Any Electricians out there?

[TomSeller]

Probably the last owner tried to lick his fingers and trouble shoot electric.

Hey! Some of us did that and are still alive. Had to lick twice to detect 120V. Worked hot all the time. 480V phase to phase felt kinda like 120V to ground. Had to make sure it was finger to finger on the SAME hand, NOT opposite where it passed through the torso. DON''T do any of these procedures today, use the safety procedures available. Talk walking iron? I walked steel construction hundreds of feet in the air with NO harness, NO safety whatsoever. Guys died and it was shrugged off. Picked your fall at every step and never fell because you had to be alert. Some did not, God rest their soul. DON'T do this today, use the safety procedures available.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Probably the last owner tried to lick his fingers and trouble shoot electric. Let it dry out another 5 months or so. It will fix itself.

No one has ever lived here but me; I had the shop built about 15 years ago and it was wired by a licensed electrician. The plugs look like the receptacle marked "grounded", except they are metal boxes without the red button.

I have changed my mind; I have decided to check out the problem myself. My ignorance and the public shaming is simply too much to bear.

 

[caver]

..and devote some time to basic personal finance. Like why making the minimum credit card payment on a $50 dollar pair of jeans at 20% interest makes the purchase price hundreds of dollars for pants that are worth $5 (resale) the moment you walk out the store.

+1 :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

Before spending any money hiring an electrician, just look at all of the dead outlets and see if one of them looks different then the others. The GFCI outlet has it's own breaker built into it kind of like the breaker box, but instead of just tripping when you exceed the amount of current limited by the breaker, or when grounded out, the GFCI will trip when there is any disturbance in the current on the line. They trip all the time, some more then others, and all you have to to is put the button in at the outlet to reset it.

They used to just be used in kitchens and bathrooms because they provide an additional level of safety around water.

Now they are being used all over a house. Outdoors too. I probably replace half a dozen of them a year for clients since they do go bad a lot more frequently then a regular outlet. I rarely replace bad outlets. If you do not find an outlet with the buttons on it anywhere, and you looked real good, odds are very good that it's the breaker. Outlets and wires rarely go bad. Breakers and GFCI outlets do a lot more often.

If you find that there is a GFCI outlets and nothing happens after you push one of the buttons, then try the other button, then that's a good indication that it's bad. Sometimes you need something more then just your finger to reset the button on a GFCI outlet. I usually use a pencil, or a small screwdriver, or the tip of my pocket knife. Anything that is smaller then my finger so it will go in all the way.

One button is to reset it, the other is to test it, or turn it off.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Do you have a multimeter? If not, for your purposes a $10 -$20 meter like this would do the job.
http://m.sears.com/craftsman-digita...qOww-umKQPs72-EPyimg8q9bGTczYZm7tEaAoQF8P8HAQ

The particular model doesn't matter much. Go to your local hardware store or Home Depot and pick one.

Don't be intimidated by it like I was for years whenever a friend would get his out. Just read the directions on how to check for AC volts.

Start at the sub panel. Then go up or downstream depending on what you discover.

 

[teejk]

No one has ever lived here but me; I had the shop built about 15 years ago and it was wired by a licensed electrician. The plugs look like the receptacle marked "grounded", except they are metal boxes without the red button.

I have changed my mind; I have decided to check out the problem myself. My ignorance and the public shaming is simply too much to bear.

Not public shaming! Just trying to encourage you to jump off the diving board! You of course will have to work "live" in the trouble shooting phase...just be careful with the probes on your multi-meter. If you find the offending problem, I'd suggest you go "dark" (take a flashlight). Just curious...from your previous posts it sounds like you have a sub-panel in the shop. If so I think you are supposed to have a shut-off at that point (should be labeled "main"). That will "kill" the panel although you will still have live power from the house to that shut-off device. To be perfectly safe kill it at the house end. Also someone previously mentioned a GFCI. Typical installation will be to insert one of those somewhere in the circuit (depending on where you want to start GFCI protection) and then wire off that for all downstream connections where you want GFCI protection (you only need one GFCI outlet to provide "downstream" protection to other outlets (that will look like any other outlet). That little plug-in tester will have a button on it to test any downstream connection for ground fault. Plug it anywhere in the chain and you should trip the GFCI outlet. Pretty handy device. Good luck!

 

[GPintheMitten]

Let us know if you want specifics on how to use the multimeter, should you go that route.

I would first probe a known good outlet (maybe in the house) to see how to use it and what reading you get when it's on a working circuit.

 

[Xfaxman]

Here is a good site: Multimeter Tutorial

 

[k0ua]

Well, It looks like he is going to take his first steps down "handyman road". Work smart, work safe, and come back here for advice if you need it. I salute you.:thumbsup:

 

[teejk]

Well, It looks like he is going to take his first steps down "handyman road". Work smart, work safe, and come back here for advice if you need it. I salute you.:thumbsup:

:thumbsup:

 

[Deere Dude]

Quite a few years ago when I had to work in a control panel and I was uncomfortable with do that I would tie a rope around me and have my wife standing by, just in case. But in my defense, that was before we had TBN to get all this good advice. I like the plug in tester first and then start checking with the multimeter. I would maybe check and re-tighten the connections inside the panel making sure the breaker is off in the house. Even the breaker in the house may have a loose wire.

 

[teejk]

Quite a few years ago when I had to work in a control panel and I was uncomfortable with do that I would tie a rope around me and have my wife standing by, just in case. But in my defense, that was before we had TBN to get all this good advice. I like the plug in tester first and then start checking with the multimeter. I would maybe check and re-tighten the connections inside the panel making sure the breaker is off in the house. Even the breaker in the house may have a loose wire.

I guess you never told your wife about how much life insurance you had. But anyway, electricity is one of those things that scares a lot of people. I'll admit that I learned a lot via errors that should have killed me but didn't (e.g. gotta be very careful in the panel box where the neutral/ground bus is usually pretty close the "hot" bars (typical 240v installation means 2 of them). Ruined a screwdriver once but learned a lot about welding in the process. Beyond the panel, no reason to fear anything if you "kill" the main and carry a flashlight. Btw the multimeter can be used to check outlets also but that little plug-in thing is a no-brainer thing and will also test for polarity and ground (and will also test for GFCI connections if the outlet is on one).

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Not an electician, but an electrical engineer.. I find electric circuits to be rather simple, but you do have to respect what you can't see.

check the breaker output first, then proceed down the circuit. Using a volt meter is really no more dangerous than plugging something into an outlet, just gotta know not to touch the live circuit.

 

[jerrybob]

We haven't heard from 2Lane aka.....Sparky..... since 7:38 this morning........hope he' has called a friend and/or fixed the problem......I saw on the news there was a power flicker throughout Oklahoma earlier today.........maybe he really did lick his fingers?

 

[CobyRupert]

check the breaker output first, then proceed down the circuit. Using a volt meter is really no more dangerous than plugging something into an outlet, just gotta know not to touch the live circuit.

Well it's very similar. With both you're holding an insulated conductor as it touches other electrified metal.
Just don't let one probe touch two pieces of metal at the same time, especially if one is Hot and the other is grounded (like when testing the terminals of a receptacle and the probe also touches the metal receptacle box). It's not dangerous, but the flash can be startling.

 

[k0ua]

It's not dangerous, but the flash can be startling.

And after the arc, and molten metal, you can post pictures in the welding forum!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Before you start, say the following.

"Hold my beer and watch this"

Anything you do after that will be ok.

 

[dragoneggs]

We haven't heard from 2Lane aka.....Sparky..... since 7:38 this morning........hope he' has called a friend and/or fixed the problem......I saw on the news there was a power flicker throughout Oklahoma earlier today.........maybe he really did lick his fingers?

Hey wasn't Sparky or was it Sparc who started "pallets in the fields"? Strange things happen to those who start messing with things we don't understand. :laughing:

 

[jerrybob]

Hey wasn't Sparky or was it Sparc who started "pallets in the fields"? Strange things happen to those who start messing with things we don't understand. :laughing:

Saw a falling star tonight.....no wait......was that 2lane???:confused3:

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Saw a falling star tonight.....no wait......was that 2lane???:confused3:

After looking at some of those internet pictures of the crispy critters who tried to cut into the high voltage lines in order to purloin copper belonging to the Utility Company, I have decided to take a nap and go to the dentist instead.