Electrical Help PLEASE: Random circuits not working

[madpenguin]

i started out with both prongs on the feeders coming into the main breakers (there's 2 of them) and it was only reading 124.

That's all you needed to know. You've got a dead leg coming from the meter. Yea, I'd say it's time to call the POCO.

What they'll do is pull the meter and check the voltage there. If a leg is still dead in the meter, they'll climb up on the pole. It would then be an XFMR issue.

I'd still like to know how your dryer is working. That's technically impossible if there is no voltage on one of the top feeder lugs....

And no, there is no point in pulling breakers. Your issue lies upstream from the panel.

 

[solarz]

i'm not really sure how it is working either, but every time i cut it on, i hear a loud beeping noise coming from somewhere, and i haven't been able to figure out where. LOL.

MadP, what about the other stuff i asked...would it be wise to try to upgrade service since they are having to come out....or should i just leave it at that?

 

[dtfsux]

when you say main breaker, is this the main breaker on the panel (i know some panels have a large breaker on them) or is the main disconnect breaker outside?

If its inside, you may want to check outside for a breaker, and see if its bad by checking the power in and out of the breaker.


Bad news: With all due respect, this seems to be beyond your skill level.

Good news: Your problem is before the panel, so no reason for a sparkie to check outlets and get near your grow. Get a sparkie in there to do the work.


I will defer to MadPenguin on the service upgrade for the official opinion but MY OPINION would be that it will cost quite a bit. If the problem does lie with the power company, their obligation is to fix it. An upgrade would probably be billable. Once you have the POCO upgrade the service, I imagine you need to upgrade the lines from the meter to the panel, then the panel itself. And this is not a DIY job at your skill level.

 

[dtfsux]

the dryer may spin, light up etc because those parts may run on 120, but the heating element may run on 240.

Not positive about the motor

 

[solarz]

that may be correct, b/c there are actually 2 240 dryer breakers. So maybe that has something to do with it.

And DTF, i was referring to the main breakers in the panel, NOT the disconnect breaker. I'm not even sure where that is, or if i can even get to it.

 

[solarz]

when you say main breaker, is this the main breaker on the panel (i know some panels have a large breaker on them) or is the main disconnect breaker outside?

If its inside, you may want to check outside for a breaker, and see if its bad by checking the power in and out of the breaker.
even if it is the main disconnect breaker outside...wouldn't that still be on the power company?

Bad news: With all due respect, this seems to be beyond your skill level.
Well, i'm hoping a call to the local power company would solve the problem since it is a dead main feeder wire.

Good news: Your problem is before the panel, so no reason for a sparkie to check outlets and get near your grow. Get a sparkie in there to do the work.
So just to confirm...i don't need to go on a cleaning rampage around here before i call the power co.?? Just their access to the garage/meter/panel is all that will be needed?


I will defer to MadPenguin on the service upgrade for the official opinion but MY OPINION would be that it will cost quite a bit. If the problem does lie with the power company, their obligation is to fix it. An upgrade would probably be billable. Once you have the POCO upgrade the service, I imagine you need to upgrade the lines from the meter to the panel, then the panel itself. And this is not a DIY job at your skill level.

I'm not really tripping on the upgrade, just a thought. I feel so restricted with only having 60amps on 120v for an ENTIRE show....

.

 

[jarff]

About two yrs ago my panel went all screwy so I called my electrician..and he said one of the main wires coming into my panel was broken so I called the power company who came out in an hour and sure enuff one of the two live wires coming from the power pole had been rubbing against a guide wire and they fixed it in 10 min.Can,t remember the exact details but it seemed similar in that I seemed to have some stuff working and others not working?...Just a possible maybe?That is the extent of my electrical knowledge..
good luck
jarff

 

[madpenguin]

I didn't really say anything about a service upgrade. No need for that. It's just that the meter face needs to be pulled and a voltage reading between L1 and L2 needs to happen inside the meter.

If it's still only 120~v then the service connect up at the mast head needs to be inspected. If everything is tight and good to go there, then it can only be a transformer issue up on the pole.

No electrician can do that. It has to be the POCO. And that is there fault, thus will cost you nothing.

Don't bother with calling an electrician. Call the Power Company.

And yes, the dryer does have 120v functions on it like the buzzer and what not. If you turn it on, I bet it doesn't get hot.

 

[madpenguin]

Solarz, please don't reply inside someones quote with bold text. It's not proper forum etiquette and makes it extremely difficult to see.

I didn't know you only had a 60A main.

Do you have a main disconnect outside by the meter? If so, that's where you should be taking a reading and not in the main panel.

You need to have 240~v between both legs.

And yea, I'm on 60A as well. It really restricts the grow, not to mention my main neutral is black where it connects to the buss bar.

I would say there is no reason to tear down as long as the grow is away from the main panel. If it's upstairs on a second floor and the panel is in the basement then leave it. Your fine.

It's been a long, long, long time since I've seen a house with a 60A service. It is however pretty common with duplexes and apartments.

 

[dtfsux]

forgive mad penguin, he really does know his shit, he just doesnt seem to be reading all the posts here. MP he has 125 amp service, but only 65 available for his grow.

BTW 65 amps is a decent amount of power if you know how to use it. run lights on 240, flip flop, etc. you could run 12,000w flip flop (6,000 each cycle)

The power company is responsible for getting you power to the meter, thats it. After the meter, there usually is a main disconnect, and you need to check that breaker. I have had one go bad before. That was years ago when I didnt know what I do now, and called the POCO. Luckily the guy was cool, told me it was a breaker, and said he'd come back in an hour if I went to Home Depot and got one. I got one and he put it in for me

power goes from the pole -meter-main-disconnect-panel. Anything after that meter, and you are on the hook. POCO may be cool and hook you up, maybe not.


And if you are not getting 240 inside, then the problem is outside for sure and no reason for anyone to come inside at all.

I say this nicely, but this is probably over your head, Electricty is no joke and when dealing with outside stuff, straight out of the meter etc, it could be a life changing experience (from life to no life)

If you have the money, just call someone out. This isnt brain surgery, you just need someone with a little knowledge. MP may get pissed but I think you could find someone on Craigslist pretty cheap that could help you out quickly. Post an ad under gigs or look in the services offered section.

 

[sparkjumper]

Check the disconnect outside it should have a 2 pole breaker or two fuses.Either way,you're a one legged man I bet lol.Whenever you lose different power in different parts of a house its almnost always that you've lost a leg.And probably at your service disconnect.You'll either have to replace a 2 pole breaker or one fuse

 

[PharmaCan]

First, get an extension cord and plug your fridge into a receptacle that is working. That's much easier than hauling ice.

Secondly, MP is spot on. Call the PowCo. From everything you've said, it looks like it's their problem.

Solarz, there could be another main disconnect other than the one in the panel, and that disconnect being faulty could cause this problem. But if there is not another main disconnect in an obvious place, let the PowCo find it.

PC

 

[madpenguin]

dtfsux, your right... I'm not reading. I think this is the thread where I didn't even read the second page. See, I don't even know what thread I'm on.

That's why I usually just lurk up top in the sticky.

I could have sworn he said he had a 60A service inside that quote. Anyhoo... I'm going back to the sticky...

You have a dead leg OP. Call the POCO.

 

[PharmaCan]

Check the disconnect outside it should have a 2 pole breaker or two fuses.Either way,you're a one legged man I bet lol.Whenever you lose different power in different parts of a house its almnost always that you've lost a leg.And probably at your service disconnect.You'll either have to replace a 2 pole breaker or one fuse

That was my impression from the first post. Funny how that experience thing works. lol

It'd be kind of handy if people would say what part of the country they are in and the vintage of their house. Here in California, for example, one seldom sees fuses or a disconnect between the meter and the main in the panel.

PC

 

[solarz]

ok, thanks for the replies guys.

MadP, no disrespect, but i thought that bolding it would make it a bit easier to see the answers to the questions asked.

But DTF is right, i have 125A for the entire house....and i have 3 dedicated 20amp circuits for the grow. The house is an older house, but i had the circuits dropped by a professional electric company. I don't fuck with the electric shit...i call/pay for that. And i was just asking about the upgrade, b/c of the limit of only having 60A on 120v.

I'm about call the power company now...and see if they can come out this morning. I'm not really sure about all the main disconnect stuff, but i tested the mains coming into the panel from the meter, and on of them is definitely dead....so that's about as far as my "experience" will take me, and i'll let them handle the rest. If i need to buy a breaker/fuse...then so be it, but i need to get my juice back. Its been night time for 3 days....

PharmaCan...i doubt that there is a fuse or a main disconnect b/w the meter and the panel. The way its set up, its almost impossible. My meter is outside against the house, and the panel is right behind it (thru a wall/door). I can open the door, and touch the meter with my left hand, and the panel with my right, with no problem.

Thanks again for all the help guys. I'll report back and let you know what the power company says when its all finished.

 

[grow nerd]

Wanna hear a funny joke?

Where does your main panel work?

IHOP ('cuz it's only got one leg)

Haaaarrr, haaaar, har har

 

[PharmaCan]

True story:

Out of the clear blue sky, just like with solarz problem, the electricity goes out in part of my apartment in Moscow. If I flip the breaker, it trips the other breakers in the apartment and the main in the hall.

Direct short somewhere, right?

So I'm checking things out and notice a water spot near the wall mounted light directly outside the bathroom. WTF? Turns out the bathroom above me had a plumbing leak that went into the wall and filled the light box with water. That's something you don't see everyday.

PC

 

[fireman]

yea bro sorry to jump in late but it seems like your on the right track.

I had the same thing happen to me i had to me at the end of my harvest last summer and had to take them down a couple days early cause the lights were out in my room for a couple days.

Then i call the power company and tell them no one is home and the power was messed up. I believe it was a breaker that was blown from the incoming power box at the line. I come back to the house there is a shotgun shell size breaker blown sitting on the ledge of our walkway and its all fixed

So all in all its def up to the power company like you said but i feel for you bro hope all goes well

 

[dtfsux]

True story:

Out of the clear blue sky, just like with solarz problem, the electricity goes out in part of my apartment in Moscow. If I flip the breaker, it trips the other breakers in the apartment and the main in the hall.

Direct short somewhere, right?

So I'm checking things out and notice a water spot near the wall mounted light directly outside the bathroom. WTF? Turns out the bathroom above me had a plumbing leak that went into the wall and filled the light box with water. That's something you don't see everyday.

PC

my kids flooded an upstairs bathroom overnight, directly over the master bath. I had a light fixture FULL of water, and the bulb was completely under water, and WORKING. Once I saw it, I shut it off obviously. guess it never got high enough to the base to short.

Solarz, the main disconnect would be next to the meter. But from what you describe, you probably dont have one. Let us know what the POCO says, I bet they come out quickly.

I knew someone who lost a leg and the wire was underground. The POCO brought out a battery, yes a battery, not a generator to run the house. This battery ran the house for 3-4 days, A/C everything. House was not a grow house

 

[solarz]

Well...the power company came out and they said that i had full power fro the meter, and that one of the legs/wires feeding the main was melted completely. He said that i would have to call an electric company and have them replace the wire going into the panel.

Does anyone know a ball park figure on how much something like this would cost? I'm about to start cold calling some electricians and see what they say.