Look! A noob!

[bum4evr]

Heya all, newbie here. I can figure out some electrical issues I've had in the past, but I'm getting old and can't even remember what those colored plastic thingies you twist onto 2 wires to hold them together are called, so I just call them "twisties".

So anyhow, life started for me back in 1969, peanut crops were doing well, and my father owned a green cane that he bought from a mailman in Boston, now that mailman drove a Buick that only had one... oops, just read the TLDR part, I will get to the point. I have some lights and appliances that go off when others are turned on but requires a bit more explanation, can you point me to the right forum?

Thanks a lot.
Sean G

 

[Baddegg]

Welcome in mate ?....great introduction ?

 

[DPG]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Pete999]

Welcome to the forum mate.

 

[Vortigern]

Probably wired in series. Welcome to the forum. If life started in 1969 I don't think you can claim to be old on this forum. You're just having a midlife crisis.

 

[telectrix]

Probably wired in series. Welcome to the forum. If life started in 1969 I don't think you can claim to be old on this forum. You're just having a midlife crisis.

nah, he's used the wrong size twisties.

 

[static zap]

Welcome bum4evr (I was one-1 week- before I had a shave this morning )
If some appliances are fancy ,they may just shut off.
Do you have incandescent lights (Hot ones) that just go dim when the weirdness starts ?

 

[littlespark]

Wire Nuts!?!?!

 

[telectrix]

Fire Nuts...... Wago is "Way to Go".

 

[Vortigern]

Scruits is the name you are looking for, I think?

 

[telectrix]

someone once referred to them as screwnuts. conjures up images of your balls being put in a vice.

 

[bum4evr]

Thanks for all the welcomes.

Ok I will post problem here. Me and girl are renting a room, but it's actually a detached 2 car garage. We have fridge, microwave, propane stove but we go in house for bathroom needs. There is only one outlet by the door so the terms "extension cord" and "power strip" are heard often around here. Space heater or AC is impossible because it will trip the breaker, but I already guessed that when I saw lights dim when fridge compressor comes on.

In the last 2 weeks, sometimes plugging or unplugging anything will cause something else to go off, and its always something video related, such as turning on a fan caused PC monitor to go off, or plugging in a lamp will cause TV to go off, and that's on other side of room using a different power strip and extension cord.

And the night before I made this topic, the microwave caused the breaker to trip, and that has never happened in the 6 months we have been here. I checked all cords to make sure they are securely plugged in. Any ideas?

 

[telectrix]

it would appear that the supply to your garage room is insufficient for your needs. circuit being overloaded or subject to volt drop when you turn the larger appliances on.

 

[pc1966]

Basically there are a few things that will trip the circuit out:

• Over-current protection, sometimes a fuse, but usually a breaker (or MCB here in the UK = Miniature Circuit Breaker)
• Earth leakage fault, in the USA this is a GFCI (here in the UK this is RCD = Residual Current Device)
• Arcing - some fancy breakers that try to spot arcing and trip in the high frequency signature of an arc fault. Here they are known as AFDD = Arc Fault Detection Device

The dimming of lights when the compressor kicks in points to an overload of the system, or at the very least a cable that is too think for the length and load it is carrying. While it is possible that repeated tripping of a MCB could weaken it, it could be something a bit more serious like a poor joint at the MCB causing additional heat that is helping it trip on the thermal curve.

However, what is more common for nuisance trips is the RCD seeing some leak of current. This can be from faulty appliances (e.g. water leak, damaged insulation, etc) or it can sometimes be from too many low-power appliances where the sum of all the small normal leakages is enough to reach the trip threshold for the RCD.

I don't know how this is done for sure with your situation, or in the USA generally, as in the UK/Europe the RCD covers many socket outlets and is located at the board (sometimes combined with the MCB as an RCBO) whereas I think recently in the USA GFCI/AFDD are located at the sockets outlets and serve just on cable.

 

[static zap]

When its dark and things with remote controls respond , it may be a compact florescent flickering and upsetting IR remote inputs..
(can rule this out by temporary covering sensor -Of course remote will not function-If you have it)..Modern Tech ...Servant -or- Nuisance

 

[bum4evr]

Well, microwave issue has been identified at least- turns out the occupants of the main house have started to use a space heater when its cold at night. I am surprised the detached garage and their bedroom are on the same breaker, and I assume all outlets in that bedroom are also on that same breaker. I am still trying to figure out a solution because it would not be fair to ask the people living in the main house to run an extension cord to use a heater. House was build in 1972 (usa) so perhaps breaker could be upgraded to higher amps? I have only had to do that once in my life but luckily it was easy- turn main off, remove panel, snap old breaker out and snap new one in. But how do I know if wiring would support a higher amp breaker? I haven't looked yet to see but if garage/bedroom breaker is a 15 and others are 20, does that mean that all wiring would support a 20?

Next time I go in there to reset a breaker I will write down how many amps each one is.

Currently we unplug fridge to use microwave but it says online that its not a good idea to do that and can harm the fridge (Its full size fridge, given to us free from Edison to replace old power guzzling fridge 6 years ago)
Sean G

 

[pc1966]

Generally the answer is NO. You can't uprate the breaker in that sort of system as it is sized to protect (hopefully) the sort of appliances & related flexes that are plugged in. If you do think it is below the rest of the breakers you would need to get a professional electrician in to asses the wiring and any other possible reasons for that before concluding it is upratable.

Sadly I think the only options you have are either to (a) seriously moderate/balance the loading you are using, or (b) to have a separate (and possibly larger) feed wired in professionally to give your garage area a 2nd circuit so you can spread the loads over both.

Again, that really is a job for a professional. It would be a good idea to get at least two estimates/quotes for the work. Cost is highly dependent on the cable route/access needed, and if there are spare breaker slots in the existing distribution board (i.e. if the cost to add is just another breaker, or if the board would need changed for a larger one at which point it gets quite expensive).