Wife was complaining that my UPS in the garage kept making a clunking sound and then the lights would flicker.
So I went down and watched, and sure enough the lights would flicker and the UPS would clunk. Looking over the voltages I would see a 20v drop and then it would come back. I happen to have a UPS on the 2nd leg of our box so I watched that one, and the voltage never shifted.
Turned off the breaker box, pulled the cover, pulled the breaker in question. boom, clearly it was a corroded contact causing higher resistance, and heat, and causing brownouts.
$8 later were back up and running, and I can sleep safer knowing at least THAT breaker is not going to start a fire.
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Isn’t it nice when the breakers, the things supposed to protect you from a fire, are the ones potentially trying to start one? But yeah, that sucks.
I’ve heard people talk about replacing them after x number of years for this, also some folks talk about replacing electrical receptacles every 20-30 years too, as it’s rated for that lifespan in your walls. I happen to be replacing mine as I go to change the color, but honestly mine are all 26 years old and I’m not sweating.
if inserting a plug feels loose or if they fall out then it needs to be replaced. Otherwise its probably ok, but yes they do have a lifespan. I updated every switch and every plug in my last house because it was from the 1950’s.
Backstabbed receptacles are everywhere in my current house, they have all been loose when I went to replace them with modern style. That’s a house fire waiting to happen.
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umm… no. Because if its loose that means the internal springs have worn out and are not firmly holding the blades on the plug. You can try a different plug and see if its just as loose in the receptacle but if it is, then you need to replace! Now i will make exceptions for Christmas lights because the blades on those are so thin and weak they often require adjustment.
I thought that was a photo of a naked person straddling a bench.
Them hips don’t lie
Lol at the old TV trope: Wife complained about a clunking noise. And I said, “Alice!”
I went down there to investigate and it was Garfield the cat, 200 pounds and welding a strut onto a boat and then he beat me with jumper cables
Be careful, I think you just doxxed yourself as Jon Arbuckle
Jon arbunckle jumper cables guy confirmed
If one breaker is that corroded, what about the rest?
I spot checked a few, and they looked fine but I had the same thought. Realistically though if I cant get working in the next week I am going to have to sell the house anyway so this fix was just so it wont burn down right away.
That’s called “extent of conditon”
$8 doesn’t sound like arcfault pricing.
Bingo
If youre replacing breakers in living spaces that dont already have to be GFCIs, they should be arc faults
I need a job before I can start springing for $60 breakers.
just changed 20 20amp tandem breakers in my box because they were all leaking and about 40, years old.
total from the store? $900
my wallet:
Yer breaker broke
It’s nice to notice a problem, take a look, and immediately see a problem, rather than chasing an intermittent problem.
I had an electrical issue that was an outlet that would have normal voltage until under load. Then it would tank. Turned out the neutral on one of the outlets in the chain had a contact that was loose. Took forever to find and thought I was losing my mind.
Oh! I know this one! Just blow on it.
I just realized that UPS batteries need ro be replaced like every 3 years and I’m NOT happy about it.
Meh it’s not too bad. I did a bunch need to do some more in about a year.
