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#26 07-14-2008 03:40 PM
- dgm
- Lovey, would you fetch me another coconut?
- From: Dirty Jersey
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
Another trouble sign you can look for is breakers which are warm to the touch. They should not be.
It can mean a couple of things:
1. The load on that circuit is near the rated load of the breaker.
2. The breaker is marginal and should be replaced.
Sometimes breakers will buzz or hum when they are nearing death also.
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#27 07-14-2008 03:48 PM
- Seabird
- New lease
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
I didn't hear them hum or buzz and they weren't noticeably warm. Though the temps have been in the mid to upper 90s for the last several weeks. How warm is "warm" in my current climate?
"You gotta hand it to the money-lenders; they were able to make even Jesus lose his temper." - dgm
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#28 07-14-2008 03:55 PM
- dgm
- Lovey, would you fetch me another coconut?
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
"Warmer than the one next to it."
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#29 07-14-2008 03:58 PM
- Seabird
- New lease
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
Didn't notice. I guess my point is that the breaker box is already quite warm because of the outside air temps and might make a bad breaker unnoticeable. Does that make sense? I'll double check though.
Last edited by Seabird (07-14-2008 03:58 PM)
"You gotta hand it to the money-lenders; they were able to make even Jesus lose his temper." - dgm
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#30 07-14-2008 04:01 PM
- dgm
- Lovey, would you fetch me another coconut?
- From: Dirty Jersey
- Registered: 08-20-2003
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
Yes, I see what you mean about the high ambient temps making that kind of diagnosis harder - which is why my remark focuses on the possible relative difference in temp between breakers in the same box.
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#31 07-14-2008 04:25 PM
- Seabird
- New lease
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
Okay. I will double check this afternoon when I get home.
"You gotta hand it to the money-lenders; they were able to make even Jesus lose his temper." - dgm
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#32 07-14-2008 10:35 PM
Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
Before you call someone in:
Flip the breaker to your AC, that means both the blower and compressor.
Open everything up and inspect. Make sure everthing is CLEAN. A few years ago we had a lizard come between two contacts on the compressor -bing the breaker flips. I flip it back and everything is ok. A few days later it rains -bing again. The rain had rehydrated the corpse of the lizard...
Anyone ever go through a back yard version of a slasher movie? A mouse, rat hope it wasn't a cute bunny rabbit got caught in the compressor's fan. Yuck! Check for holes under the unit.
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#33 07-15-2008 02:46 PM
- T
- Shift Loving Rope Deck
- From: The Lone Star State
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
Seabird wrote:
Okay. I will double check this afternoon when I get home.
Spray the breaker box down with the water house to really cool it off. 
question. When the lights went dim and the breaker flipped, were you running a dishwasher/washing machine/dryer/oven?
It's common for the lights to dim when the AC kicks on but it's not something that SHOULD happen. People just get used to it.
Shit.....if it's gonna be that kinda party I'm gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes.
It's not the destination, it's the ride
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#34 07-15-2008 03:07 PM
- Seabird
- New lease
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
I think the only other thing that I might have had on at the time was a light or two, and maybe my TV, cable box, and amp.
"You gotta hand it to the money-lenders; they were able to make even Jesus lose his temper." - dgm
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#35 07-15-2008 03:42 PM
- glfredrick
- Copier guy - Makin' copies...!
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
There is always the possibility that your line coming in from the street is bad. I had to have the electric company out to my place 3 times before they cleared everything up. The lines from the pole fell apart when the technician tapped them with his line pliers.
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#36 07-15-2008 04:00 PM
- Seabird
- New lease
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Re: Electrical question - replacing a rheostat switch
I did just have a Comcast guy out running a new line a couple of weeks ago. I wonder if he loosened something up at the breaker.
"You gotta hand it to the money-lenders; they were able to make even Jesus lose his temper." - dgm
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