Need electrical help
muncybob
Posts: 3,065
My skills here are slightly above how to screw in a light bulb. So, here's what happened.
My 2 channel rig has power strip/surge protection that everything is plugged into. I normally do not leave the strip plugged into the wall when the rig is not in use. Last night when I was done listening to tunes I powered off everything and unplugged the strip from the wall outlet as usual. When I did this the ceiling light(controlled by a wall switch) went dark and several wall outlets(including the stereo one) now have no power...yet a few outlets farther down the wall do have power. What happened?
My 2 channel rig has power strip/surge protection that everything is plugged into. I normally do not leave the strip plugged into the wall when the rig is not in use. Last night when I was done listening to tunes I powered off everything and unplugged the strip from the wall outlet as usual. When I did this the ceiling light(controlled by a wall switch) went dark and several wall outlets(including the stereo one) now have no power...yet a few outlets farther down the wall do have power. What happened?
Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
Comments
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First thing I would suggest is to kill ALL of the power to the entire home. Some homes have multiple circuit breaker boxes, so make sure ALL of them are turned off. Do this while NO ONE else is home!
(If You have a DVM, you can just kill the power to that circuit) If you don't know what a DVM is, simply move to the step below AFTER the power is turned off...
Take off the wall plate where the surge protector was plugged into, then there are two screws that will allow you to take out the outlet. Take the outlet out and inspect it for loose wires and evidence of arching. If it's just a loose wire, tighten it and reassemble. Otherwise,
Take a photo of both sides of the outlet and post them both on this thread please.
If you are not comfortable with doing this, Call an electrician!!!
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Thanks Tom, that's basically what I was going to do. I don;t understand why the light switch is out too though.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
The light switch and other outlets are on the same circuit. You should find a tripped breaker in the box. Do NOT turn it back on. Let the electrician deal with it. You may want to ask about running dedicated lines for your hifi rig.
FYI, There's no reason to unplug a power strip after every session.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
FYI, There's no reason to unplug a power strip after every session.
yea I'd just flip the switch on the strip to off.
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Unplugging the strip is a habit that I'm glad I got into after the last storm here took out my subwoofer, washing machine, boiler circ .transformr and phone.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
Then get whole house surge protection.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
That is probably something I should look into. What does one need to know before deciding on a product?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
So, been doing a little reading. It seems I need both type 1 and 2 SPDs. If I understand things correctly the type1 will catch most of anything from outside the house at the meter and type 2 will help prevent any issues caused by something inside the house.
So, if this is correct....what specs would be considered good protection and any brand names I should consider over others? I plan to pick up the SPDs and hire an electrician to install.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
Look at SurgeX.
If something shorts out inside your house it'll trip the breaker. I can't think of anything inside a house that would cause a surge like you could get from the outside.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
You also could have tripped a GFI if there's on on that circuit. If the breaker in the panel wasn't tripped, check all your GFI's by pressing the "reset" button.
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If it's a newer home, check the arc fault breakers in the main panel.
Good call Doug. -
No breakers were tripped. I checked all the GFI outlets and the one on the same wall as one of the interior outlets that is out has a small light and it was on. I thought that meant it's working but apparently it is lit because there is a ground fault? I pulled the interior wall outlet that I was using for the stereo rig and while a few screws were a bit loose all the wires were making contact. Did not notice any indication of arcing. I even replaced the GFI hoping maybe it was shot but still have the same problem. Expecting an electrician here this week.Looking to resolve this and get a quote on whole house protection.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
All the GFI outlets in my house have a small rectangular reset button that you push in hard with your thumb nail and if there is no problem it should reset ok.George / NJ
Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
Onkyo A-8017 integrated
Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
iFi nano iDSD DAC
iPurifier3
iDefender w/ iPower PS
Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform -
Reset all of them...no improvementYep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
Just started searching whole house protection, will look at SurgeX for sure. A person told me about this one, kinda like the breakers that can be replaced:
https://www.intermatic.com/en/surge-protection/whole-house-surge/ig2240-imskYep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
Another GFI story.....
A good friend of mine had a similiar issue a little over 3 years ago. He called me one evening stating he tripped a breaker installing a server but cannot get the power back on in a few of his receptacles. I asked if he checked all his GFI outlets and he assured me he did.
I went over with my son who was 8 at the time and we checked everything. We double checked all the GFI outlets...we pressed the TEST button followed by the RESET on all of them to be sure.
We checked the breakers and verified voltage leaving the breakers. We plugged in a circuit tester in all the outlets which took forever.
We went back down to scratch our heads at the panel, and walked by a long, oval table with a lamp that was also not working. My son looked under the table and exclaimed...."Here's one!" Sure enough, that was the culprit.
We also have one in our linen closet, never saw it for years.
Point is, check everywhere, even outside. Check the garage, all wet locations, even check the attic.
It's just odd you lost power on more than one receptacle unless the guts of one fried and you have a few feeding off that receptacle -
So what was it ? / I just saw this today and suspected either a GFCI myself upstream or the outlet that the strip was plugged into with a late thought on the breaker itself.Onkyo TX-NR636
Main - polkaudio Monitor 60's
Center - polkaudio CSI A6
Sub - polkaudio PSW10
Sub2 - polkaudio PSW505
Surrounds - polkaudio Monitor 40 series II
Front Height - polkaudio Monitor 40's
Audio Outdoors
Pioneer VSX 406 - polkaudio Atrium 5
Shed
Sony junker str-dn2010 with Sony bookshelf floor models and polkaudio R150's
Shed 2
Nakamichi soundbar -
It was GFI related. Apparently the GFI tripped and could not be reset. I replaced it with another I had on hand but still nothing. Electrician came out and saw that I had the 2 black wires on the wrong poles, switched them around and nothing still unless a wire was jiggled. Then determined that the 1 screw on the GFI was not clamping enough for the wire to make good contact. A new GFI solved everything.
Now onto the whole house protection. I'm not sure what specs on these things mean the most or at what point it's overkill(if that's even possible). I'm wondering what the SurgeX products offer over the above mentioned Instamatic that justifies the considerable higher expense? The electrician has never installed something at the meter and wonders if the utility company would even allow that. So I'll be looking for something to install at the panel. Does it matter what breaker a unit is installed to? It seems to be it needs to be at the 1st breaker that the line runs through?Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub. -
As far as I know, utility companies will not allow you to install anything at the meter, and if your meter is security locked, they would have to come out and remove it anyway - or you could go through like 3 Sawzall blades... but it's really not necessary.
You can buy a good surge protector made by Intermatic, Eaton, Seimens, etc. for under $200 that installs inside (or next to) your main panel. If you are the least bit apprehensive dealing with electricity, hire an electrician to install it, otherwise you can easily DIY.
So, are you willing to put forth a little effort or are you happy sitting in your skeptical poo pile?
http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/ -
I agree w/Jesse - seems a bit much.
I unplug everything* if I leave the house for more than 24 hours or if I believe/know an electrical storm was coming.
*anything using a microprocessor including a coffee maker
Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED, Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga: LCR mids “Foamed & Plugged**”, inside* & out
8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out
*soldered **Rob the Man (Xschop) LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & Mids - 981, connected w/Monoprice Premiere ICs
Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s -
GFCIs - a blessing and a curse. Whatever you do/decide, do it right. Your life and those you love are NOT worth the few dollars.
Sidenote: GFCIs are in kitchens*, bathrooms*, garages, & any outside outlet.
*water!
Tony
Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED, Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga: LCR mids “Foamed & Plugged**”, inside* & out
8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out
*soldered **Rob the Man (Xschop) LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & Mids - 981, connected w/Monoprice Premiere ICs
Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s -
FYI, Russ (aka @lightman1) installed a whole home surge protector for me. I got the model recommended by Ryan ( @ZLTFUL ) .
Took Russ more time to pick the dust bunnies out of his ear than to install it, he is at least a credit to his craft, if nothing else
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
In my area I believe that stranded ground wire would be a foul. Pretty sure ours must be solid .
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To finish my story here, we installed an Intermatic SPD. It has 3 replaceable breakers inside the box and can be installed as Type 1(before the house panel) or Type 2(after entry into the house panel). Seemed to me that I would want the protection prior to house panel entry, so that's what we did. About $375 including 2 spare Intermatic breakers. Now I'm leaving the 2 channel rig plugged in all the time.Yep, my name really is Bob.
Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
