Submitted by Dzs3xxx t3_zdoj8k in Washington
Ok, I’m not only new to WA, I’m new to cold weather. Advice please?
Is this normal for the other two stories of my house to have full electricity but my basement has zero power? What the F? Nothing for two hours.
It’s colder than hell down there…Ugh… are there multiple electrical boards that I need to play with? Is this like a cold weather thing?
Help!
With desperation,
Your local Floridian (who has no idea what the hell she’s doing)
I would like to personally thank you for all of your assistance, knowledge, and guidance.
I really appreciate the amount of time that you took to try to resolve my issue. Unfortunately, this electrical work is just way above my knowledge base.
Calling a Handy Man.
Thank you for all of your patience and time!
And welcome to Washington by the way!
Happy to have tried to help. Good luck with the issue.
OK… So can we confirm together that the lack of power in the basement has nothing to do with the freezing temperatures?
And thank you for the GFI troubleshooting tip.
Freezing temperatures shouldn't affect internal wiring, except for drastic circumstances (but I do not claim any amount of expertise, just personal experience.). Is the basement just one large room? Does it have a washer and dryer? Or any other appliances that may run 220/240(usually a double breaker)?
There’s a washer and dryer right next to the basement! Does that mean anything?
It’s on the same floor but in a separate room.
Just trying to determine how much of a problem you may have, and if you do have the singular fuse panel. If the washer and dryer were in the basement then there is a good chance that it would be on the same panel as the basement. But generally they are all in the main breaker box unless whomever had the house before you used equipment with huge power draws (welding, mills, lathes. Just to name a few.). I'm assuming there is no labeling on the door of the panel?
If it's like that, with cables that looks like those, that is a box for your telephone, internet, cable/satellite, and such. It shouldn't affect your power. Key word is shouldn't. Generally (as in I personally haven't seen any.) Fuse panels will be inside. Some exclusions would be if a large item is outside, most of the time being, hottubs, sanas, ot things like that.
Freezing temps make everything work harder. Which can overload breakers. What's down there that uses power? Have you checked the breaker panel? Welcome to Washington by the way. Sorry this is how you get to experience it.
I’ve dreamed of coming here my entire life. Hey at least I’m not dealing with a hurricane
Is a breaker different than a panel? I am so horribly embarrassed. I am so sorry for the stupid questions
You should never be embarrassed. We all have to learn new things to learn new things!
Also has your basement ever had power?
And welcome to Washington! I moved here from sunny Southern California and remember when it started to snow real hard and I asked my boss if people still came in for work 😂 so naive hehe
This whole winter wonderland scene in front of my house is absolutely surreal. I have no business even complaining about a cold basement. Thank you for your troubles!! What a beautiful state you have
Example of a circuit breaker panel
Find that, then check any breakers labeled for the basement. Each switch in that is called a circuit breaker. look for basement labeled ones and check them by flipping them off and back on. Then check power in the basement
OK thank you. No it’s definitely not that. But I did run outside and there seems to be some sort of box filled with wires in the backyard that are just kind of laying there. Does Reddit not allow me to send you guys pictures?
You are terribly kind! And thank you for the warm welcome.
Thank you so much for helping me. I really appreciate the advice. And again for the very warm welcome. I am never going back to the East Coast. Freezing cold basement or not. West coast for life ; )
well, first thing you might wanna consider is checking your fuse box to see that basement is getting power. also check any outlets you have with ground fault interrupters, I've seen some wiring in houses where a part of the building is jumped off a receptacle and when the gfi is tripped, no power in that side of house.
...and yeah, we do get some cold weather but it seems to have come a lot earlier this year than it usually does. usually just rains a lot...
What does a ground fault interrupter look like?
It would be in the middle of a power plug. the outlet/receptacle usually has a little button and a little light. the button usually pops out and you'd have to push it back in and that would restore the connection. they can be either inside or outside the house, but I believe they are often installed in bathrooms. good luck!
Thank you for the description! Appreciate the guidance
GFCI outlets look like regular outlets with a couple of buttons in the middle that say “test” & “reset” When they trip (too many things plugged in that draw too much juice), every single outlet in the line goes out too It happened to me at Thanksgiving. Air fryer going & then plugged in a space heater & pop goes half the kitchen. I found the GFCI on an outside outlet, punched “reset” & all good
No joke, I think this is gonna be my last option and the best option once I locate the thing. thank you so much for the tip again. Really really appreciate your help
Look for the outlet in places like your bathroom or kitchen area. If there is an outlet outside, it could be there too. GFCI outlets are the safest kind in locations that could get wet
Have you checked your breaker?
Dear:
u/Stuck0nthepot , u/If-trees-could-talk, u/Kawikami99336 , u/Piddy3825, u/Candid-Mine5119, u/lilroguesnowchef, and u/AmericanNW :
Firstly, respect to my fellow Washingtonians! Ya’ll NAILED the diagnosis of my electrical issue! Everyone of you got it right!
Since several individuals kept mentioning this “GFCI” term, I found the home inspection report (that I never bothered to read) and found this little red warning on page 3:
>Your GFCI outlets in one or more areas are missing. GFCI protection is required in areas containing a water source or which may be exposed to moisture.
>
>Common locations GFCI protection should be found for safety are, kitchen, all bathrooms, laundry room, exterior, garage and basement.
>
>>!Recommendation: Contact a qualified electrical contractor.!<
​
Case closed.
​
With love,
Your new neighbor
Goodness, I’m overwhelmed by everybody’s help! I tried switching off each breaker. And nothing.
Hope your staying warm, welcome to WA. update us on what the handyman says?
Thank you for the warm welcome! I responded to the entire thread (yourself included) to provide the official diagnosis.
…Looks like everything is going to be just fine. Thank you for the support <3
Most residential electrical services in both Florida and Washington meet uniform electrical code. Many Floridians are able to understand residential electrical panels. If a tenant consult your landlord about your failed system. If an owner unfamiliar with how your electrical panels are arranged consult an electrician. Many basements and garages have distribution and breaker sub panels. Some old houses have decommissioned boxes and panels left in place.
Stuck0nthepot t1_iz2ho7s wrote
Are there multiple panels? Well that would depend on who made the house and the purpose they had for the rooms. But if you've gone through each breaker and they all check fine, I'd suggest checking any GFI outlets you have sometimes those pop and throw everything off.