We frequently receive calls from homeowners for electrical problems which most people could remedy themselves. At Cooper Electric we do our best to walk our customers through these basic troubleshooting steps over the phone.
This eliminates any unnecessay expenses that would have resulted in sending an electrician out to their homes. Knowing these basic situations will help save you money.
Here are some common electrical problems and possible situations/solutions you should check before calling Cooper Electric:
Electrical Problem:Â Circuit breaker/fuse trips or blows immediately!
Situations/Solution:
1. The problem may be in the circuit wiring or in an appliance plugged into the circuit. Unplug everything on the circuit and try to reset the breaker or fuse. If it holds, the problem is probably in one of the appliances.
To identify the defective appliance, turn the circuit “OFF”, plug in one appliance, and turn the circuit “ON”. Continue this procedure until the defective appliance shorts out the circuit. CAUTION: Be sure to plug in the appliances with the circuit “OFF”.
2. You’ve replaced the fuse but the power has not been restored. Be sure the new fuse is actually new. THROW AWAY BLOWN FUSES. Be sure the new fuse is screwed in properly and tightly.
3. You FREQUENTLY have one or more circuits blowing a fuse or triping a breaker. CAUTION: DO NOT USE HIGHER AMP FUSES. A qualified electrical contractor should be employed to run a new branch circuit.
The National Electrical Code (Sec. 210-23(a)) requires a seperate branch circuit for any appliance which uses more than 50% of the circuits capacity.
Circuits supplying motor loads, like an air conditioner compressor, require time delay fuses.
CAUTION: Remember that each year in the United States, over 53,333 fires and 400 deaths will result from unsafely modified electrical installations.
Have a qualified electrical contractor do you work. Be safe.
