NEED DIRECTIONS!!! NO POWER TO GROWROOM!!!

[FRIENDinDEED]

none of this was a crisis until i saw the cuts and the plants are still vibrant and green after a couple of days in the dark i cant help but think i can save them.

the electrical in my house was problem to begin with BUT thinking i could skate by on what i had was my biggest mistake.

a new addition was added onto the home my wife and i bought and the panel couldnt handle the extra line/s needed so the owner had two lines sharing one breaker.

i think this house was a quick flip since certain things weren't done that we noticed afterwards. we're cool with it because she and i are handy and could knock alot of the stuff out and then contract the rest, not big jobs but just more technical than what we wanted to deal with, but either way we would save money on what we did and that money would be used to fix the other things.

so now enough time has passed and it seems that chickens are coming home to roost.

i tried searching for what i need to do online and i dont think im asking it the right way in order to get the proper results

i want to know, how would i test the lines that are going to the new addition/section of the home that has lost power?

im wondering if there is a device that is out there that i can plug into the outlet/s of the "outted" section and then have it send a test signal that can be tracked/detected along the line/wire at the panel box?

my thinking is that i need a tester that can do that but i dont known if im just blowing smoke up my own ass or if something like that actually is out there AND how do i refer to it so that i can find what i need?

i have the nutes, so im just gonna keep watering them. the cost of a tester would be better than calling in an electrician. financially i have no choice to either do it myself or wait 2 weeks until my journeyman friend comes through on his visit.

ive got 6 mom plants and 20 fresh unrooted cuts i need to try and save

anyone got anything for me? im seriously on knees with prayer hands up right now

 

[WelderDan]

Move your babies to a temporary safe location and hire a licensed electrician.

There are lots of people here with the smarts to explain what to do, but in all honesty, the SAFEST thing you can do is to use a pro.

 

[Sam the Caveman]

a new addition was added onto the home my wife and i bought and the panel couldnt handle the extra line/s needed so the owner had two lines sharing one breaker.

wow, what a mess.

What size wire is connected to what size breaker?

Even if its within the proper ratings, its still not supposed to be that way.

An easy way to check to see which wires lead to that addition would be to cut off the main breaker, then go to the breaker with a 9 or 12v battery and some alligator clips. clip the battery to the suspected wire for the connection(pull the breaker off the panel before you clip in for safety), then go in the addition and check the plugs in the room with a volt meter.

Thats just one way you could do it, there might be some fancy equipment you could get, but I'm no expert in the field.

If it was a flipped house, there is no telling what you'll find. Do the electrical outlets even have wire ran to them? You would never know until you take the covers off the outlets. And for a flipper, that would save them a bit on an electrician and the new owners wouldn't find out until they got moved in.

if your panel is already full, I would suspect it is only a 100amp panel for the main. It might be best just to hire an electrician to upgrade your panel to a 200 amp. There will be plenty room on a 200 for extra circuits.

 

[rives]

Some more information would be helpful. I take it that this room was functioning and then quit? Is the circuit that you are dealing with 120v or 240v? Do you have a voltage tester or multi-meter and know how to use it? Have you lost power somewhere else (the circuit that the other wires on the breaker feeds)?

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

Some more information would be helpful. I take it that this room was functioning and then quit? Is the circuit that you are dealing with 120v or 240v? Do you have a voltage tester or multi-meter and know how to use it? Have you lost power somewhere else (the circuit that the other wires on the breaker feeds)?

Some more information would be helpful. I take it that this room was functioning and then quit? yeah, everything was working fine and then it all just went out, no breakers were tripped or anything, have no clue as to what did or could have happened

Is the circuit that you are dealing with 120v or 240v? not too sure, thats something im gonna have to check out

Do you have a voltage tester or multi-meter and know how to use it? nah dont have one, but i can figure it out, its old knowledge that im gonna need to get back into until things get better

Have you lost power somewhere else (the circuit that the other wires on the breaker feeds)? nah, just to the room or rather that section of the house

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

wow, what a mess.

What size wire is connected to what size breaker?

Even if its within the proper ratings, its still not supposed to be that way.

An easy way to check to see which wires lead to that addition would be to cut off the main breaker, then go to the breaker with a 9 or 12v battery and some alligator clips. clip the battery to the suspected wire for the connection(pull the breaker off the panel before you clip in for safety), then go in the addition and check the plugs in the room with a volt meter.

Thats just one way you could do it, there might be some fancy equipment you could get, but I'm no expert in the field.

If it was a flipped house, there is no telling what you'll find. Do the electrical outlets even have wire ran to them? You would never know until you take the covers off the outlets. And for a flipper, that would save them a bit on an electrician and the new owners wouldn't find out until they got moved in.

if your panel is already full, I would suspect it is only a 100amp panel for the main. It might be best just to hire an electrician to upgrade your panel to a 200 amp. There will be plenty room on a 200 for extra circuits.

yeah man, big friggin mess indeed! and we were getting some water on the roof near this hellacious fire place that the previous owner built (neighbors tell me he was a mason/ry guy for the longest) i shoudl post a pic of it inside and out. honestly its nice but i think this fuckin guy must have been crazy or something, a couple more feet and this thing would qualify as a spire.

my friend who is coming by in a week is a journeyman but he could only do so much over the phone.

yeah the panel is really full, he wanted me to get a 150amp panel box that he and i are gonna install once he gets here.

all the outlets have/had power to them, its the garage, our family room and daughters room. but im gonna do what you suggested with the battery.

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

Move your babies to a temporary safe location and hire a licensed electrician.

There are lots of people here with the smarts to explain what to do, but in all honesty, the SAFEST thing you can do is to use a pro.

dont have anything like that, no place else but here. plans have always been to get a couple grows in for self and once that was done the next grow was gonna be for capital so i could fix things up but the power failure beat me to the punch

i wanted to get an extension cord and run it from another part of the house but daughter needs it in here room and wife aint spendin the dough so i could get another just to "keep my babies alive"

wife is supportive to a fault to be honest, but as far as the grow, we talked about it and its all on me

 

[Danks2005]

Have you opened up everything that is no longer working to see if you have a bad connection. Sometimes if there is poor connection at a wire nut, it can heat and cool, expand and contract, get a little loose then burn up. We call this a fusible link, lol. You will need a voltage tester. Once everything is opened see if there is a hot wire anywhere, if so hook it back up and you should be good to go. Although it sounds like you have some issues that need correction. Double stacked wires on breakers is never good. Do you have sufficient crawl space and or attic space? Rewire could be not too difficult option if you do. Changing a panel is pretty easy, if you've got the balls to cut you drops while hot (easy but scary, don't be grounded, cut one at a time, tape up, and lay em in the yard), much more stressful if it is fed underground. Or you can pull a permit, have the power shut off, pass inspection and have power turned back on. If you know a JW, I would do the former not the latter(especially with plants in the home). If you are a breaker or two shy with no space in the panel, you could run a small sub-panel off the main. If you think of any questions, feel free to ask. In the thread or pm whatever you prefer.

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

Have you opened up everything that is no longer working to see if you have a bad connection. Sometimes if there is poor connection at a wire nut, it can heat and cool, expand and contract, get a little loose then burn up. We call this a fusible link, lol. You will need a voltage tester. Once everything is opened see if there is a hot wire anywhere, if so hook it back up and you should be good to go. Although it sounds like you have some issues that need correction. Double stacked wires on breakers is never good. Do you have sufficient crawl space and or attic space? Rewire could be not too difficult option if you do. Changing a panel is pretty easy, if you've got the balls to cut you drops while hot (easy but scary, don't be grounded, cut one at a time, tape up, and lay em in the yard), much more stressful if it is fed underground. Or you can pull a permit, have the power shut off, pass inspection and have power turned back on. If you know a JW, I would do the former not the latter(especially with plants in the home). If you are a breaker or two shy with no space in the panel, you could run a small sub-panel off the main. If you think of any questions, feel free to ask. In the thread or pm whatever you prefer.

i hear you, im amassing information right now because when i go at it i want to go at it with everything one time. wife, baby, daughter are the reasons why i gotta do things in a timely manner so cant keep the power off for too long. i tell you what though, we already talked about solar panels and im really thinking about getting some battery op power tools.

i can turn the power off when/as i need to so im good there (called the power co hoping for one thing and ended up getting something even better!)

i think someone else suggested that i open up the all the face-plates to the room(s) and check them for loose wires so thats a definite.

i posed the same question of the thread to my friend and he was saying that i need a cable tester in order to find out which line runs from the affected area to the panel box. i need to find that main line just as much as i need to know where a loose wire may be or is. he also suggested the cause being a loose wire

the way that it just went out and i heard nothing trip or anything, im starting to think that it just may be a wire loose somewhere.

i really wanted to make this home my first real electrical project and learn as i go. im gearing up for nursing school and although im gettin up there in years (as far as starting careers goes) im still gonna make the money from nursing and pay to go to a electrician program somewhere.

 

[Crusader Rabbit]

i posed the same question of the thread to my friend and he was saying that i need a cable tester in order to find out which line runs from the affected area to the panel box. i need to find that main line just as much as i need to know where a loose wire may be or is. he also suggested the cause being a loose wire

First, I assume you've flipped the breaker switch off and then back on, not just looked at it.

So there's two wires coming off one breaker, and you don't know which of these energizes your grow room. Flip the breaker off. See what stuff in your house was turned off by this action. Disconnect one of the two wires and flip the breaker back on. Did that stuff in your house come back on? If not, then you know what that disconnected wire does. If stuff comes on, the disconnected wire is probably the wire to your grow. Flip breaker off. Disconnect other wire. Flip breaker on. The stuff in your house should be now be off, and you know where both wires go now.

If you don't know the breakers for every light and receptacle in your house, it's a good idea to turn off each breaker in turn, and see exactly what it controls. Create a record so that for every light and receptacle, you know which breaker is in control. This should also show which breakers are on which 120 volt leg of the system. This can help you plan ahead in deciding which circuits to put lights and appliances on to better balance the load.

 

[rives]

The first thing you need is a voltage tester or multi-meter. You're wasting your time and everyone else's until you can actually find out where you have power and whether or not you lost the hot leg, the neutral, bad breaker, etc. You said you don't even know if the circuit is 120 or 240. At this point you might as well pray for it to start working, because this is getting nowhere fast.

 

[Hammerhead]

If this circuit is on a GFCI you should check all the outlets in the bathroom and kitchen to see if there tripped. You should be able to find a outlet that works and setup a temp area untill you find the problem. I have one of these it works just fine locating breakers.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=E_HFTquaJoSriAKI3_T5BQ&ved=0CIkBEPMCMAE#

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

If this circuit is on a GFCI you should check all the outlets in the bathroom and kitchen to see if there tripped. You should be able to find a outlet that works and setup a temp area untill you find the problem. I have one of these it works just fine locating breakers.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=E_HFTquaJoSriAKI3_T5BQ&ved=0CIkBEPMCMAE#

this is exactly what i was lookin for, have been searching for a while now, and here it is

i asked my friend about what i needed or could use and he said i need a cable tester, but this will do just fine. i'll get one as soon as i can.

 

[Ultra Current]

Sometimes when a breaker switch in you panel trips off, it looks like it is still on. To turn it back on you have to flip the switch off and flip it again back on. I'm not sure if you did this but hopefully that's the only problem that you have.

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

The first thing you need is a voltage tester or multi-meter. You're wasting your time and everyone else's until you can actually find out where you have power and whether or not you lost the hot leg, the neutral, bad breaker, etc. You said you don't even know if the circuit is 120 or 240. At this point you might as well pray for it to start working, because this is getting nowhere fast.

there is never anytime being wasted. on these forums information trickles slow and thats why i stated in one of my earlier posts that i was amassing information so when i go at it, it will be from various angles from various angles.

if i would have tried one thing and that didnt work then im still stuck either way.

you may have a family thats cool with you growing but i dont; you may be single and can do whatever you want with your place, i cant. what you may sit back and call bullshit, is my reality dude.

i need help but im not con ed i cant just "be on it" whenever i like. amazingly enough the plants are holding up well.

after about 2 wks the stems on the cuts are still surprisingly rigid and healthy looking; the moms are still looking pretty good as well so im guessing that maybe its the cold thats got them in some manner of stasis.

***to all that pass by this thread, please add as much information as you can or your ideas about what else i can check to see what went wrong.

these are things that im not familiar with but i am more than willing to learn or perform the work on***

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

First, I assume you've flipped the breaker switch off and then back on, not just looked at it.

So there's two wires coming off one breaker, and you don't know which of these energizes your grow room. Flip the breaker off. See what stuff in your house was turned off by this action. Disconnect one of the two wires and flip the breaker back on. Did that stuff in your house come back on? If not, then you know what that disconnected wire does. If stuff comes on, the disconnected wire is probably the wire to your grow. Flip breaker off. Disconnect other wire. Flip breaker on. The stuff in your house should be now be off, and you know where both wires go now.

If you don't know the breakers for every light and receptacle in your house, it's a good idea to turn off each breaker in turn, and see exactly what it controls. Create a record so that for every light and receptacle, you know which breaker is in control. This should also show which breakers are on which 120 volt leg of the system. This can help you plan ahead in deciding which circuits to put lights and appliances on to better balance the load.

when we first moved in there were two lines to one breaker but my same friend came and moved one off of it and said that things should be ok and they were, until this happened. so your right on the first part

what i stated in an earlier post was that when it happened i checked the box and nothing was tripped, not one single breaker, thats why i initially stated that its baffling to me and it also means that the problem is beyond my personal knowledge or ability if i couldnt notice it or see it right away.

but for me to work on things i would need tools or devices that ive never worked with before because ive never seen this type of problem ever.

as far as labeling all teh breakers that was done years ago, i can go by that list right now and turn off/on the breakers to their respective areas and they would still work, and although i did that anyway, it still didnt help which again i know that this problem is beyond what i know and i need something to start testing with but i need to know what those are because i have never seen or worked with this problem before.

my biggest problem is trying to figure out why all of the lines are into a specific breaker and when the lights went out nothing tripped at the panel. if im correct in my thinking the problem is more than likely in the wall BUT i dont want to go tearin up walls trying to figure out where something may have gone wrong. (once again, family coming over, kids are visiting, its the holidays so right now the solution that would be most effective is the one that causes the least amount of damage and mess. would i do that at any other time? yes; can i do that right now? no). really cant afford to go bumpin around in that panel and something else happens that i really cant fix and then everyone becomes stuck off of my issue.

the room is on a specific line that i cant identify (not without the proper tools) and thats what i know so i need to know how to test the line or set up some manner of "ping" system to decrease the amount of guessing i would need to do.

if you've got anything else i can do then let me know if i can perform it before help arrives then i will.

 

[SirTOKESalot]

I had a problem this summer where my lights in half of my house and grow just kicked out in the AM, no barker's popped or anything, could not figure it out. Called electrical and turned out a tree was rubbing my line in the back and it was not killing all of the power only part of the breaker. They trimmed the tree, moved the line everything is A-OK.

If this can help awesome, If not good luck bro!

 

[Ultra Current]

You can't just look in the panel to know if a breaker tripped all the time. Go to your panel and one by one turn off and on each braker until your lights come back on. You need to reset the trip that you can't see. I'm not sure if you did this but if you didn't this is most likely the problem.

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

I HAVE DUBBED IT "THE DEATH OCTOPUS" . . .

I HAVE DUBBED IT "THE DEATH OCTOPUS" . . .

the first thing i will tell the thread is that alot of what you all said/advised me to do was damned good and on point advice BUT it wouldnt have made a bit of difference what i would have done. the problems that were uncovered could have only been dealt with by an experienced electrician which i happened to have visiting over the holiday.

1. the panel box was swopped out from a 100 to a 150 so now i have an abundance of spaces.

2. we started to trouble shoot together trying to find anything loose or off, we switched some crossed/switched lines and still nothing only to find out that there was an outlet along a line that burned out (literally burned out!) that was outsideof teh house BUT on a wall where the other side is my 10 month old sons bedroom is so was thankful i avoided that.

3. we checked my setup to see if anything was amiss and i was glad to find out that nothing was and i actually did a great job so kudos to me for that and nothing wrong was found.

4. so we check teh lines coming into the garage and at the same place that we found the burned out outlet there was a short in one of the lines and he couldnt think of where it could be, so we checked the first place that could serve as a hub which was the downstairs bthrm since the prob was on that side

he goes into the laundry room, which is unfinished, looked into the area over the bathroom and notices a cluster of wires. he suspected that there may have been a panel where some wires may have been crossed of something could be wrong but there was no actual "access panel" up to notice outside the one that was near the panel box.

he didnt think we wouldnt want any holes cut into the walls at all so he asked if we wanted to go there with the work and i was fine with that and there he found the most fucked up thing i had ever seen and even i who am not that skilled at electric knew that it was wrong, MY WIFE LOOKED AT THIS SHIT AND THOUGHT IT WAS WRONG and she admitted to not even really knowing what she was looking at.

it was a junction box in the ceiling of the bthrom that had atleast 8 - 10 wires going into it.

so now i go and have a convo with my neighbor and he's tellin me how there was this one couple that lived there before us and "she" worked somehwere in the zoning office for my county where you would get your permits from in order to have/do work to your home.

had some jailbird boyfriend that used to do alot of the electrical in the home, my neighbor knew this since he would help him get rid of the refuse and saw the electrical scraps.

so here is what i have learned from my lil adventure:

1. the next home i buy if the panel box does not have room for expansion or is too small for the home then i walk

2. if i see any lines being doubled up on any breakers, i walk

3. i am going to buy a tester to walk with when we do go looking and if i see anything amiss that the sellers arent willing to repair, i walk

...brb...

 

[supermanlives]

thats alot of walking LOL lesson learned huh