Electrical Problem Help Please

[ma-skis.com]

white touching white is no problem, it's when white meets black you create a short circuit in your system, (unless you're wiring 2 or 3 way switches, then they'll meet red black and white)

if you have a continuity tester, you might want to take the outlets out and see if the outlets have been shorted somehow themselves...

i'd call an electrician right about now too when you're dealing with things melting.

[Pinner]

That picture is a bit blurry, nothing plugged in to that at the time? and no breaker popped ? Any marks on the inside of the box? Don't worry too much yet, it looks like a fault with the plug.

[Titan]

Originally Posted by Pinner

That picture is a bit blurry, nothing plugged in to that at the time? and no breaker popped ? Any marks on the inside of the box? Don't worry too much yet, it looks like a fault with the plug.

Breaker did not pop. When I turned on the breaker to get a bit more light for the pic (shty bb camera) I could hear the outlet sizzle. I had actually changed the other one first and when I turned the breaker back on I could smell this one burning as it is in the same room as the breaker box.

Nothing was plugged into either one that melted.

[Bownesian]

Plugs and switches can burn out like this in older homes. There is nothing wrong with the wires in the wall or something, you probably just need to replace this plug.

The fix is to strip the wires back a little and clip them off a little if they look to need it; then clean the copper ends with sandpaper and wire them back into a new plug - black with black on the brass screws, white with white on the silver screws, ground on the ground screw.

See here:
http://www.easy-do-it-yourself-home-...re-a-plug.html

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Since getting a non-contact circuit tester I have found troubleshooting electircal problems are so much easier.

I use that at the bar, its great for picking up dirties

Serious note, O/P should get that, it works great.

[Pinner]

First off it is not normal for plugs and outlets to start melting and "burnout". ^^^

If the breaker didn't pop that is concerning because that is exactly what it's purpose is.

So if 2 outlets are melting and the white wires were touching I would guess the outlets were wired wrong.

The wire runs from one outlet to the next one, the black wire to the black side of the next outlet.

If the black wire got installed to the white side of the next outlet nothing would happen until those 2 white wires touched because they arn't really both connected to the white side. (You get the point)

That breaker should have tripped though, I would check that and buy a couple new outlets and a tester.

Black wires to brass and check your whole house with a tester, 5 bucks.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5260048_test...-problems.html

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

Serious note, O/P should get that, it works great.

All those things do is test if a wire is live.

The type of tester I linked is what you need.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receptacle_tester

[Frequitude]

^^^

What Pinner said. Melting outlets mean a boatload of current (a short). Your breaker should have popped well before that much damage was done.

Do we really think the sockets could have been wired wrong though? That would mean they've been shorting for 10 years.

Are any other sockets melting?

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

^^^


Do we really think the sockets could have been wired wrong though? That would mean they've been shorting for 10 years.

Nothing would happen untill the wires touched, maybe they had the covers off to paint and things moved a bit ?? Or ?

[Shazam]

Probably caused by an arc. This is why newer homes have arc fault breakers for the bedrooms.

[Titan]

Originally Posted by Pinner

Nothing would happen untill the wires touched, maybe they had the covers off to paint and things moved a bit ?? Or ?

The weird part is that we have done nothing in the basement, particularly where the two outlets are. The only contact would be occassionally plugging in the vaccumm and the couch bumping against the outlet. it is a Jayman home so I would not be surprised if they hired a hobo to do the wiring.

No other outlets were melting but I did not check all of them. I am starting to think I should go through the whole house and replace them all.

The breaker did go initially, which alerted me to having a problem. It did not trip last night when I was taking the picture and the wires were sizzling in front of me.

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by Titan

The breaker did go initially, which alerted me to having a problem. It did not trip last night when I was taking the picture and the wires were sizzling in front of me.

Change the two and don't worry about the other outlets, but do buy a tester and check them.

It's a good idea for everybody to test them.

Stuff happens, wires move, I'm not sure how to test a breaker, some have a push to test button on them, but short of dead shorting the wires to test, I don't know.

[Titan]

Originally Posted by Pinner

Change the two and don't worry about the other outlets, but do buy a tester and check them.

It's a good idea for everybody to test them.

Stuff happens, wires move, I'm not sure how to test a breaker, some have a push to test button on them, but short of dead shorting the wires to test, I don't know.

Out of thanks but Thanks.

[Pinner]

I still don't get why 2 outlets are melting, there could be a heavy power draw further along the circuit, and loose connections can get hot. That circuit could go into another room.

I would change the first outlet closest to the panel, (could take a few tries to figure out the way it goes) and leave the other ones disconnected, test it with the tester making sure everything is good, and go from there keeping black on brass and only one wire under each screw. More than one wire per screw = bad connections.

I know you don't want to but you might have to get some help.