lights going out

[elvis_931]

I have to go to a call Friday. The homeowner says that everytime she runs the vacuum cleaner on a particuler circuit her lights go off, but the breaker doesn't trip. Anyone ever seen this type of thing before? Any help is appreciated.

 

[jmsbrush]

I have to go to a call Friday. The homeowner says that everytime she runs the vacuum cleaner on a particuler circuit her lights go off, but the breaker doesn't trip. Anyone ever seen this type of thing before? Any help is appreciated.

What kind of light fixtures?

 

[highvolts582]

This Could Be the problem

This Could Be the problem

Missing neutral in a 3 wire circuit would do something like this. Depending on how this circuit is loaded This would do it . Oh and by the way this is a real emergency if this is the case. broken tvs and expensive equipment could result from this baby. or worse. Good luck let me know . hurry!!!

 

[480sparky]

Loose or open neutral. Classic case.

 

[Cow]

Loose or open neutral. Classic case.

Couldn't it also be a loose or open hot?

 

[highvolts582]

tips

tips

This missing neutral could be in a box splice, Or in a ? spliced receptacle, or coming from the street or panel equipment. you tell your customer to shut the lighting circuit off immediatly

 

[highvolts582]

No then the vaccuum would not run

 

[480sparky]

Couldn't it also be a loose or open hot?

I doubt it. A loose or open neutral would explain the lights going out. A loose or open hot would simply prevent the cleaner from operating.

This missing neutral could be in a box splice, Or in a ******** spliced receptacle, or coming from the street or panel equipment. you tell your customer to shut the lighting circuit off immediatly

That may well be the worst thing to do.... they could fry other stuff in the house.

Best thing to do is to turn all the power off at the main and wait for an electrician.

 

[LarryFine]

The homeowner says that everytime she runs the vacuum cleaner on a particuler circuit her lights go off, but the breaker doesn't trip.

Questions:

1. What does it take to make them come back on?

2. Does the vacuum run properly during this event?

3. Do any other load on the same circuit cause this?

4. Do any other lights (or other loads) get brighter?

 

[cowboyjwc]

You could have a missing hot leg usually caused by a bad main breaker, it could be a neutral, but usually with a open neutral you would have the lights getting brighter when the vacuum came on not going off.

 

[AV ELECTRIC]

If you can duplicate the problem check the panel to see if you got power on that circuit breaker. No power problem solved .

 

[Power Tech]

I go to the panel first and check all connections and take volt and amp readings.

Open the receptacle, switch box and check all the splices. Could be a bad connection. Open all boxes in between.

 

[aslans1]

I ran across a simular problem That I thought was odd

I ran across a simular problem That I thought was odd

I had a portion of a circuit turn off when ever anything was pluged into a particualr outlet. The plug when incerted opened the circuit past the plug it was the strangest thing I had seen in a while. Once I replaced the outlet every thing worked fine. Nothing was loose. I wish I would have kept and taken apart the outlet to see just how it was doing it but I was eager to get the job done.

 

[fishin' electrician]

If the lights are coming back on by themselves, I'd be looking for a connection that's opening once it gets hot enough with the large load of the vacuum. Most likely in a back-stabbed receptacle.

 

[bradleyelectric]

You could have a missing hot leg usually caused by a bad main breaker, it could be a neutral, but usually with a open neutral you would have the lights getting brighter when the vacuum came on not going off.

I've seem them dim the lights on the same phase and brighter on the other phase.