I have an electrical problem...

Question

Once in a while the power in my bathroom and back bedroom doesn't work. The breaker is not tripped. Also, the other morning I turned on the blow dryer in the bathroom and the lights dimmed. What is going on?

Answer 1

It sounds to me like there is a loose connection -- likely in the junction box in the bathroom.  Locate and turn off the breaker to the bathroom.  If that also turns off the power to the back bedroom, it would appear that your problem is limited to the one circuit.

We don't know, of course, which box contains the loose connection but there are likely only 3 in the bathroom:  switch, GFI outlet, and light fixture.  With the power off, open each of the three boxes and inspect all the connections.  You will almost certainly find one that is loose -- either within a splice in a "Marrette" connector or on a s***w on the switch, GFI or the light fixture.  Tighten it up and your problem will go away.

Just a caution:  some older houses are wired with aluminum wire.  Because aluminum expands and contracts much more than copper, loose connections are a constant concern in those homes.  The loose connections can easily cause an electrical arc which can cause a fire.  If you discover that your wiring is aluminum, you should consider checking that all connections throughout the home are tight.

Answer 2

It seems unlikely to me that the problem is in the receptacle itself since you didn't mention having to reset the buttons on a GFCI in order to regain power.  I'm assuming that all of the lights and receptacles in your bedroom and bathroom are on the same circuit.  Today this is a code violation, so you've either got an older house or some poor craftsmanship.  If its an older house, you may also have aluminum wiring which might explain why the power is only off "once in a while."  With aluminum wiring the joints where the wires are spliced together occasionally need to be tightened because they actually vibrate and loosen themselves.  Under the right conditions a loose joint will allow power to flow through the wires, but if the joint becomes overheated it will seperate just enough to stop the current flow.  This might also explain the dimming of the lights.  This is actually a fire hazard which is why aluminum wiring is no longer used.  These kinds of problems are the most difficult to troubleshoot because one minute you might have power but not the next.  You're probably going to need to call an electrician to track this down for you.

Good luck

Answer 3

Sounds like you have a loose or bad connection on the circuit that feeds the bathroom and back bedroom. This would be in the breaker panel itself or in a junction box feeding those areas.

I had a similar problem in a house years ago, where the power would intermittently go out to the room addition upstairs, yet no breakers were tripping. And, turning on a blow dryer would cause the lights to flicker. One night while it was happening, I went out to the main breaker panel and could see some sparking going on behind the meter panel.

I called an electrician, who said it was the power company's responsibility. I then called the power company, who said I needed an electrician. So, I just took the panel apart myself. Turns out the main wire for one of the 120 volt lines going to the meter itself had a loose connection (s***w terminal where the main wires connected in was loose). And the terminal was all black from the arcing.

What happens there is that the arcing causes carbon build-up (carbon is a resistor). So, when I would turn on a high-current device like a blow dryer, the voltage drop over that resistance would cause the voltage to the lights to be less than 120 volts, hence the dimming. And, it was only happening to the room addition, because of the way the panel was wired.

When you have your power line coming into the house, you have two wires that have 240 volt potential across them. You also have a return line that splits the voltage between the two 240 volt lines to 120 volts each. These two 120 volt circuits then feed two separate power busses in the meter panel, so you can have your 120 volt power load balanced out throughout the house. And, the room addition (plus a couple other circuits) was on the one bus bar with the loose wire, while the rest of the house was on the other bus bar.

To fix the problem, I disconnected the power lines at the demarcation point up on the roof, cleaned off the burned s***w terminal with a wire brush and small file, and replaced the feed lines from the demarcation point to the meter panel. It then worked fine for years until I sold the house. I even had an electrician inspect the repairs afterward and he said I did a great job.

However, I used to be an electrician on a navy submarine and had experience with working inside live 440 volt circuit panels. And, unless you're really sure about what you're doing, I would not suggest that anyone try these kinds of repairs by yourself.

Answer 4

Sounds to me like there are to many things on the same circuit. Must be a older house with crappy wiring. Rewiring is a must.