Solve Home Electrical Problems Yourself !Does your home have:
For diagnosis of home electrical problems, ever wish you had a house wiring diagram, or reliable online or email advice?... I am Larry Dimock, The Circuit Detective, a master electrician in Washington state who has concentrated on troubleshooting home electrical problems. Now that I'm mostly retired, do-it-yourself minded people nationwide are getting help to find and fix these problems from me and my did-it-myself website. U.S. and Canada only. Decide how you will use this site:
"I don't want to learn so much stuff myself, I just need to fix this one problem..." Luckily I make myself available to help you by E-mail. NEW: I had fun being in this info-video. Maybe you will enjoy it. It will be of special interest if you have an outage that doesn't seem to be from a tripped breaker or GFCI. If this Diagnostic Flowchart for outages suggests that you should try the Jiggle Method to locate the source of your problem, this video drama demonstrates that method for you: More videos by Larry. Tip of the Week: Where the 2011 NEC code is in effect, 2014 will mark the year that anyone (including homeowners) replacing a receptacle in most rooms of a house will be required to make it be arc-fault protected. Most often this will have to be accomplished by installing a costly device there or earlier in the circuit. No more "if it's broken, just fix it." - Detective Larry Is This Stuff Helpful? ... Consider DonatingWelcome,
You are one of about 2600 new visitors today. The Alternative: This Site Might DisappearIn case that happens,
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BACKGROUND Did You Know? Your System How Things Go Wrong Testers TROUBLESHOOTING Diagnosis in a Nutshell A DIY Strategy Categorize Symptoms Categorize the Cause Pinpoint the Location Testing Repairing GENERAL FAQs Common problems A Diagnostic Tree Typical-circuit diagram Hookup tutorial Wire connection catalog How to test for what Testers chart Am I being dumb? Symptom-cause chart Instructional videos Glossary SPECIFIC TOPICS GFI-GFCI problems 3-way switches Open hot, neutral, ground Is a breaker tripped? AFCI breaker (arc-fault) Outage diagnosis chart Yes/no version Replacing outlets Signs of bad connection 2-circuit cables Main service wire bad? MISC. Basic wiring rules Misc.devices/appliances Undid some wires? Various tips Labeling a panel Melted wires Rodent damage Tips for electricians UK vs US wiring OPINION Electrical fires Safety opinions Electrical myths A pro-DIY journal Don't Save Electricity THANK YOUs "One of the finest resources on the web" -Alan "You provide information in such an easy to follow form" - Bill "Yours is the only one where a novice can get real help" -Donna "Best site I've found on electrical circuits problems" -Gaetan more LOCAL WORK Electrician in your ZIP Eastside & Seattle area Bellevue WA Bothell WA Carnation WA Covington WA Duvall WA Fall City WA Issaquah WA King County WA Kirkland WA Maple Valley WA Medina WA Mercer Island WA Mill Creek WA Monroe WA Newcastle WA North Bend WA Redmond WA Sammamish WA Seattle WA Snoqualmie WA Woodinville WA Vancouver WA Philadelphia PA Beginners' Corner - An outlet with a reset button is usually sensing faults at other normal outlets too, and will make them go dead too when it trips off. |
SITE RELATED Home Sitemap Sitemap of diagrams Contact Me Donate About me Troubleshooting stories Trouble at my house Poetic attempts Circuit Down book Other advice sites Links Kudos Privacy Policy Disclaimer Copyright What is The Diagnostic Tree? 
The Diagnostic Tree is a set of pages I developed to get you to a solution of your home electrical problem in the fewest possible steps. The pages are linked mostly to one another, so that, according to how you answer questions raised on one page, you can click your way to the next page that is right for your situation, without hunting. Here are the themes of the pages of The Diagnostic Tree:Doesn't work Breaker won't reset GFI won't reset Lights blink Lights stay dim/bright Shock Comes and goes One item out Open hot/neutral Short circuits Tripped only once Troubleshoot heaters POPULAR ARTICLES by Larry Is Electricity a Mystery? Pushbutton Outlets AFCIs Complicate Life Electrical Language Replacing Switches? Switched Outlets Inspector's Report Why Bulbs Burn Out Incandescent=Efficient! Advanced Corner - If you are slightly live (from a fault in a heated floor, say), then anything grounded that you test bodily (with a neon or non-contact tester) may register as if those things were what is live. | |
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The Scope of This Website: These pages have been designed as a guide for the DIY homeowner who faces home electrical problems, that is, electric malfunction issues in his/her household electrical wiring system. The site is not mainly oriented to helping with design, installation, or with remodel projects; lately I have not found many that are. But I would definitely avoid ehow.com as unreliable; for five years they have been advising wrong and dangerous ways to test outlets. Some books are better at wiring projects than most websites. Some who need to find this site's material may be searching with terms found in this statement: "When I replaced a toggle two way switch with a rocker tree way switch, the GFI breaker switch wall socket popped off. I guess I need help to trouble shoot my house hold electricity. Cant a GFCI circuit or GFI switch handle a 3 way circuit? I don't want any wall outlets (recepticles) to go bad or get dim from a bad breaker. I want a free electrical advice website and to learn home electrical repair and electrical maintenance." © 2005-2011 Larry Dimock Google PageRank: 4 out of 10 possible | ||
-th visitor since April 2005! (currently online)
Most seem to get enough help that they won't need to return here any time soon. If you are being helped (or just want to keep quality on the web), I hope you will make a 