Ahhh,, It Never Ends---Electrical Problem In The House

[William H Bonney]

Well,,, here goes,, I bought an electric power washer a few years back and it blows the fuse in my house, no matter what outlet I use,,, so I just don't use it anymore,,:lol:. Anyway,,, I just bought a compound miter saw(ridgid,, with the stand and all) and it does the same thing. I can't handle this anymore,, is my house "under-powered"? Or do I just have too much crap plugged in?? I don't think that's the case because I can unplugged everything that's on that fuse and it'll still blow. :( Any ideas??

[radiohead]

You have a fuse box?....or you're tripping a breaker?



Well,,, here goes,, I bought an electric power washer a few years back and it blows the fuse in my house, no matter what outlet I use,,, so I just don't use it anymore,,:lol:. Anyway,,, I just bought a compound miter saw(ridgid,, with the stand and all) and it does the same thing. I can't handle this anymore,, is my house "under-powered"? Or do I just have too much crap plugged in?? I don't think that's the case because I can unplugged everything that's on that fuse and it'll still blow. :( Any ideas??

[Rudi's Dad]

Fuse or circuit breaker?, how many amp is the fuse or CB? How old is the house and wiring?

[SPITFIRE]

how old is the breaker panel? Also if you have tripped that breaker alot, it could have become weaker. If you have an amp meter you could hook that up to the the wire that feeds the problem breaker and see if its tripping before the intended amperage. If it is then replace it. Also check to see that all wire connected to breaker are tight(do this with each breaker turned off first). oops I just noticed you meant fuse not breaker sorry!
I would suggest upgrade to breaker panel if you can afford it. It would have to be brought up to code anyways I think if you sell the house.

[William H Bonney]

Yeah,, it's fuses,, no breaker.

I've been thinking of going to a breaker panel but will that help??

Can someone explain the "dynamic's" of the breaker system as opposed to fuses,, I know "what" they are I'm just confused on how I'd get "more" power,,,, it's still the same amount of power coming into the house,, right??:confused:

[walleye]

You don't get more power by using circuit breakers, they are designed to open the circuit quicker than a fuse.

The problem with your power equipment is that it's drawing more than 15A on start-up and that's what's blowing your fuse. I assume the circuit it's on is fused at 15A.

[William H Bonney]

You don't get more power by using circuit breakers, they are designed to open the circuit quicker than a fuse.

The problem with your power equipment is that it's drawing more than 15A on start-up and that's what's blowing your fuse. I assume the circuit it's on is fused at 15A.

Yep,, 15amp fuse. I think I'm starting to understand now,,, I think.:lol:

[GullLkRltr]

Had the same problem last week firing up an air compressor, solved it by using a dual element fuse which was same amp fuse but they're made to take motor start up without blowing.

http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(aq3kbq55pikjmofh23kfl145)/ProductDetails.aspx?SKU=31047

Of course if after start-up you're pulling more than 15 amps it'll blow

[salmonslammer]

We have 60 amp sevice as well...it sucks. 4 circuts @ 15 each for the whole house...thats just bad math in todays world..

What we did was have a sub panel put in..2 circuts with 20 amps each. One of them is dedicated to the freezer and fridge..the other is in the garage so I can run my compresser and power tools.

[otown]

I probably shouldn't get in here, but a 60 amp service, while it sucks, can be managed a bit without major bucks involved.
First of all. you're underpowered as far as appliances go. When your place was wired, and I'll guess 40's to late 50's, most of the geniuses really didn't foresee how much crap we would end up plugging in. Loads are declining now with the digital and energy effiency age but you're stuck.
If you can, run a new 20 amp circuit to the problem areas and use a 20 amp dual element fuse. Circuit breakers aren't built to react faster than fuses, in fact, it's been my experience that they're more forgiving but will still pop in time.
A bigger service won't solve your secondary problem on the circuit as the voltage will be the same.
Rewire in #12 and try a bigger fuse. Also, check the wiring. My place near Cheboygan was wired in the early 40's in aluminum wire and aluminum will not take expansion/contraction, heat/cold as well as copper and develops minute fractures that will arc under heavy loads and cause overloads. It just pulls apart. Also good advice on tightening all connections as many problems come from a loose screw.

o town

[walleye]

Here's a link that will give you guys a good idea how circuit breakers work.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/circuit-breaker.htm

[William H Bonney]

I probably shouldn't get in here, but a 60 amp service, while it sucks, can be managed a bit without major bucks involved.
First of all. you're underpowered as far as appliances go. When your place was wired, and I'll guess 40's to late 50's, most of the geniuses really didn't foresee how much crap we would end up plugging in. Loads are declining now with the digital and energy effiency age but you're stuck.
If you can, run a new 20 amp circuit to the problem areas and use a 20 amp dual element fuse. Circuit breakers aren't built to react faster than fuses, in fact, it's been my experience that they're more forgiving but will still pop in time.
A bigger service won't solve your secondary problem on the circuit as the voltage will be the same.
Rewire in #12 and try a bigger fuse. Also, check the wiring. My place near Cheboygan was wired in the early 40's in aluminum wire and aluminum will not take expansion/contraction, heat/cold as well as copper and develops minute fractures that will arc under heavy loads and cause overloads. It just pulls apart. Also good advice on tightening all connections as many problems come from a loose screw.

o town

Yeah,, the house was built in 55'. I have more than 4 fuses though,, there's like 10 I believe. If I upgrade to a breaker,, wouldn't I be able to "separate" some of the appliances and bedrooms though,,, does that make sense to anyone?? So there wouldn't be so many things on one breaker,, would that help??

[Jumpshootin']

Are the power washer & saw being plugged directly into an outlet or into an extension cord?

[walleye]

Yeah,, the house was built in 55'. I have more than 4 fuses though,, there's like 10 I believe. If I upgrade to a breaker,, wouldn't I be able to "separate" some of the appliances and bedrooms though,,, does that make sense to anyone?? So there wouldn't be so many things on one breaker,, would that help??

Yes, you could divide the cricuits.

[William H Bonney]

Are the power washer & saw being plugged directly into an outlet or into an extension cord?

The powerwasher did work with an extension cord for a while(big thick contractors cord) now it won't either way. I'm gonna try the saw without the cord and see what happens. Either way,,, I have to do something,, the cord on the saw isn't very long.:(

[walleye]

Can you measure the voltage at the receptacle you're plugging into. What does it measure?

[William H Bonney]

Thanks walleye,,,,,,,, now my shopping list at Home Depot is getting longer and longer:lol: