0

I’m having an issue with a 15 amp breaker that feeds electricity to my living room. I plugged in an electric heater last night and it ran for a few minutes before it started making a loud sound. I decided to turn it off but before I reached it the power in the room went out.

I assumed the breaker tripped so I turned off the heater and then tried to turn on the breakers. However the breaker was still in the on position.

I turned it to the off position and then turned it back on. There was a momentary flicker from a light but then it went out and turning the breaker on and off does not seem to do anything.

I assumed a faulty breaker as I thought a surge would trip the breaker if it was working properly. I am getting a receptacle tester tomorrow to check the outlets on the circuit to make sure.

There are no electricians available for a week at least as the holiday is coming up and everyone is busy. I was hoping someone with more electric repair experience than myself might be able to have an explanation or guess. Thanks in advance all.

Improve this question
5
  • 1
    Are you reasonably sure the heater made a noise, or may it have come from something in the wall circuit?
    – isherwood
    Nov 20 at 22:29
  • I’m reasonably sure it was the heater . It made a rattling sound that sounded like it was struggling. It went on for a few seconds before the power went out.
    – Jessica Richards
    Nov 20 at 23:13
  • A loose connection? Would that be with the breaker?
    – Jessica Richards
    Nov 20 at 23:15
  • Can be anywhere in the circuit. Outlets that use the push in connections instead of the screws are bad for this problem. Keep the breaker off, check there is no power to the outlet(turning off the wrong breaker is common), and pull the outlet out. If they use push in, change to the screws. If using screws, make sure they are tight.
    – crip659
    Nov 21 at 0:24
  • Is there a GFCI outlet on this circuit? If so, check to see if it has tripped as well.
    – bta
    Nov 21 at 2:27

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

no electricians available for a week

So plan "A" is to turn off the circuit breaker and wait a week.

In the meantime...

I was hoping someone with more electric repair experience

There's plenty of experience here, but we can't repair it for you. The next step after turning off the circuit breaker is to remove the heater outlet. After that, it may be necessary to inspect the entire circuit. And we can't do that for you either.

There was a momentary flicker from a light

Now we know there are at least 2 outlets on the circuit.

turning the breaker on and off does not seem to do anything

But it does something. It energizes a circuit that we know is unsafe and shouldn't be turned on anymore.

Keep that breaker off and find local help.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.