Microwave display screen malfunctioning after turning breaker off/on.

[Mike410is]

Has anyone ever heard of damage to appliances being caused by turning the main disconnect off and on?
I was doing a panel remediation for the QO recall and I turned the main disconnect off to perform the inspection. Once I was done, I restored power.
The homeowner just called and said his microwave display is flickering and acting weird. He swears it was fine right before I did the work.

Any ideas?

 

[HEYDOG]

Has anyone ever heard of damage to appliances being caused by turning the main disconnect off and on?
I was doing a panel remediation for the QO recall and I turned the main disconnect off to perform the inspection. Once I was done, I restored power.
The homeowner just called and said his microwave display is flickering and acting weird. He swears it was fine right before I did the work.

Any ideas?

What did your inspection entail besides turning the main breaker on and off ?

 

[LarryFine]

Any ideas?

Yes:

Tell him that there is no reason that turning power off and back on would damage an appliance.

Insist on proof that your actions caused the damage. Suppose there had been a power outage?

There is a big difference between it happening when you are there, and because you are there.

Added: What could or should you have done any differently? Did you follow SqD's instructions?

 

[Mike410is]

I followed SqD’s instructions and don’t know what I could’ve done differently. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Mike410is]

What did your inspection entail besides turning the main breaker on and off ?

You loosen the neutral bar screw and check for movement of the PON connector then torque it back if no movement.

 

[HEYDOG]

You loosen the neutral bar screw and check for movement of the PON connector then torque it back if no movement.

My first thought was a loose neutral! IMO I would tell the customer I would come back out and troubleshoot for what ever your fee is….if It is something that you caused you will take care of it. If not I will give a quote on what it cost to fix. Of course you have to be dealing with a reasonable customer that hasn’t already decided you caused it and their not paying you.

 

[Mike410is]

That’s a good idea. I’ll contact him again. Thanks

 

[HEYDOG]

That’s a good idea. I’ll contact him again. Thanks

Your welcome! Let me know how it goes!

 

[Mike410is]

Will do. Thanks again.

 

[ggunn]

Yes:

Tell him that there is no reason that turning power off and back on would damage an appliance.

Insist on proof that your actions caused the damage. Suppose there had been a power outage?

There is a big difference between it happening when you are there, and because you are there.

Added: What could or should you have done any differently? Did you follow SqD's instructions?

The burden of proof is on your customer. You cannot prove that you did not cause the problem; to place any liability on you, he must prove that you did. It may be to your PR advantage to go back and check your work, but other than maybe something to do with the neutral, I can't imagine anything you would find.

 

[Little Bill]

Two things come to mind....
1) Just an odd coincidence that it happened at/after you left
2) It was already messed up and customer thought since there was a (maybe) problem with the panel that it would be a good time to blame the problem with the MW on the electrician or SqD.

 

[roger]

I've posted this before, this was also in FL.

We installed a dryer circuit into a mud room on a newer house and a few days later got a call that the exterior light coming into the room didn't work after we left. I went to the job the next day and removed the switch to check for power, there was only one 12/2 coming into the box with 120 V between the two conductors which were capped with wire nuts so I asked him if it had been working.

He proceeded to tell me it had worked until we did our work so I took down the light to find no wires or box, it appears as though the original installers missed it and put the fixture up with screws and anchors to get a final. I asked him again if it had ben working and he assured me it had been.

Then I showed him there was no wiring to the fixture. At this point he threw his wife under the bus and said she told him it had always worked.

 

[hbiss]

Oldest story in the book. "It worked before you got here."

-Hal

 

[Little Bill]

I replaced a fuse box in a house a few years ago. I had checked each room and all appeared to be working. I got a call a day or so later stating that there was two receptacles not working. I asked the customer if these had been working and he said they had. I checked my work and all the conductors were landed and working. I asked again if he was sure and he insisted they had. I went into deep tracing of the circuit and even went into the attic. My toner kept stopping at a certain point and from what I could tell, a wall had been taken out. I asked him again if he was sure about them working, again, he said yes. I explained what I found and asked about the wall. He said "oh yeah, a wall was removed a few years back". I said there was no way these could work as the wiring ended where the wall was missing. He finally said his wife or mother told him they worked but he hadn't actually seen them!

From the look on his face, I suspect he knew they weren't working and thought he could con me into fixing them. I don't think he knew that removing the wall was the cause but knew they hadn't worked.
From then on, if possible, anytime I did a panel change I both asked and checked if all switches and receptacles worked before I touched the panel!

 

[Mike410is]

I went back to the house today. I checked my work first, and everything was good. I then went to the microwave and the screen was flickering. I unplugged it and waited a few seconds then plugged it back in. That did the trick and the microwave was working fine.

 

[LarryFine]

I went back to the house today. I checked my work first, and everything was good. I then went to the microwave and the screen was flickering. I unplugged it and waited a few seconds then plugged it back in. That did the trick and the microwave was working fine.

Whew!

 

[cadpoint]

These stray electrons are a mess... Glad it worked out for the OP!!!

 

[ptonsparky]

I went back to the house today. I checked my work first, and everything was good. I then went to the microwave and the screen was flickering. I unplugged it and waited a few seconds then plugged it back in. That did the trick and the microwave was working fine.

Alright! You managed to get the backstabbed wire to make connection again!


(JK)

 

[micabay]

Happens all the time when the power goes out and comes back in. Only thing I would have done, is turn every circuit off, turn the main on, then each circuit separately.