Mike058
Gold Member
A breaker should have tripped or fuse blown before "wires suppling power to the next receptacle were burnt completely off". I'd strongly suggest your neighbor have his electrical system inspected by an electrician. It sounds like a higher capacity breaker or fuse has been installed on that line. No circuit containing outlets should have a breaker greater than 20 amps. Someone may have had a 30 or higher breaker in a drawer and put it in, trying to save the cost of buying a proper replacement. I don't think he's out of the woods yet.
PineRidge said:The neighbor down the road called me this past Tuesday and asked if I might help him with an electrical problem that he was having.
Seems over the summer months he had used an older dehumidifier in the basement to keep things dry. The latter part of the summer the dehumidifier quit working as did half of the receptacles in the basement area.
Since I'm aware that most receptacles are connected daisy chain style the last receptacle in the basement that was still working would most likely be the place to start troubleshooting.
I removed the Bakelite cover plate after killing the power to find a melted area on a foam draft gasket about the size of a quarter. The wood paneling was also charred in an area about the size of a dime and the wires suppling power to the next receptacle were burnt completely off the receptacle. The receptacle itself fell apart in my hands as I was removing it from the single gang box.
Most likely this damage was a result of a loose connection and aggravated by the amp draw of the old dehumidifier. My recommendation was that the dehumidifier no longer be used, that he count his blessings, and that he say a prayer that evening thanking the man above that the home and possibly his life were spared from a fire.
I thought this might be a good story to share since it ended well. Most of the time we only hear about the unfortunate accidents that happen from day to day.
