Electrician needed in SJ

[popper]

I pulled the portable A/C out of the shed. Connected to a small bedroom. It ran 30-45 minutes, there was a burnt smell...electrical scent from the unit. I thought it's normal since I haven't run it in over 7 months. The unit was wrapped in a plastic bag. Now electricity is out in the room and the adjacent room. I checked the breaker and did the switch on/off. All the wall power outlets are red\live. However, there still isn't any power in the two rooms.

Willing to pay to get this fixed.

thanks,
Max

 

[Angry Andy]

How do you know the outlets are hot?? Using a voltage sensor stick? If you have hot with a voltage stick, you have an open neutral.

Hopefully whomever wired the house did not connect both wires in and wires out of every outlet to the receptacle. There should be wire nuts connecting power in and power out along with a "pigtail" 'that goes to the receptacle. Receptacles are not designed to pass thru the current....

Double check ALL breakers in your panels, some breakers "trip" but dont appear tripped. Be sure to turn OFF everything then back on (resetting the spring in the breaker)

 

[Angry Andy]

Do you have a voltmeter???

Are they three prong receptacles (grounded)?? Or two prong (ungrounded).

If you have a voltmeter, test across the two vertical blades (hot and neutral). if 120 its good, if not then check between ground and hot (hot is usually the smaller blade) and ground is the third round socket.

 

[Angry Andy]

Oh yeah longshot but check any and all GFCI receptacles too....they have their own test/trip button, it could be wired upstream from your outage. Doubtful but possible.

 

[JVU]

@Sparky

 

[popper]

Thanks for the tip @Angry Andy I used a voltage testing pen.

1. When I stick it into the outlet, it turns from green to red. They're all 3 prongs receptacles. Voltmeter battery is dead.

2. I don't understand this:
" There should be wire nuts connecting power in and power out along with a "pigtail" 'that goes to the receptacle. Receptacles are not designed to pass thru the current...." Be great if you have pictures\illutration.

3. "Double check ALL breakers in your panels, some breakers "trip" but dont appear tripped. Be sure to turn OFF everything then back on (resetting the spring in the breaker)" = every other outlet in the house work, except for the 2 rooms that are connected to the same breaker.

4. The outlets don't have a reset button.

 

[Angry Andy]

ok so #2 you would need to look inside the receptacle outlet to see exactly how it is wired.

yes that is a voltage sensor stick you used.

You now need a voltmeter to determine if you have a neutral or not. If your neutral wire somehow blew open then you should still read 120v from hot to ground. You need a voltmeter to check that.

the attached picture is how it should NOT be wired....the power in and power out go thru the crappy cheap receptacle and can burn open especially with an AC downstream....all that current runs thru those cheap plugs in your wall.

the other picture is shown with wire nuts and pigtail to the plug, the high current stays out of the cheap receptacle.

sounds again like open neutral but you *NEED* a voltmeter to determine that.

 

[Angry Andy]

oh and BTW start with the outlet that the AC was plugged into first.....then check outlets closer to the power source (panel)

 

[popper]

All outlets look like the illustration. I found out one of the recess light is always dim. Unable to turn on or off. Didn't see this before because it was bright. When the sun set, I was able to see the dim.

None of the outlet in the whole house shows any voltage. I think I might have a bigger problem. In checking the breaker, it shows 120.

@reef89

 

[H2OPlayar]

All outlets look like the illustration. I found out one of the recess light is always dim. Unable to turn on or off. Didn't see this before because it was bright. When the sun set, I was able to see the dim.

None of the outlet in the whole house shows any voltage. I think I might have a bigger problem. In checking the breaker, it shows 120.

@reef89

You probably already did this, but on my panel, there is a main breaker below the individual breakers. Just make sure that is flipped on. Other than that, I think you may be right about a bigger issue.

 

[popper]

You probably already did this, but on my panel, there is a main breaker below the individual breakers. Just make sure that is flipped on. Other than that, I think you may be right about a bigger issue.

There's a main breaker outside the house. Flipped that already. Thanks for thinking of that too.

Is there any technician who want a side job?

 

[Angry Andy]

ok so now check power at the outlet that the AC was plugged into, test (with multimeter) from ground pin to one blade, and ground to the other blade as well, hopefully you will read 120v (should be from ground to hot, hot being black and connected to the brass colored screw) this will confirm that you have an open neutral somewhere between there and the breaker panel.....also a good idea to find all receptacles that are out and now open them each up and check the wiring (wire nuts) on the white wires....

If you were closer then San Jose I would be there in a hearbeat.....