Electrical question (house)

[Dixie]

Question for y'all..

The hurricane is past, and FPL has the power back on. Thing is, now the breaker to my bedrooms & bath keeps tripping. I guess I have a line under my house that got wet in the flood.

My question, can I just wait a few days for whatever to dry out, or do I need an electrician?

[billybek]

Things rarely fix themselves. I would advise you to call in someone.

If it is under the house it might be a while before it dries out. Should be easy to diagnose in its "current" (see what I did there...) condition.

[dad911]

When you say to the bath, is it a GFI breaker? Sometimes the GFI controls other rooms, garage, or outside receptacles. Make sure everything is unplugged, but I suspect it also controls an exterior receptacle that got wet.

I had a few inches of water in the garage here. GFI tripped with an extension cord on the floor, so the garage door opener didn't work.

[Dixie]

Originally Posted by dad911

...but I suspect it also controls an exterior receptacle that got wet.

Thank you. The receptacle in my carport was underwater during the hurricane. It's on that circuit.

So do I let it dry out, or do I replace it?

[rwest]

Originally Posted by Dixie

Thank you. The receptacle in my carport was underwater during the hurricane. It's on that circuit.

So do I let it dry out, or do I replace it?

Replace it for sure, that water wasn’t clean and the outlet is probably filled with junk and might not ever reset. It will also probably corrode badly too.

Glad you came out of the storm with only minor issues.

[1990C4S]

That's an appropriate place to use WD-40 to clean up.

Was there salt in the water? Or just fresh water?

Either way, let it dry, then it should be cleaned. A fan pointed at the outlet(s) will help dry it, assuming you can get power to it.

[Dixie]

Well crap, it wasn't the outlet. Turns out the outlet was a distinct issue having nothing to do with that circuit. So now I've fixed one of two problems, but the breaker issue remains.

Now I have no clue why the breaker is tripping. All I know is the storm started it.

[LWJ]

Electrical circuits are linear. Follow the circuit and eliminate problems. There is a gizmo that you can attach to a circuit and it will allow you to trace where the wires go. I don't have one or know the name. I bet you can rent one (if a hurricane hadn't broken up everything). Good luck. It won't be rocket science.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Dixie

Well crap, it wasn't the outlet. Turns out the outlet was a distinct issue having nothing to do with that circuit. So now I've fixed one of two problems, but the breaker issue remains.

Now I have no clue why the breaker is tripping. All I know is the storm started it.

Something got wet.

I see you are comfortable changing a receptacle? (car port)

If so, pick a receptacle that appears to be (physically)midway on the run that doesn't work. Disconnect the wires, and see if the breaker still trips. If it does, it's before that outlet, if not, it's after........

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by LWJ

Electrical circuits are linear. Follow the circuit and eliminate problems. There is a gizmo that you can attach to a circuit and it will allow you to trace where the wires go. I don't have one or know the name. I bet you can rent one (if a hurricane hadn't broken up everything). Good luck. It won't be rocket science.

Swap the gfci with a known good first. Ask me why I’m saying that…

If still a problem…

$20 Amazon multimeter.
Check each outlet is open circuit to ground. Vertical prongs to round.

If all good check again but this time take the cover off and check the prongs against the green ground screw.

If still good you are swapping outlets or calling someone.

[look 171]

Or just remove the outlets that you think is the problem. Tape the ends of the wires to prevent getting curly hair. Flip the breaker back on. If it stays, then its that outlet. Replace accordingly.

[Dantilla]

Could also just be the breaker itself getting weak.

[Dixie]

Originally Posted by dad911

I see you are comfortable changing a receptacle? (car port)

What I wont do is crawl into that two foot gap under the house. It's just nasty under there.

[HobieMarty]

Well damn if I were closer by, I'd check it all out for ya. I don't mind getting into tight spaces.

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[1990C4S]

You are pretty much at the point where you need an electrician.

Changing a GFI, an outlet, or a breaker, don't seem to be in wheelhouse.

[Targa68]

That sucks, but look on the bright side Dixie, and I'm sure you have

[Dixie]

Originally Posted by Targa68

That sucks, but look on the bright side Dixie, and I'm sure you have

I have, and I do.

Currently my neighborhood looks like a war zone. Cars, furniture, drywall, and dreams, all ruined by flooding are piled in front of so many homes around me. There are cars that will never run again and several boats that are now located where boats don't belong. There's even a couple boats and jet skis that floated away.

Fortunately, I'm spared these agonies. I simply help where I can.

[Synchro Joe]

If it's one breaker, and your wiring is underneath the house and there's water down yonder you could have a break in the insulation that is causing that. A temporary fix would be to have (temporary) line(s) run from the breaker to those rooms. I would have the breaker tested and or replaced first, and electrician can measure the actual current flow to see if it exceeds the breaker rating.

[red-beard]

Breakers go bad. I've just had to replace 2 breakers on my parents' electrical panel. I am now stocking breakers for them and myself for quick repair.