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02/15/2009 12:19:54 AM · #126 |
Jason, I only just found this thread and I wish that I had found it sooner but it's nice to see that so many people were willing to help you and criticize you for your choice to try and find the problem yourself. Personally I applaud you for your stick to it ness and I'm glad to see that you were able to find the problem. I'm also confident that had you been unable to locate the source of your short you would have contacted the proper person and had them take care of it for you.
I am an electrician by trade and I've been working in my chosen profession now for some 34 years. I know that I'm only 42 but I started helping my Uncle Tom with his business the year my father left us when I was 8. That being said, after reading your opening post I was quite sure that your problem would be a quick connect in a switch attached to one of your lights. Turns out that that is what the problem was for you and I glad you found it.
In all my years, first as a helper, then apprentice, and now a professional I can proudly say that I have NEVER used a quick connect on any wiring device and I can also state that I will NEVER use one in the future. I can tell you however that I have had several thousand service calls for the very problem that you had. The quick connect or push in connection depending on who you talk to is nothing short of a fire hazard and in my opinion should NEVER have been approved for use. People (yes even professionals) get sloppy with the wiring of the switches and plugs because they're going so fast to try and make a buck they forget about the home owner and their safety. They strip the wires too long and don't push them in far enough and they don't tighten the screw up on the device creating a further hazard when you push the switch or outlet into the box and fasten it into place. Moreover how can one trust their safety and the safety of others to a thin sharp piece of brass that is not much thicker then a piece of paper and almost always fails in one form or another due to over use, an unbalanced load continually travelling back on the identified conductor, humidity and a whole host of other reasons.
The push in connection is not a safe alternative to a positive screwed down connection and I would urge you to take some time and shut off a room at a time and remove the switches and outlets, remove the wire from the push in connection (if you can get all the wire out. Usually a little pull on the wire while you pull back on the device and wiggle it at the same time does the trick) and then loop it around the screw properly and tighten it down. If you have an outlet with only one set of wires coming to it please remember to tighten down all the screws so you have a much better chance of avoiding a wire grounding out on the outlet.
I'll wager that you will find that almost 50% or more will come out of the back of the device with little or no effort. The push in connection is responsible many a house fire and it only takes me 2 seconds longer to do the job right and go around the screw. So I do hope you find the time to look at all the devices in your new home and that you are able to find any and all of the future problems now with a favourable outcome.
OH and remember unless you did all the wiring and labeling yourself NEVER trust the panel labeling, ALWAYS USE A TESTER, that way you'll live to shoot another day.
Sorry for the long post but I do hope I've been of some assistance, albeit late. If you have any further problems and your looking for some help I would only be to happy to help, so feel free to PM me if you wish.
All the best to you and yours.
MAX! |
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02/15/2009 01:56:48 AM · #127 |
| Thanks Max! Great post. I can see the draw of the quickconnect though. It's easy. Like I said before, I'm going to switch out all the switches before long for a different type. I'll take your words to heart. :) |
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02/15/2009 10:39:48 AM · #128 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
Thanks Max! Great post. I can see the draw of the quick connect though. It's easy. Like I said before, I'm going to switch out all the switches before long for a different type. I'll take your words to heart. :) |
Jason, don't forget the outlets. They will be done the same as the switches. :)
Good luck.
MAX! |
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02/15/2009 12:44:33 PM · #129 |
You may find one of these gadgets to be a good investment for that changeout project.
G B Volt Sensing Wire Strippers
They are available on line for about half the price in the link above. One of the handiest features are the two holes. You put the end of the stripped wire in the hole, and a quick twist makes a perfect bend to hook behind the screw on the terminal.
I'm sure that your Dad knows all about them. I like the volt sensing feature. They beep when voltage is present, even through insulation. It allows me to work faster, and also helps prevent unpleasant surprises.
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02/15/2009 12:55:34 PM · #130 |
| I 1000% agree about the quick connect. They're a terrible idea, use the screw terminals instead. |
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02/15/2009 01:05:16 PM · #131 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
I appreciate your concern Randall. I perhaps point out that to take your conclusion to a logical end we should remove all over-the-counter medications because there is always the possibility people are trying to treat something serious which needs a doctor's attention. If you don't know what you are doing, hey, call the doc; if you have enough experience to know it's a cold, then treat away.
Anyway, I'm a bit paranoid about the plugs and switches now too. I take some solace in knowing houses these days have circuit breakers and it had been doing its job. I want to switch all the light switches out for the sexier flat ones anyway so I'm likely to do that next time my dad (twenty years general contractor) is down. I'm not too psyched about pulling out every plug to look at it though.
Today I'm doing the highly non-dangerous job of painting Laine's room pink. :) Then it's installing that 20-amp circuit. (I'll try to take a picture of that secret tunnel so BeeCee can bring over some BC Bud...)
I also think there is a very minor leak in a plumbing pipe upstairs. When we run the water in the master bath, I swear I hear a metronomic "drip" in the ceiling that stops 30 seconds after the water is turned off. It's fairly loud though and I don't know if pipes can just make noises like that or there is actually a drip pan in the ceiling somewhere (and the metal amplifies the sound). The worst part, in my mind, is not knowing if I need to worry about it or not. I don't see any water damage anywhere. |
At the risk of taking this down an anti-self-service plumbing burrow:
I had a similar sound in my last house. Every time I had a plumber come out for one reason or another, I would have them all investigate this. They all said the same thing. A pipe leading to / from that bathroom was too tightly bound somewhere in the wall, and that it would (naturally) expand when hot water flowed through it. You would get popping sounds as it heated up, then more sounds as it contracted. There wasn't anything to do about it. We just learned to live with it.
It may or may not be what you have going on, but you can test it by running only cold water in the bath and see if it does not occur. Then try hot. |
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02/15/2009 01:47:47 PM · #132 |
We had a similar problem in our house which is about the same age as yours....turned out to be a nail driven into the drain pipe. No problem for years until the nail corroded enough that the seal between it and the pipe was gone and the leak started.
That's one just one of the many possibilities though - good luck! |
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