Need help with a power loss issue

Submitted by SEND_me_MONEY_4_toes t3_zxjif3 in DIY

I’m sorry if this post doesn’t belong here, I just can’t the answer anywhere else for this issue. Two days ago, I replaced some outlets and light switches in my home. Previous to this, I never had any issues getting power to these switches and outlets.

I have checked all connections and found no issues with connections with wires. When inspecting the issue at the breaker box, I found no issues with tripped breakers. When checking with a AC/DC Voltage Tester, I found some breakers reaching the necessary 120v and the others only reaching 12v. When turning off other breakers, I found the low voltage ones start going up in voltage.

Obviously, I can’t leave half my breakers on and the other half off. I can’t seem to find a solution or even anything referencing this online anywhere. If anyone knows anything to help me further diagnose this or even fix it, it would be greatly appreciated!

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ezbake_fpv t1_j20ns85 wrote

Oh, wow. It is going to be difficult to walk you backwards through this. My best advice is that you really need an electrician to untangle this for you. Seriously. Before you do anything else, you need to realize that if everything was fine BEFORE you replaced them, then: A) Why did you replace those particular units? B) If you are experiencing problems AFTER you replaced them, then your issue is with a connection at one of the boxes you were working in. There is no need to open anything else, especially the service panel, looking for the problem. C) Are you 100% positive that all of the new devices are direct replacements for the units removed? D) Did any of the outlets have the isolation links removed? E) Were any dimmers, or 3way switches installed/removed/replaced?

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Reelplayer t1_j20opx3 wrote

>Why did you replace those particular units?

Just a guess, but a common answer to this is replacing two-pronged receptacles (ungrounded) with three-pronged and / or updating wall switches to match a room remodel.

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phormix t1_j2108kk wrote

Or even just moving to nicer or better switches/receptables.

My house had a bunch of the old shitty dual-rounded style outlets. When I got kids, I swapped most of those for the square outlets that also have protections against somebody jamming something in one side (plug needs to evenly push on both hot+neutral for it to "open").

Later also replaced many of the stick switches for cosmetic reasons (the old ones had cracked/dirty covers and deco looks a bit nicer).

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ezbake_fpv t1_j22supv wrote

Yeah the Decora style switches and outlets are pretty standard these days, and btw, I hate those safety outlets. How in the world do you expect kids to learn about electricity? Lol. First we took away the bobby pins, and now they have to fiddle with the outlet, trying to get dinner forks stuck in both sides at the same time!

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phormix t1_j230q27 wrote

Pffft. Old buggers are just spoiled.

Non-safety outlets?

Janky breakers?!

Nowadays kids have to work to get that sweet AC coursing through their nervous system!

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Iforgotmypants2x t1_j20mnsb wrote

It sounds like you have an unbalanced circuit. You may even have a floating neutral sapping power from one side.

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[deleted] t1_j2228ql wrote

[deleted]

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Iforgotmypants2x t1_j23td7p wrote

Electric utilities supply residential power through two wires called "Line 1" and "Line 2," each carrying 110 to 125 volts. A neutral third wire returns current to the transformer on the pole.

In the service panel, the power is divided between the two lines to serve various circuits. Balancing the power usage of a home in the service panel may require moving circuit breakers so that each line supplies a similar amount of power and neither line is overloaded.

So tell me again how an unbalanced circuit is made up? It's not uncommon in older houses where the homeowners put new lines in and aren't electricians and usually not caught till the home is sold or a problem occurs.

Also I used the term power because I'm not talking to someone who actually knows the difference between voltage, current, and actual power.

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[deleted] t1_j24nbqf wrote

[deleted]

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Iforgotmypants2x t1_j24rrsn wrote

Bad main breakers are surprisingly more common than you'd think especially when the panel was installed in the 70s and never touched. Odds are the main probably won't ever trip. I've had people not even know where the main panel was let alone the point you're supposed to test them regularly.

I seem some shady shit... lots of double taps (most I seen was quad tapped), I seen mains jumped out cause "it kept tripping"...

An entire house on 2 50A breakers. (This was the quad tapped)

Wires tied right to the bus without a breaker even present.

Load distribution in the house is totally dependent on how it's wired and the service available. There's still places where I live with 60A service panels being fed 200A. Almost no one does shit to code unless you're a service tech or trying to sell the place. Not to mention some of the code inspectors in the area are easily bribed.

Copper being stolen from utilities is like the most common thing in vacant houses here.

However usually the reason shit gets so bad is because the county code doesn't require ANY permits or inspections for work on the existing interior of the house, only exterior modifications like an addition and anything with a service upgrade. You can legit call the power company here tell them you need a meter pulled to replace the panel and they will come pull it, and when you call back they don't even ask if it was inspected half the time if you sound like you know what you're doing.

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mega_chad_thundercok t1_j22hmfy wrote

Electrician here:

Ya dun goofed. Call a sparky. Stay out of your panel. The more you continue to touch it, the more expensive it will be to fix it.

Friendly reminder to the DIYers, there's a reason that you need a license to be an electrician or a plumber.

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sdfree0172 t1_j230vhw wrote

Oh, stop that. it’s fine to go into the panel if you need to - just work with one hand, wear shoes, and be careful. please offer advice when on DIY and dont Try to scare folks away from basics and learning.

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Natural-You4322 t1_j234vgy wrote

Yes, that is generally true. But on this instant , from the way op describes things, I don’t think op is safe enough to diy.

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mega_chad_thundercok t1_j2b0ug1 wrote

Are you seriously advocating for untrained people to work one handed in a hot panel?

Please don't offer shit advice to people on DIY who don't know any better. Your advice flies in the face of all recognized safe work practices discussed in NFPA 70E.

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sdfree0172 t1_j2bp64i wrote

Yes. I’m saying it’s not nearly as dangerous as most folks imagine and that you can do work in your own panel if you’re careful.

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mega_chad_thundercok t1_j2brqli wrote

You're wrong. Don't advise people to do stupid shit. I never said don't work on it, but for fucks sake turn the panel off.

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sdfree0172 t1_j2bsyxi wrote

Not usually an option. Disconnects are mostly in new construction. Older homes require you to pull the meter which requires an electrician. Right?

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Bldaz t1_j21swih wrote

Lost a leg?

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Xcaliforniadaddyx t1_j20nyiz wrote

That’s going to be tricky to diagnose without being there. Likely some neutral wires hooked up wrong somewhere.

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GoodBeerFan t1_j215zob wrote

Were there any 3 way switches involved with what you changed? Did you put any "smart" devices in? When you measure 12V is it 12VAC or 12VDC?

Some smart devices (particularly dimmers) use digital signals, or other internally generated voltages on the traveler wire between the switches. If this traveler is tied back into one of the other AC lines this could cause problems.

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Scared_Management_73 t1_j22akia wrote

Check the old outlets and see if the tab was broken off. If so then you need to break it off of the new one. It'll be on the outlets where just the top or bottom is controlled by a switch.

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l397flake t1_j222apj wrote

Electrician to help you, put it back together for you

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throfofnir t1_j22fc3d wrote

Bad connection somewhere. Possibly a floating neutral. Recheck your modifications, but it is probably in the box. I'd say it's a professional problem.

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WaldoWal t1_j22mb24 wrote

Agree with others. Call the man.

In the meantime, a loss of power could mean you have a loose connection in what you worked on. Loose connections cause sparks. Sparks cause heat. Heat causes fire.

Feel the wire nuts for any heat. You may find your issue. Otherwise, I highly recommend leaving all related circuit breakers turned off.

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Dingo_The_Baker t1_j22qk6c wrote

Im a shitty amateur electrician. I installed some outlets and had to have a smarter person come in to sort out where my mistake was. Absolutely get an electrician to sort it out.

If you cant or don't want to involve an electrician, I would start by identifying all the switches and outlets on each circuit. Then uninstall everything you did and reinstall it all, turning the power on after each piece to make sure that it doesn't trip the circuit. I got two wires backwards and would never have found it myself. The brain is weird and will hide your own mistakes.

Outlet by outlet is the only troubleshooting method to find where the mistake is. Other than calling a pro.

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Natural-You4322 t1_j234psg wrote

Can’t solve this online. Need a person or pro that knows their stuff to check everything to diagnose properly and provide a solution.

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Fmlyhmalm t1_j23lgml wrote

Just an idea put back the devices you replaced and see if it goes back to working correctly

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villagewinery t1_j24iesy wrote

Usually a receptacle wired incorrectly will only affect that one receptacle or "outlet."

Incorrectly wiring a switch however can bork a whole room. Bork is a technical term.

You took apart wires in a switch box(es) and didn't rewire it EXACTLY like it was before. Probably because you aren't an electrician and don't know what you don't know.

Either go back and check the switch boxes you opened or better yet call an electrician. This is a small job.

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robaer t1_j24kzet wrote

sounds like you may have wired some of the receptacles in series instead of parallel... but could be a tone of different wiring issues. Long story short, call an electrician because its messed up and complex and you dont want to risk a diy from reddit to solve imho

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nudistinclothes t1_j25w56b wrote

Check all the outlets you removed to see if any had the tab broken. If they did, you need to break the tab on the new one

Odds are one of them was a switched outlet and you’re now connecting together the two different sides of your box

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