Loss of power with no breakers flipped?
#1
03-22-17, 12:05 PM
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Loss of power with no breakers flipped?
I have been having a problem with power suddenly going off for minutes to hours in parts of my house and then suddenly coming back on. No breakers are tripped and turning them off and back on does not solve the problem. It is a mystery to this old lady with a non functioning husband and I would appreciate some ideas before I have to borrow money for repairs. Anyone have a clue what could be causing?
Thank you very much for any advice.
Donna
Thank you very much for any advice.
Donna
#2
03-22-17, 12:17 PM
Hello Donna,
Is the power going off on only one circuit (in a specific area of the house) or is it happening all over the house? Could you let us know the brand and approximate age of the circuit breaker panel in your house? Do you have electrical large appliances like cooktop, oven or cloths dryer and if so, does this outage affect those appliances too?
Is the power going off on only one circuit (in a specific area of the house) or is it happening all over the house? Could you let us know the brand and approximate age of the circuit breaker panel in your house? Do you have electrical large appliances like cooktop, oven or cloths dryer and if so, does this outage affect those appliances too?
#3
03-22-17, 01:40 PM
Welcome to the forums, Donna. While you are getting that information that Ben asked for, be prepared to contact your local power company. Call the emergency number if necessary. They need to come out and check all the wiring up to your meter base to make sure you don't have a problem with one or more hot leads or the neutral. It can be a big problem, so don't hesitate to contact them. It is their job and it is at no cost to you.
#4
03-23-17, 06:26 AM
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It is about half of the house. Yes there are appliances that are affected. Electric oven, refrigerator, submersible well pump. I recently had an electric water heater installed and wonder if somehow this has caused my problem? It was not professionally installed just my son and a friend.
#5
03-23-17, 06:29 AM
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I did notify my power company and they did go to check this out. I did not receive a call back from them with any information though. I am not at home right now because of the no power or water problem. I suppose I am going to have to find a local electrician to help me. Thank you all for your help.
#6
03-23-17, 01:18 PM
Wait and see what the power company has to say. Did they come inside the house to the panel? They should have, although they could only tell what is wrong, not fix it. Please call them and ask for information. This is nothing to be playing with. If they have lost half a transformer, it could adversely affect all 240 volt appliances in the house. Check with neighbors on the same transformer to see if they are having problems.
#7
03-24-17, 08:26 AM
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Loss of power with no breakers flipped?
Thank you to all who responded with advice. Called the power company and found that one leg of the meter connection was burned. Replaced that and everything is fine now. By the way that did cost me $22.50 as it was not covered even though it was still outside of the house.
#8
03-24-17, 12:53 PM
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For an aerial service.... the homeowner is responsible for everything up to the service hook where the Poco's lines actually connect to the home.
For an underground service.... in most cases the power company is only responsible for the underground line up to the meter pan.
In any event... the meter pan is the homeowners responsibility and it sounds like you were given an extremely fair price for repair. You were lucky a meter jaw replacement was available. Many times the entire meter pan needs to be replaced.
For an underground service.... in most cases the power company is only responsible for the underground line up to the meter pan.
In any event... the meter pan is the homeowners responsibility and it sounds like you were given an extremely fair price for repair. You were lucky a meter jaw replacement was available. Many times the entire meter pan needs to be replaced.
#9
03-24-17, 01:35 PM
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Loss of power with no breakers flipped?
It is not underground and yes it was just one "leg" as they called it that was burned and rusted. I was happy to pay to get it fixed. 
