Just moved in to a house and it is not electrically grounded so I

Question

didn't know, lanlord did not tell me this, I jump started my car with a die hard engine start giving it 250 engine start, never had any problems in any other house doing this, my bedroom outlet blew, landlord said I have to pay for the repair that his electrical men did, I think that since it was not up to code the repair is his, can you advise and help me?

Additional Details

He said the fuse blew, and so did my bedroom outlets because I should never have used the engine jump starter, but he never told me the house was not grounded, electric shop told me fuse only switched off not blew, lanlord kept it in shed, did not throw away.

His son told me the house is not grounded after this happened, but he looked at his dad and said: "someone should have explained the rules to you who knew it was not grounded.

he also said: "if house was grounded current returning from car after it started would have gone to the ground stake, but since it isn't grounded it just blew the fuse and my outlets. why is that my fault, I say it is landlords fault.

I have been asking around but no one wants to help me by giving me some good advice, as if they were risking to lose something, nobody has to be a witness, as I am not asking this.

Answer 1

Look at your die hard engine booster and see how many amps it draws. If it is less than 15 then it is a appliance that should not have caused any damage to any normal house wiring. If it draws more than that it could be said it is not usual and ordinary and should not be used in a normal home. The problem here is you are not getting the straight scoop on anything they say to you. The engine starter is made to not reverse backfeed to the house current. If it was you could severely shock yourself by unplugging the plug and touching the ends if the other ends were still attached to a revving car. I think sears would have been sued already and have fixed it by now. A house that is not grounded would also have weird electrical stuff happening. Like what you are describing. It could be dangerous to live there, Like touching running water and having any electrical appliance in your hands. Your landlord is stupid by letting a dangerous situation continue. Let him know you are not pleased. Demand the money back for the electrical work. Demand that he fix whatever it is about the electric that is causing these things to go on. Tell him you feel you are living in  unsafe living conditions. You have additional rights that vary state by state but may end up in small claims court. If you are really concerned you may just have to move out and sue him in small claims court in the end anyway.

Answer 2

The grounding has nothing to do with a fuse tripping or blowing out.  The cause of the fuse tripping (switching off) or blowing out is due to the circuit being OVERLOADED.  If the electrical in your house was grounded, it would not have prevented the fuse blow or trip. A blow dryer or microwave oven could easily cause the same problem on any outlets connected to the circuit for your bedroom outlets.

Grounding is for safety and protects a person from being shocked when plugging in an item to an outlet.

The electrical system in many older homes are not grounded, so property owner should be responisble for repair costs.  Older homes that aren't grounded are NOT always considered not up to code.  Electrical code changes every three years or so and depending on year built, the electrical system of the home could've been grandfathered.  Check with your City Building inspector.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Your info is completely wrong

having a ground has nothing to do with overloading a circuit

Sorry I just don't know where to begin.

This is not one bit of helpful info in your question

Answer 4

I think you have to look at your rental agreement.  The only way he should be able to charge you is if there is something in there that says you can't use your electrical outlets for items above a certain voltage or something.

I live in in a house that is not grounded.  I have used car chargers, electric mowers, microwaves, pressure washers, electric air compressors, and many other things and have never blown a fuse.

The guy should be reported for renting a house that is not up to code, it is probably illegal.  Of course if you report him, you risk being out of a home while he fights making the repairs.

I think I'd just ask him to show you where in the rental agreement it says not to use the electrical outlets for certain things, and that if you use them you have to pay.

Most rental agreements actually put all repairs in the hands of the owners.