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

[mainegrown]

i have 10-3 from panel to one pair of outlets.. i run all the grow through those..
20 amp and ability to run up to 40 amp if i ran 220v..
thats the way to do it.. and then a couple HD extension cords to get where the power is needed.. (rated for 20A obviously)
one time cost of ... $50. but i have an electrician as a room mate/partner in this venture.. i grow and he builds and supply's $$.. sometimes
~MG a.k.a. le Maine développé

[Rubberbubbler]

HD extension cords? Dose this mean Home Depot? Its still to early to think help me out. lol

[mainegrown]

heavy duty bro.. and i didnt get em at home depot.. i got em from a local hardware store..

~MG a.k.a. le Maine développé

[Rubberbubbler]

I thought of that after I made the post

[WashougalWonder]

Just tell the landlord you used the microwave and it popped the circuit and don't mention the rest. Let them fix it. You and those of us here are the only ones that know the whole truth.

All this advice and a 1930's home that obviously has been modified equals one dangerous mess. Let the landlord worry about it.

[driftersmokinjo]

All this advice and a 1930's home that obviously has been modified equals one dangerous mess. Let the landlord worry about it.

this is the best advice so far. if you handle it your self and something happens then you are liable. use the microwave story. after the electrician gets there you can ask him to run you a 240 volt circuit for a window a/c unit. and you pay for that part. but to avoid you being liable for for a possible house fire i would involve the land lord.

[jakester]

Hey lampost, sorry to hear about your problem, I too had a few issues with my circuit breaker, fortunately I resolved them.

So in your case, imo I wouldn't call an electrician because they'll charge you an arm and a leg, unless you know someone that owes you a favor, or will do one for you, or do it for cheap. However it's really not all that difficult to fix, mainly just making sure the power is off when dealing with wires (very important; ive never experienced but I wouldn't ever want to), and then just making sure you put wires back in the same spots they were in. and there's only two wires to worry about, a white wire, and a colored wire.
Not hard at all, of course assuming you still have a decent short term memory to remember where the wires go:jointsmile:

I've included a step by step process on how to replace a circuit breaker courtesy of ehow.com (not that I couldn't explain, but theirs might be a little more reader friendly So enjoy and let us know if it works!

It starts at step two, step one is using a radio, but you don't really need to use that, you'll know if your microwave works.
#Step 2

Find your panel box. It's usually in the basement or utility room.
#Step 3

Turn off the main power, if possible. Most panel boxes have a main on/off switch.
#Step 4

Press the tripped breaker toward "off" to reset it, then to "on." If it trips immediately, you either have a bad breaker or a short somewhere in the circuit.
Replace the Circuit Breaker
#
Step 1

Purchase a new circuit breaker from a hardware store.
#
Step 2

Take the panel cover off the panel box by unscrewing the face plate.
#
Step 3

Notice the two wires feeding into the side of the breaker. Remember which one is in which position.
#
Step 4

Loosen the screw holding the white wire first just enough to get the wire out.
#
.[/B]

Unless you are trying to kill or scare the shit out of him please change step 5 to , "with a flashlight or other battery powered light turn the power off to the MAIN BREAKER before attempting to mess with your panel".

[RoundEye]

It's always worth a few hundred bucks to have a REAL electrician come out and make sure you're safe. Cost me 500.00 to have my room properly wired and 20amp circuits put in with proper #12 wiring etc etc. The good thing is, I can sleep sound at night knowing i'm not going to bust a breaker or worse yet, burn the house down.

Any serious grow should always start with the safety of the electricity providing the lamps their juice. You wouldn't build a house on a foundation of sand. Neither should you build a grow room on a foundation of potential disaster.

[lampost]

Thanks guys. I'm going to have the electrician come. I think I'll get the landlord involved too because I'm not going to add a dedicated circuit.

Do you know if the electrician will be able to do all of the work from the breaker box or will he have to inspect the outlets on the circuit?

I'm just going to repair the dead circuit and not get a dedicated circuit installed. I have a circuit for the washer and dryer and I'm just going to use that. If it can run the washer and dryer at the same time then I'm sure it can handle the 1000W. I run everything else (2 fans) to a different circuit. And I will only run the washer/dryer when lights are off. I don't know, I guess I may talk to the electrician when he's here and see if he can install another one if its not too expensive. I understand the peace of mind that comes with KNOWING.

[lampost]

OK... so I went around and played the breaker game and inventoried all of my outlets and switches. It's pretty crazy what I have. There are 4 circuits.. check it out:

1: 20-AMP, this is the one I blew. Controls Microwave, Fridge, some outlets in basement and some outlets in kitchen

2: 40-AMP, this one has EVERY other outlet in the house AND the washer/dryer!! Glad I checked because I thought the washer dryer was alone, but it's basically got everything on the same circuit

3: 15-AMP, Furnace only

4: 50-AMP, Stove only!! This one is what confuses me. It is one of those "double" breakers that has two switches connected. Says its 50-AMPS, and then the only thing it powers in my house is the oven/stove!! It's crazy. I wish there was an outlet for this circuit! I'm almost thinking someone grew here before, especially since I found a supposedly 50-amp circuit! I've noticed a pulley and other hooks and such hanging in the garage! Also seems like there was a lot of shoddy DIY work done in the basement as far as partition walls and such....


Anyway, my plan is still to not install any new circuits. I'm going to move as many household appliances over to circuit 1 and then put the light on circuit 2 (and only use the washer dryer when lights are off).

So, I just gotta get this circuit repaired. Do you think he would need to access any areas other than the breaker box if he's just repairing that fried circuit. Any other ideas? Do you think it would be cheap for him to install an outlet for the 50-Amp circuit? That would eliminate all of my worries? I guess I still don't whether to call the landlord or take care of it myself. I guess I'll call and get some quotes on how much just a repair would cost...

Thanks again for all the insight guys. I've worked in construction before and I don't mind doing the Mech/HVAC stuff, but when it comes to electrical I won't fuck with it. It's funny, a lot really smart construction superintendant's and foreman are like that!! :rastasmoke: