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I'm a wimp....I'd turn it off.  No sense in risking a burnt bird.

1. Take the 10 minutes to correctly identify what circuits the breakers go to.

2. When you are ready to shut off the breaker for the circuit you're about to work on, first turn off all loads on that circuit. By shedding the load, you'll decrease any arcing that happens in the breaker when you shut it off. Arcing is one thing that shortens breaker life. (Constantly operating at or near its rating is the other major one)

3. Don't work on a live circuit. It's just not worth the risks.

Hey guys, I have a question. I plan on going skydiving next weekend. Should I bring a parachute?

dgm wrote:

T wrote:

Hey guys, I have a question. I plan on going skydiving next weekend. Should I bring a parachute?

If anyone else asked this, the answer would be yes. For you, a couple Xanax and a bottle of Jack should do the trick.

Hey, it cures what ails ya.

Last edited by T (07-11-2008 06:43 PM)

I've had to work a lot of circuits like that hot -- but I've done that sort of work for years, have the proper tools (with many burn marks!) and some tolerance for shocks as evidenced by repeated testing. 

I recommend, like the others, marking circuts, turning it off, and then doing the work.  In older homes, I also take the time to identify ALL the hot wires in any particular box -- there can be several.  It is the one that you are not paying attention to that will bite you.

zukiphile wrote:

Ah.  Now I see.

Seriously. That's info we could have used from the get-go.

Seabird wrote:

Okay, an unrelated issue has now come up... I came home on Friday night and the house was too warm. The A/C fan was running but the compressor was not. I checked the breaker box and the switches for the A/C unit were tripped off. I turned them on and the compressor fired up. Yesterday afternoon, killed the whole box (like ya'll said), and replaced my rheostat switch. Switched everything back on. Left for about an hour. Came back in, it was warm again. The A/C compressor was off again. The switch on the breaker box was tripped off again.

Any ideas?

1.  Bad compressor power supply
2.  Short circuit in the compressor somewhere

Also, check your A/C filter.  Is the compressor icing up?  That kills my compressor, but it doesn't trip the breaker, so it's a little bit different signature from what you're seeing.

If the breaker box is as old as you say, it could be the breakers.  As they age they trip with lower current levels than they were designed for.  Cuz, while 1 and 2 could happen, they are not very common...

Could also the the capacitor for the compressor.  If that is bad, the compressor won't start.  It'll just sit and hum until the breaker trips or the internal overloads trip.  Also if it is low on charge, the compressor can overheat causing it to trip on internal temperature overload.  The compressor uses the returning refrigerant to keep itself cool when it's running.

Is it cool when it is on?  I'd consider electrician first then.

Depends on the house, the wiring, other loads, etc.

The compressor starting up is causing a noticeable voltage drop, which manifests in lights dimming.

If the line voltage to the house is marginal to begin with, the compressor motor can have a hard time starting. Sometimes this is fixed by putting on a new motor start capacitor. An AC guy can do this. They usually call it a "hard start kit".

Sometimes, a loose connection somewhere in the AC wiring can cause a breaker trip. Basically a loose connection can cause the resistance of the circuit to go up, which for a fixed amperage, will cause a larger voltage drop.

Also, as suggested before, breakers become marginal with repeated tripping. However, it's best to diagnose the other potential issues before throwing breakers at the problem.

Under no circumstances put in a larger breaker than what is there now.

I'd pop the cover off of your breaker box.

Then, using a screwdriver with some sort of plastic handle (no metal in the handle) tighten ALL the connections in the box.  They will all probably take a turn or more, especially the neutral lines (typically white).

You can do this hot with no problems -- just remember one rule -- touch ONLY one thing at a time.  Don't rest one hand on the box while tightening a screw -- put the other hand in your pocket.

This may make a difference with the lights dimming.  Also check to see if you have aluminum wiring.  This can be a problem after some years of use, as the aluminum heats at a different rate than the copper in the box, and connections get corroded and loose.

I just did an inspection on a house with aluminum -- one entire buss bar in the box was corroded to the point where it only transmitted 80 volts.  That caused a whole bunch of problems with electrical appliances -- not so much with lights.