Adam Lenhardt

Weird electrical problem

So I'm staying with my parents in the house I grew up in through the long weekend, and I was taking a bath the strangest thing happened. The bathroom has both a traditional overhead light controlled by a wall switch and three vanity lights over the mirror on the medicine cabinet above the sink controlled by a turn nob on the light strip itself.
As I was sitting there, with nothing really changed, the lights (both the overhead and the vanity lights) pulsated four or five times with a hum like during a brown out before everything on that breaker switch went off. If it's a bulb going, one usually sees a bright flash before only one line goes out. When it's an overload, usually the whole circuit goes out instantly. It wasn't like either of those. Flipping the switch didn't do anything the first time, and since then the best we've been able to get is a similar four or five "pulses" with that hum before the everything on that breaker switch fails again. All the other breakers are working fine, and we're leaving the problematic one off to avoid any further damage.
It's got more of a burden from sheer number of devices than any other breaker switch on the board, responsible for the overhead lights in the kitchen, bathroom, and both bedrooms. All of the heavy draining appliances, like the washer, dryer and refridgerator are on other breaker switches however. What could debilitate a breaker circuit like that continuously like this one is? I'm suffering from a major cold, so I was soaking in the tub far longer than usual to keep my congestion at bay. Could the increased moisture in the air from a hot bath have gotten into one of the light fixtures and shorted things out?

Jay H

Re: Weird electrical problem

Could it just be the breaker, how old is it? Breakers don't last forever, particularly the GFCI breakers if it is that type...

Jay

You are the crispy noodle in the vegetarian salad of life

Steve Berger

Re: Weird electrical problem

Sure, but a fluorescent ballast could short out also.

Personally, I would make sure that all switches are off before resetting the breaker. If the house wiring is correct then all the lights should be out of the circuit. If light fixtures were added incorrectly then all bets are off.

Someone watching the meter when the breaker is flipped back on should look for a sudden increase in spin, which would indicate a severe current draw. Even a bad breaker is likely to hold with no load.

If flipping the light switch is what kicks the breaker then there is obviously problem with those light fixtures. removing the lamps themselves would be the first step. Use caution since a failed lamp could be cracked or broken and shatter.

Adam Lenhardt

Re: Weird electrical problem

[DOUBLE POST - PLEASE DELETE]

Adam Lenhardt

Re: Weird electrical problem

We turned all of the light switches to the off position and tried the breaker switch again. Seemed fine for a few seconds, then the hum started in, and it flipped itself again. We have an electrician who will hopefully be coming this afternoon.

Adam Lenhardt

Re: Weird electrical problem

Well, the electrician just left and it's amazing we didn't have a house fire. Along with the overhead lights, one of the outlets in the bathroom was also connected to that breaker. All the wiring in that wall was either ancient cloth insulated wire from when the house was first built that was literally rotting away or jury-rigged lamp cord that my father had cut off an old lamp and used to replace some wiring that had previously gone bad. One of the cloth-insulated wires from the bathroom out had actually caught fire and burned several feet before coming to a charred end that was still hot inside the wall. Once that wire was capped off, the rest of the circuit worked fine again. He's coming back tomorrow to replace all of the wiring properly and bring the bathroom up to code.

Mort Corey

Re: Weird electrical problem

Ka-Ching........might want him to give the once over to the rest of the circuits.

Mort