answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Call an electrician quick- and switch off the breaker for that circuit. It sounds as if there is a loose connection somewhere, and possible fire hazard.

User Avatar

Wiki User

19y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: What might cause power to go off and on in the second floor when nothing is on but not in the first floor and the breaker is not tripped?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Natural Sciences

Why would a breaker trip after 30 sec with nothing plugged in to the circuit except the tv that is turned off?

First unplug the TV. Some TVs may still draw current when off, but not enough to cause a breaker to trip. However you still want to make sure you don't fry your TV as you troubleshoot. If there is nothing plugged in to any outlet on the branch circuit and there are no light fixtures the problem is a bad breaker or in the wiring. The ideal is to have an electrician troubleshoot since you can kill yourself while messing with the breaker panel if you don't know what you are doing. Turn breaker off, make sure with a meter that the breaker is no longer hot and remove the wire by unscrewing the lug screw. Do the same for another breaker of the same rating. Hook the first wire removed to the second breaker. Turn on the second breaker. If it doesn't trip the problem is first breaker, and you need to replace it. If the second breaker trips it is the wiring. With the second wire and breaker restored to original connection, leave the first wire disconnected. Measure the resistance with a meter of the disconnected first wire to neutral which are where white wires are connected in panel. If you have everything unplugged there should be an open circuit. If not you need to start disconnecting wires in outlets and fixtures on the branch circuit and determine where the short is. Since breaker stays on for 30 seconds it is likely the breaker since a dead short would trip breaker immediately. The exception would be a short that is causing a current to flow that is very close to the rating of the breaker. If the breaker is good then I suspect you have something plugged in you don't know about.


Circuit breaker trip cause smoke will homeowner insurance pay for it?

A circuit breaker does not "cause" smoke. A circuit breaker "breaks" a circuit when there is too much current, creating a hazardous condition for the wires that are connected to the circuit breaker. The circuit breaker PROTECTS you from electrical fire. Find the source of the smoke; what burned? If a circuit breaker tripped during the incident, it is usually caused by melting/burning wire insulation, either inside or outside of an appliance. If the insulation inside the walls of your house has burned/melted, it could be that the circuit breaker was too large for the wire or that the circuit breaker failed to shut off at the appropriate current load. If the circuit breaker failed, your insurance should help you. If an appliance overloaded the circuit, your insurance should help you. If someone connected an oversized circuit breaker, causing the wire to overheat, your insurance company may refuse to help you.


What might cause a loss of all electricity in your garage but not your house without a storm hitting or sudden increase of electricity usage?

You might be plugging something in that could have a fault on it, sometimes plugging in a transformer could trip out your fuse, but more often than not your electricity will go due to its breaker tripping at the board due to something being plugged in. Check the cord on the appliance, if no visible damage open plug and and check for loose wiring and check connections at appliance also check for leaking water into sockets and lights! A tripped breaker or a tripped GFCI plug, or maybe you have a blown breaker, or a corroded wire.


If power is out in one room of the house but the breaker was not tripped what could be the problem?

Check the connections to all the receptacles. On a spur, it's possible that one wire slipped off and then that breaks the circuit, not likely on a ring circuit. It is also possible that you have a GFCI (ELCB UK) in the run that might be tripped and that could bring the run down as well. Of course, the breaker might have tripped and the toggle not flipped over; try manually tripping and resetting it.


If you install a 30A 240V GFI breaker will this be ok or will the cycles the dryer has prematurely fail the breaker?

I suspect you mean GFIC breaker. The dryer will not cause the breaker to fail.

Related questions

What could cause the pool to not come on?

The start capacitor could be bad. Is the Breaker tripped? Do you have a timer? Is it working properly?


Did my dryer trip the breaker or vice versa when I turned the breaker back on but now the dryer won't work?

The dryer tripped the breaker. Have it repaired. Don't try to use it again. You could cause a fire.


Could fuse be out to cause furnace not to go on?

Yes, a blown fuse can cause your furnace to not turn on. Check the breaker box and see if any of them have tripped.


What would be the cause and solution of partial electricity going out if wires may have touched when fixing a closet switch?

Blown fuse or tripped breaker. Replace the fuse or reset the breaker.


Will a circuit breaker be the cause of an air conditioner not turning on?

It is possible if the circuit breaker has tripped or is faulty. The best way to check is by unplugging the air conditioner, and plugging in a table lamp. If the lamp lights up, then you know that the circuit breaker is working, if not then it is faulty.


Can a motorized lift chair cause a breaker to trip?

A breaker trips because the circuit load has tried to draw more current that the circuit is designed to operate at. You have to establish what the total current draw of the device is. This can be found on the manufactures label. There it will state what the normal amperage draw is for the specific piece of equipment. If the breaker has tripped, look for the cause and rectify the problem before resetting the breaker. If you found the problem and corrected the cause, the breaker will reset and stay in the on position.


Thud under house then some electric stopped working?

Probably a wire shorted out. Probably in a junction box. This should be looked at quickly. If this is the case, the breaker or a fuse in the fuse panel should have tripped. Do not just reset the breaker or fuse as this may cause a fire.


What would cause the outside unit not to kick on when the blower unit starts?

disconnect beside unit may have blown fuse or tripped breaker,contactor in outside unit may be bad,or no coolant in system


Why would a breaker trip after 30 sec with nothing plugged in to the circuit except the tv that is turned off?

First unplug the TV. Some TVs may still draw current when off, but not enough to cause a breaker to trip. However you still want to make sure you don't fry your TV as you troubleshoot. If there is nothing plugged in to any outlet on the branch circuit and there are no light fixtures the problem is a bad breaker or in the wiring. The ideal is to have an electrician troubleshoot since you can kill yourself while messing with the breaker panel if you don't know what you are doing. Turn breaker off, make sure with a meter that the breaker is no longer hot and remove the wire by unscrewing the lug screw. Do the same for another breaker of the same rating. Hook the first wire removed to the second breaker. Turn on the second breaker. If it doesn't trip the problem is first breaker, and you need to replace it. If the second breaker trips it is the wiring. With the second wire and breaker restored to original connection, leave the first wire disconnected. Measure the resistance with a meter of the disconnected first wire to neutral which are where white wires are connected in panel. If you have everything unplugged there should be an open circuit. If not you need to start disconnecting wires in outlets and fixtures on the branch circuit and determine where the short is. Since breaker stays on for 30 seconds it is likely the breaker since a dead short would trip breaker immediately. The exception would be a short that is causing a current to flow that is very close to the rating of the breaker. If the breaker is good then I suspect you have something plugged in you don't know about.


Circuit breaker trip cause smoke will homeowner insurance pay for it?

A circuit breaker does not "cause" smoke. A circuit breaker "breaks" a circuit when there is too much current, creating a hazardous condition for the wires that are connected to the circuit breaker. The circuit breaker PROTECTS you from electrical fire. Find the source of the smoke; what burned? If a circuit breaker tripped during the incident, it is usually caused by melting/burning wire insulation, either inside or outside of an appliance. If the insulation inside the walls of your house has burned/melted, it could be that the circuit breaker was too large for the wire or that the circuit breaker failed to shut off at the appropriate current load. If the circuit breaker failed, your insurance should help you. If an appliance overloaded the circuit, your insurance should help you. If someone connected an oversized circuit breaker, causing the wire to overheat, your insurance company may refuse to help you.


What might cause a loss of all electricity in your garage but not your house without a storm hitting or sudden increase of electricity usage?

You might be plugging something in that could have a fault on it, sometimes plugging in a transformer could trip out your fuse, but more often than not your electricity will go due to its breaker tripping at the board due to something being plugged in. Check the cord on the appliance, if no visible damage open plug and and check for loose wiring and check connections at appliance also check for leaking water into sockets and lights! A tripped breaker or a tripped GFCI plug, or maybe you have a blown breaker, or a corroded wire.


How do you find out why a GFI won't reset if it tripped several times due to Christmas lights and rain but they are now unplugged and when the reset button is pushed it immediately trips?

If the outlet cover was held open by the lights it could be wet. A smal amount of water will cause a GFI to trip. A GFI is a device which makes certain that voltage is not draining away from the two wires, to some OTHER voltage drain, such as a human body or a wet circuit. if above not the answer go to your breaker box and find the breaker that controls that circuit. you will know when you have the right one when the breaker does nothing, not even trip it self. see what else is on that circuit {what else turns off when main breaker is tripped and unplug everything that is on that circuit then turn on the main breaker. try the reset with everything else off if it still trips then its the gfi itself. they go bad often on construction sites [my own personal experience] if it resets properly than one of the other things on that circuit is the culprit. replug or turn them on one at a time. the breaker will trip if its one of these. if not replace the breaker. pretty cheap at lowes or home depot. turn off main breaker when you replace it. lots of luck!!