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lynn117
@sbcglobal.net

lynn117

Anon

electricial problem

i have an issue with my electricity. when i turn on the direct tv receiver/tv the bedroom power shuts down. after minutes to hours it comes back on its own. the breakers are fine and shutting them off and turning them back on does nothing. my landlord came out and checked all the bedroom outlets. one was a little loose so he replaced it. the next day i tuned the tv on and out went the bedroom power again. while waiting for it to come back i took my laptop to the living room. i went to unplug it and my bedroom lights came on. turned tv off and back on... no power. ran out and plugged in and out an appliance to the suspected outlet in the living room and bedroom power goes on and off. these are not on the same circuit breaker. can anyone explain whats going on? my landlord is gone till next week will it be dangerous to use like it is for a few more days? it hasnt triggered the surge protectors either.

John Galt6
Forward, March
Premium Member
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp

John Galt6

Premium Member

Sounds like there is another splice that is intermittent. Since you state that the receptacles are on different circuits it could be the (common) neutral.

Best thing to do is not use it until someone can track down the problem. An open neutral on a multi-wire circuit is a bad thing.

Intermittent faults are difficult to find. I usually just resplice all of the boxes since you have to open them all anyway to check. That usually solves the problem.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
·Charter

1 recommendation

nunya to lynn117

MVM

to lynn117
It almost sounds like a MWBC with a dirty open neutral. If you value any of your appliances, you won't leave them plugged in.

Whether the LL is in town or not, it's his responsibility to fix it. That's part of "the deal" when you become a landlord. He needs to call a real electrician NOW.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine

Member

Can't you just call an electrician, have them fix it and take it out of next month's rent? That's what I did with plumbing issues I had in an old apartment. I called a plumber and subtracted the amount from the rent. A loose neutral sounds like a recipe for disaster.

davidg
Good Bye My Friend
MVM
join:2002-06-15
00000

1 recommendation

davidg

MVM

that would depend on local laws, but generally this is allowed IF you notify the LL first and get their permission. if you don't call him about it, you could be stuck with the bill.

lynn117
@sbcglobal.net

lynn117

Anon

the landlord is coming tomorrow afternoon. he is going to replace the outlet and rewire it. i have lived in this apartment since 1996 and this is the only electrical issue i have ever had. i think its strange that the breaker never trips and the surge protectors didnt go off. thank everyone for your suggestions.. my landlord is actually a pretty good guy.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO

nunya

MVM

Maybe he'll accidentally fix it while putzing around with replacing outlets.
TheMG
Premium Member
join:2007-09-04
Canada
MikroTik RB450G
Cisco DPC3008
Cisco SPA112

TheMG to lynn117

Premium Member

to lynn117
said by lynn117 :

i think its strange that the breaker never trips and the surge protectors didnt go off.

Breakers only trip on overcurrent. What you have is a bad connection somewhere that goes open, not a short circuit or overload.

Surge protectors only purpose is to absorb and redirect the energy of transient voltage spikes. This has nothing to do with your problem. Also, surge protectors don't "go off" or give any indication when they encounter a surge. In fact, the lights on most consumer surge protectors are just dummy lights, they don't really do anything. If you're wondering about the breaker you might find on most surge bars, it's for overcurrent only.
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lynn117
@sbcglobal.net

lynn117 to TheMG

Anon

to TheMG

Re: electricial problem

a living room outlet had an extremely loose connection. once the screws were tightened everything works fine!

pike
Premium Member
join:2001-02-01
Washington, DC

pike

Premium Member

Glad everything is working for you, but I hope the repair person did more than just tighten the screws. Loose connections almost always result in arcing, potentially damaging the receptacle or the wiring itself.
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