Quote Originally Posted by DreadedHermie
Well, first off be real careful poking around in there. Get into the habit of using one hand only--you don't want to complete a circuit with your heart in the middle... "Sharpie" pens are used by some repair guys, you can push wires around with them (insulate ya from shocks) and you've got it handy for marking stuff.

On wiring--even just going back to the 60's--there should be some actual hardwire-type fuses (unless the whole service has been upgraded). They look like little sticks of dynamite with metal end caps. See any? Those must be replaced if blown, you can't "reset" them like a breaker. You can just check them for electrical continuity to see if they're blown. You may have some glass screw-in fuses, too. Is there another fuse box somewhere?

When you're trying to reset your mechanical breakers, make sure everything on the circuit is off or unplugged. Throw the breaker ALL the way off, and back to ALL the way on. Sometimes they're sticky.

Sounds like it would be worth the peace-of-mind (and safety) to have a pro come check it out. Having an outlet installed with heavy wiring prolly be about 200-250 bux. But you are possibly dealing with an unsafe situation. An electrical fire in an old house is something you'll never forget, if you survive it.

You should not run anything with a motor (includes fridge, etc.) on the same circuit as that thouie. (There's a big 'current draw' when a motor starts up.) You had the fridge, the microwave, and the light + ballast all on the same circuit, huh? You're lucky you didn't have a worse problem...

The more I think about this, the more I think you need to have a pro check you out. You really should have a decent understanding of high-current circuit behavior before you crank up a kilowatt-plus load on a questionable circuit in an old crib. Please be careful. :hippy:
Yeah, I think I do. I'm definitely not attempting the hot work myself. I reset the GFCI and the circuit is still dead. The circuit breaker doesn't even flip to "off", the circuit just doesn't work. The breaker remains on... I don't know what that means. I mean I may've left a light switch on while flipping the breaker... would that make a difference? I tried to unplug everything, but there possibly was still light switch in the "on" position. I guess I'll try again in the AM.

Do you think I'll be OK running the 1000W on the washer/dryer circuit alone (and obviously running washer/dryer during the OFF cycles)?? I'm going to verify that the washer/dryer is on it's own circuit, but I think it is. I assume a washer circuit is rated high enough for a 1000W.

So, I guess I just need to get that one circuit repaired. I'm guessing that'll still be in the $200-250 range. Yeah, that was pretty stupid of me to not check into the circuit a little better! I'd run my 13-amp power saw on it all the time with no problems, but I guess the timing was just never right...

So, yeah this sucks I'm going to have to take my garden down one day. Even though it's legal I still feel the need to do that. Will the electrician be able to do the repairs entirely from the breaker box? Probably not, I'm guessing he has to come down and inspect the outlet where the huge draw was? I don't know. I don't know what excuse to tell them either. I think I'll just tell them that I had an electric heater or something. I think it's better for no one to know even though it's legal... Is this a pretty quick fix? One day fix to repair a fried/dead circuit? Arrgh! I'm pissed at myself because I could've prevented it by being more careful.