Electrical Receptacle Melted

fatchowmein

I need to replace an electrical receptacle in the living room that partly melted from what looked like an arc fault. The breaker didn't trip so I'm assuming it wasn't a ground fault. The TV was connected to it (it lives).

This is my mother-in-law's 27 year old house. She wants it and all receptacles in the living room replaced with a GFCI while the breaker is off. I'm thinking she needs to have an electrician check the house wiring and install AFCI breakers. In the meanwhile, I need to replace the receptacles so she can watch her satellite.

GFCI or just replace it with a regular one prior to a wiring inspection?

TrashyTrucker

fatchowmein wrote: »

I need to replace an electrical receptacle in the living room that partly melted from what looked like an arc fault. The breaker didn't trip so I'm assuming it wasn't a ground fault. The TV was connected to it (it lives).

This is my mother-in-law's 27 year old house. She wants it and all receptacles in the living room replaced with a GFCI while the breaker is off. I'm thinking she needs to have an electrician check the house wiring and install AFCI breakers. In the meanwhile, I need to replace the receptacles so she can watch her satellite.

GFCI or just replace it with a regular one prior to a wiring inspection?

Hey fatchowmein,
First of all hope you dont mind a Newb here take a crack at this. How many receptacles are inline on that circuit? 6 max are code here in IL on a 20amp circuit. However depends on what type of load/current is using that line too! BTW is her tv a HD by chance? if so simple: isolate that receptacle and run a new dedicated line (20 amp) back to the box with its own breaker.
Why that present breaker did not trip is ambiguous to me. But since you said 30 year old wiring... Is it a 100 amp service with a breaker box? How about the wiring itself, Is it two wire romex or three (w/ground)?
GFI probabally is not your answer. IMHO they are most often 15amps and are primarily used when near water situations as a precaution.

If you had a moisture problem in wall, that might explain why the arc happened. But I just wonder if that circuit might have been overloaded and the receptacle itself was the weakest link and melted.
Good luck,

Matt

kawizx9r

TrashyTrucker wrote: »

Hey fatchowmein,
But I just wonder if that circuit might have been overloaded and the receptacle itself was the weakest link and melted.
Good luck,

Matt

+1

Was thinking that too. I'm surprised how many outlets are on the same circuit after testing each and every receptacle at my moms new house when I replaced each and every one. And the house is only 15 yrs old...

TrashyTrucker

kawizx9r wrote: »

+1

Was thinking that too. I'm surprised how many outlets are on the same circuit after testing each and every receptacle at my moms new house when I replaced each and every one. And the house is only 15 yrs old...

Yes,
The way they wire (rewire) stuff today seems like a waste of copper ($$) and breakers, but it is unfortunate situations like above that creates more problems down the road. Stuff like refridgerators, microwaves, washers + dryers , frezzers etc. should all be dedicated. I rewired deicated lines when I upgraded to 200amp service so I could run a 100amp panel to my garage . If I had it to do all over again I would of ran the 200amp service to the garage and then run the 100 back to the house! But since I dont have to have all the circuits in the garage pulling at the same time...(no welding with central air on in the garage and or with the compresser all going at the same time! However I am fine. LOL) but thats all good I get by.
I have run isolated circuits all over the place, in the house and the garage, and it seems to be do very well. I even ran a dedicated line staight to power my 2chnl/HT rig, then I have a conditioner inline (Panamax 5100) to further clean the power up in my entire system. I have all these updates to my home and I am also still stuck in the 90's era with my rig It still sounds sweet (cant wait to do the upgrades to the SDA's!)
I plan on updating and going all HD sometime in the future! I probabally am the only one on here who has yet to do that yet!
I am babbling now ... :rolleyes: sorry. It's 3am here. LOL

Matt

fatchowmein

TrashyTrucker wrote: »

Hey fatchowmein,
First of all hope you dont mind a Newb here take a crack at this. How many receptacles are inline on that circuit? 6 max are code here in IL on a 20amp circuit. However depends on what type of load/current is using that line too! BTW is her tv a HD by chance? if so simple: isolate that receptacle and run a new dedicated line (20 amp) back to the box with its own breaker.
Why that present breaker did not trip is ambiguous to me. But since you said 30 year old wiring... Is it a 100 amp service with a breaker box? How about the wiring itself, Is it two wire romex or three (w/ground)?
GFI probabally is not your answer. IMHO they are most often 15amps and are primarily used when near water situations as a precaution.

If you had a moisture problem in wall, that might explain why the arc happened. But I just wonder if that circuit might have been overloaded and the receptacle itself was the weakest link and melted.
Good luck,

Matt

Don't mind at all. There are a lot of folks with different skills here at Club Polk. Join date and post count are pretty irrelevent.

No idea how many receptacles are in line with that circuit. I'm not sure what's upstream or downstream but I do know it takes out half the living room, the entire master bathroom, and half the master bedroom when I kill the breaker so it looks like she may need to get an electrician to reduce the load.

The TV is one of the last hi def picture tube TV's before they discontinued making picture tubes.

There are no moisture anywhere nearby. I replaced the receptacle with a non-GFCI one last night.

Your other questions went over my head. lol

She'll get an electrician out to take a look and possibly lighten the load.

Thx

ohskigod

from a layperson standpoint, swapping the lie and the receptacle is a minimum. gfci might be overkill (though I am a big fan of them in the kitchen)

I might actually rip out some drywall and eyeball behind that wall....long and short, I wanna have a little mystery solving session as to why the hell that happenned. I am none to big a fan of electrical problems, as it is a discipline I have 0 ability to fix myself.

TNRabbit

You should replace it with one of these:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=110-439&vReviewShow=1&vReviewRand=2818820&AID=1457538&PID=3696791&SID=skim1010X497171

Tony M

I would find out what breaker that outlet is on AND REPLACE IT FIRST OF ALL.

With the new breaker OFF,.....Then look at that receptacle and wires going into it or screwed to it. I've been around the housing world all my life and I havn't heard of a melted recepacle ever. And I'm 53 now.

I don't like faulty wiring one bit.:mad:

Too dangerous!

newbie308

Make sure it isn't Aluminum wire. If it is, replace it with copper! Aluminum wire creeps under pressure, and connections which may have been tight 30 years ago would most definitely be loose today. Melted recepticals occur when 1. too much cuurent is drawn through the receptical. Which of course should blow a fuse or trip a breaker. 2. corrosion or a loose connection to the receptical or inside the receptical cause a resistance to normal current flow. As soon as this happens Watts law takes over with a vengance. Next thing you know the house is on fire!

If the wire is copper, then I'd guess that the receptical was not properly installed, and a loose connection that may have been arcing for years finaly produced enough carbon build up to form resistance and heat! Since the current draw never exceeded the breakers rating, it didn't trip. Infact, the resistance in the connection could have been limmiting the flow of current well below the breakers threshold of 66-78% of its rated value.

HB27

I went through the same thing about two years ago. MY...MY problem was the connections on another receptacle were loose on the same line feed. MY breaker did NOT trip either but it damaged the receptacle.
The electrician said the contacts can come loose or weren't tightened properly initially that caused it.
He DID replace the breaker also. "Just to be thorough"

BKSinAZ

Your lucky, could have been a house fire while you were away. Stranger things have happened.

leftwinger57

the mstbath should be on it's own GFIC. the rest of the mstbdrm should just be on either a 15 or 20 amp breake keep in mind that you can have a gfic in a garage and it will control other outlets near water sources.Age of the house does matter, in Jersey they used aluminum in the 40=60s,not ever used anywhere else as far as I know of.