stagger appliance usage to eliminate overloading. If the circuit isn’t overloaded, suspect the appliance. Plug it in somewhere else. If it blows that fuse or circuit breaker, repair or replace the appliance. Don’t discount the possibility of a faulty receptacle. Repair it. Turn off the power for that circuit. Remove the outlet) ver. Verify that power is off by testing the connections to the with your neon tester . If it lights up, don’t proceed; call an electrician. Once power is off, take the receptacle from the outlet box. Look for an exposed wire. Tug on the wires. Tighten any loose ones. If the receptacle looks damaged, put in a new one . Replace the outlet and cover plate. Switch or the electricity and try the appliance again.
If you can’t locate the problem, phone for service. Water spots near the wiring indicates a leak, possibly in the roof, and suggests wiring damage. This kind of repair calls for a licensed electrician.
