_KaCe_
DIY
- Reaction score
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I installed outdoor lighting and outlets. I finished this past year. I passed my inspection on April 2022. I was so pleased, BUT now the circuit the outlets are on has a problem... the circuit keeps tripping. Question 1: I was wondering if there's a way to test the circuit breaker itself? Then if it isn't that, I'll begin checking the wiring and connections. Question 2: Is there a piece of equipment to check the wiring and fittings?
Background: I was an Industrial Arts major in college and taught shop classes. Got married and worked for a city in the planning department and then in plans and permits where I checked zoning, setbacks, etc. and finally, I was a draftsman for said city and drew ULID's and LID's for street and utility improvements. I was a charter member of the NWSurveyor's Association, tho not a surveyor, but a draftsman for them prior to computers doing plotting and topography mapping. I worked with a WANG computer that did the figuring on the math... you programmed it with a card for each step and then entering a value from our project... it was always correct, providing the person was putting in the proper card for figuring out the task at hand.
I was raised in a military family: Dad was an AF lifer and Mom was a Sgt in the Women's Marine Corp. She worked in weather during WWII. Both parents encouraged my sister and me to do what we enjoyed doing. I took architectural drafting as an extra class in 6th grade and loved it. Dad taught me to tie flies, how to shoot, and encourage me that if I wanted to do it, he wouldn't stand in the way... The dependents of active military were given summer jobs. There was a meeting at the base theater and slides of what was available were shown on the screen. When you saw one you liked you wrote down its number and went to the back of the theater to claim that job. I signed up for one, but was told no people of the female persuasion allowed; I sat and finally saw one that was meant for me, as my Grandfather had taught me to track animals and to know my trees... it was taking core samples and tagging animals. Yeah, you guessed it... no people of the female persuasion allowed; Then I got a bit miffed. Why couldn't I get a job that I'd like? Because they wanted me in an office filing, or typing. Not for me, I told them. Then they gave me a drafting job for the Corps of Engineers at Ft. Richardson...BUT I could take training in driving an 18 wheeler (the 3rd job I'd been turned down for) and drive the last 30 days of my summer. I was over the moon about that. And so I learned to back an 18 wheeler and drove a refer to Nike sights around the Anchorage area.
I guess you now know a bit about me. I like working with my hands, doing what needs doing, and I do good work. (Both parents were sticklers on that) When I married we needed to do chores around our home that meant fixing things and installing things... I was blessed with a husband that was patient and lacked the interest in what I was interested in, so I became the designated Home Repair arm of our marriage (now over 53 years together) while he controls the purse strings on the projects. It was legal to wire a home you owned and I wired many of our 22 rentals (all were inspected & had permits) and our home. Our home is knob and tube, so when we went from an 100A service to a 400A service, my hubby said nothing. We have lived in our home about 50 years. No problems with wiring or anything electric. In fact, it was a brilliant move, if I do say so myself. I now have a shop in the garage; a kiln area with two kilns and a kitchen with all manner of equipment, including two new circuits. We still have room on our box for a few more circuit breakers and I used two this past year for the outdoor lighting and outlets.
I did have a friend who's an electrician who helped me get the correct wire (free after HomeDepot sold me the wrong wire) and guided me to the right conduit and helped me with the wiring... I joined the local IBEW as a member to take their classes and learn more when I heard that a person could join who had an interest. Now I sing the praises of this organization and refer others to it. BUT the reason for this inquiry is to learn the best ways to troubleshot a circuit that is tripping. I would like to be capable of checking any circuit . . . the right way. So I seek your input on this topic.
My Exact Questions: Could the circuit breaker be tripping because something is wrong with it? Is there a test for that aside from replacing it and seeing if the next circuit breakers works properly? If the breaker is deemed okay, and the circuit breaker continues to trip, what or how should I test the wiring...outlets? Should I test wiring first and then the outlets? Or do you know from experience that issues are generally one thing, but not the other?(I have the tool that shows if wires are crossed within the outlet.) Or should I methodically work my way from the circuit breaker to the last item on the circuit? Or visa versa? Thank you in advance for your suggestions. May you each have a joyful and prosperous 2023.
Background: I was an Industrial Arts major in college and taught shop classes. Got married and worked for a city in the planning department and then in plans and permits where I checked zoning, setbacks, etc. and finally, I was a draftsman for said city and drew ULID's and LID's for street and utility improvements. I was a charter member of the NWSurveyor's Association, tho not a surveyor, but a draftsman for them prior to computers doing plotting and topography mapping. I worked with a WANG computer that did the figuring on the math... you programmed it with a card for each step and then entering a value from our project... it was always correct, providing the person was putting in the proper card for figuring out the task at hand.
I was raised in a military family: Dad was an AF lifer and Mom was a Sgt in the Women's Marine Corp. She worked in weather during WWII. Both parents encouraged my sister and me to do what we enjoyed doing. I took architectural drafting as an extra class in 6th grade and loved it. Dad taught me to tie flies, how to shoot, and encourage me that if I wanted to do it, he wouldn't stand in the way... The dependents of active military were given summer jobs. There was a meeting at the base theater and slides of what was available were shown on the screen. When you saw one you liked you wrote down its number and went to the back of the theater to claim that job. I signed up for one, but was told no people of the female persuasion allowed; I sat and finally saw one that was meant for me, as my Grandfather had taught me to track animals and to know my trees... it was taking core samples and tagging animals. Yeah, you guessed it... no people of the female persuasion allowed; Then I got a bit miffed. Why couldn't I get a job that I'd like? Because they wanted me in an office filing, or typing. Not for me, I told them. Then they gave me a drafting job for the Corps of Engineers at Ft. Richardson...BUT I could take training in driving an 18 wheeler (the 3rd job I'd been turned down for) and drive the last 30 days of my summer. I was over the moon about that. And so I learned to back an 18 wheeler and drove a refer to Nike sights around the Anchorage area.
I guess you now know a bit about me. I like working with my hands, doing what needs doing, and I do good work. (Both parents were sticklers on that) When I married we needed to do chores around our home that meant fixing things and installing things... I was blessed with a husband that was patient and lacked the interest in what I was interested in, so I became the designated Home Repair arm of our marriage (now over 53 years together) while he controls the purse strings on the projects. It was legal to wire a home you owned and I wired many of our 22 rentals (all were inspected & had permits) and our home. Our home is knob and tube, so when we went from an 100A service to a 400A service, my hubby said nothing. We have lived in our home about 50 years. No problems with wiring or anything electric. In fact, it was a brilliant move, if I do say so myself. I now have a shop in the garage; a kiln area with two kilns and a kitchen with all manner of equipment, including two new circuits. We still have room on our box for a few more circuit breakers and I used two this past year for the outdoor lighting and outlets.
I did have a friend who's an electrician who helped me get the correct wire (free after HomeDepot sold me the wrong wire) and guided me to the right conduit and helped me with the wiring... I joined the local IBEW as a member to take their classes and learn more when I heard that a person could join who had an interest. Now I sing the praises of this organization and refer others to it. BUT the reason for this inquiry is to learn the best ways to troubleshot a circuit that is tripping. I would like to be capable of checking any circuit . . . the right way. So I seek your input on this topic.
My Exact Questions: Could the circuit breaker be tripping because something is wrong with it? Is there a test for that aside from replacing it and seeing if the next circuit breakers works properly? If the breaker is deemed okay, and the circuit breaker continues to trip, what or how should I test the wiring...outlets? Should I test wiring first and then the outlets? Or do you know from experience that issues are generally one thing, but not the other?(I have the tool that shows if wires are crossed within the outlet.) Or should I methodically work my way from the circuit breaker to the last item on the circuit? Or visa versa? Thank you in advance for your suggestions. May you each have a joyful and prosperous 2023.
- TL;DR
- Trouble shoot why a ground fault circuit breaker keeps tripping. Questions in last paragraph
