Fried a circuit (Rental house) PLEASE HELP!!!

[driftersmokinjo]

wall outlets and regular lights should never be on more than a 20 amp breaker. if someone has stuffed a bunch of wires under a 40 amp breaker that go to all sorts of stuff then you are lucky to still have a house. as for your washer and dryer they should be on a 20 amp by them selves. if your dryer is electric (not gas)then it should be on a 30 or 40 amp all by its self. if your stove is electric (not gas) then it should be on a 50 amp by its self. never run more than 4 different receptacles on 1 breaker 20 amp. i have seen many houses burn because someone thought they could just add another wire to the breaker. remember the liability thing and let the land lord handle it and you will not be held accountable for a house fire. hope you get it worked out with out loosing your girls.

[lampost]

wall outlets and regular lights should never be on more than a 20 amp breaker. if someone has stuffed a bunch of wires under a 40 amp breaker that go to all sorts of stuff then you are lucky to still have a house. as for your washer and dryer they should be on a 20 amp by them selves. if your dryer is electric (not gas)then it should be on a 30 or 40 amp all by its self. if your stove is electric (not gas) then it should be on a 50 amp by its self. never run more than 4 different receptacles on 1 breaker 20 amp. i have seen many houses burn because someone thought they could just add another wire to the breaker. remember the liability thing and let the land lord handle it and you will not be held accountable for a house fire. hope you get it worked out with out loosing your girls.

Yeah, I just realized that there's a fuse box too! So who knows what's going on. I think the fuse box may be another layer of protection, so 2 different fuses are maybe on one breaker? I don't know.

I called the landlord and unfortunately HE'S COMING OVER tomorrow! I'm not too worried about it. I just got to take everything down and then rebuild when he's gone. Should only take me an extra hour or two to prepare. I have feeling he's going to just end up getting an electrician over because I messed with the fuse box and no fuses were out either!

[Rubberbubbler]

Are their any GFI outlets? if so make sure they are reset. any plug after the GFI will not work if its tripped.

[jakester]

Are their any GFI outlets? if so make sure they are reset. any plug after the GFI will not work if its tripped.

That was my first suggestion. I am still betting there is one hidden that is the problem.

[RoundEye]

My first concern would be the size of wire in the walls coming off of each of those 20+ amp circuits. Even if the breakers/fuses don't pop, if you're overloading the wire, there is a serious fire danger. If you're drawing 16 amps or so off of a 20amp circuit and there is only #14 wire in the walls, that is bad news.

[TheChameleon]

It sounds like you have a Federal Pacific box, If so ask the landlord to put it in a safe condition for your families sake...

Federal Pacific Electric FPE Stab-Lok Panel Circuit Breaker Hazard, Repairs, Electrical Panel Replacement Electricians Directory for Stab-Lok Repairs

[lampost]

^ Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I finally got this resolved today.

The problem was a blown fuse. It's kind of a weird set up because there's a fusebox in the house and then outside there's a breaker box. I assume the breaker box is where the electricity comes into the house. I didn't even know I had a fuse box. I called the landlord and he told me about it. He said he would come over, so I just let him to not arouse any suspicion. I've been here awhile and he's never come over, so I figure I'll let him check up on things now and then he won't need to come back. Anyway, he put in a new fuse and I'm good to go. The funny thing is that he put in a 30-AMP fuse... he must not have much concern for his house!!

I'm not worried though. I've mapped all the outlets now. As mentioned before I plan on running the lamp on the washer/dryer circuit that I have. This circuit is capable of running the washer/dryer at the same time along with a flatscreen, PC, some lights, etc. So, I'm going to run it on this circuit and never run either the washer or dryer while it's on. I think that should be OK since the voltage/current required by the lamp is probably less than that required of the washer/dryer running simultaneously.

Peace!

[RoundEye]

If he fixed it by simply putting in a larger fuse, that is a recipe for trouble. That is going to allow for your wires to heat way the F up if you have to much draw on the wire, and not trip or blow a fuse when it is supposed to. The fuses have those ratings for a reason.

[lampost]

If he fixed it by simply putting in a larger fuse, that is a recipe for trouble. That is going to allow for your wires to heat way the F up if you have to much draw on the wire, and not trip or blow a fuse when it is supposed to. The fuses have those ratings for a reason.

I know it is. That's why I'm wondering how much concern he has for his house! I'm actually going to throw a 20-AMP fuse back in there to replace the 30-AMP fuse he installed. However, I'm not using that circuit, so I'm not worried about it.

I'm using a separate circuit that will support my washer & dryer running at the same time. So, my rationale is that if it will support the washer/dryer at once, then it will support the 1000W HPS. From my research, a washer and dryer together would use significantly more than 1000W @ 10AMPS. So, if I use it on this circuit... and ensure that the washer/dryer are not used simultaneously, then I'll be all good.

[WashougalWonder]

Not much concern for his renters either. That is foolish.

BUT on the bright side, all your fears were lain aside. Yay!