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What was the unexpected cause of the electrical issue that left half the house dark and required hours of troubleshooting?

Asked by Guillermo Candelaria
2 months ago
Last Updated: October 6, 2024

Hey there! So, Sunday morning started off with a bang – literally! We were jolted awake by a loud crash of thunder. No lightning in sight, but suddenly half the house went dark. Our place is pretty old, built back in 1907, so finding enough outlets for all our electronics is a bit of a challenge. So, what’s the solution? Well, we plugged in a 6-way adapter into the wall and carried on.

After the power outage, we couldn’t reset the breaker, so we went on a bit of a hunt. My son-in-law and I spent a good couple of days tearing the place apart, even investing in some fancy tracing meters, but we just couldn’t find the source of the problem. In the end, we had to call in a fantastic electrician, who managed to squeeze in some time to take a look.

Turns out, every switch, fixture, and outlet in the house was completely disconnected – yikes! After some detective work, the electrician finally cracked the case – it was all traced back to a faulty outlet. Who would’ve thought that a cheap 6-plug outlet from Menards would cause so much trouble? Lesson learned – if one

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Dawn Ferguson

Why do you believe that stuff isn’t approved by ESA or CSA?

They really shouldn’t be selling such subpar products.

Simon Denys

That story sounds incredibly silly… 😆 The first step when dealing with power outages is to unplug everything that’s connected. Then, if the power stays on, start plugging things back in until it trips – and voila, you’re done! Are you the kind of person who drives all the way to Kentucky for KFC? 🤪

Eugenio Torres

Ugh. Basic troubleshooting advice 101 – unplug everything and remove bulbs.

Don Chavez

I wasted 3 minutes of my life reading through that poorly written paragraph only to discover the obvious issue in the 8th line.

Is your electrician inexperienced?

If you’re looking to donate $150, I have a couple of favorite charities I can recommend.

Alfredo Holt

Let me make sure I understand this correctly. You purchased a device that wasn’t UL approved, plugged it into a home built in 1907 (where ground wires weren’t mandatory until about 65 years later), and used it so much that the plugs no longer fit properly (as shown in your photo). The device seems to have all the necessary features for proper grounding, yet you claim it’s not grounded. It’s actually against code to install a 3-prong outlet in a home without proper grounding (unless it’s protected by a FCI). Have you ever installed or used 3-prong outlets in places without grounding? Have you or someone you know connected wires to the back of the outlet to deceive an outlet tester into thinking it was grounded? You seem skeptical about its ability to handle 1800 watts. In my picture here, I show a wire capable of handling 1800 watts (to the left of the paper clip) and a metal piece from a similar outlet block (below the clip). From what I can tell, that piece of metal can easily handle as much current as the wire.

Alfredo Holt

And did you make holes in the walls searching for the problem before unplugging everything? Did I understand that correctly? Your statements seemed clear and straightforward, but there could have been a misunderstanding on my part. I apologize if I got something wrong.

Alfredo Vásquez

Buddy, you’ve got more issues than just your electrical work, haha 😂😂

Hilda Rosas

I wouldn’t purchase anything unless it has a UL certification.

Susie Hall

At work, the fire department took away all the plastic power strips. They provided us with some heavy-duty metal ones that cost around $80 each.

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