How did I know something was wrong with my basement?
As I stood frozen with fear, it began to increase in volume but still remained barely above the threshold of human perception, what was being said incomprehensible to my young ears. Then it stopped as quickly as it began. I moved toward the stairs keeping my eye on the oddly colored portion of the drywall.
Why is my light switch not working after a short circuit?
It might just be that when the wires shorted together and the breaker tripped, there is now some soot/debris on the conductors so they aren’t making good contact to the switch terminals now. Clean the wire with some emery cloth / wire brush (WITH THE BREAKER OFF!) and try it again.
Is the ground wire on a pole switch interchangeable?
On a basic single pole switch the terminals are interchangeable, so as long as you don’t include a neutral wire or swap in a ground wire you can’t Depends on what you do wrong. Worst mistake would be hooking the hot wire to a ground screw. If you did that without a functioning ground wire you could get a bad shock—and the light wouldn’t work.
Can a wire be attached to a switch upside down?
You can attach either wire to either terminal, and it will work correctly. Physically, however, the switch cannot be upside-down: it’ll still work fine, butit’s a violation of our respective electric codes. To prevent that, switches are marked “TOP” on one end. (If the switch runs sideways, which is rare these days, “top” becomes “left”).
It might just be that when the wires shorted together and the breaker tripped, there is now some soot/debris on the conductors so they aren’t making good contact to the switch terminals now. Clean the wire with some emery cloth / wire brush (WITH THE BREAKER OFF!) and try it again.
What happens if my sump pump fails in my basement?
A good sump pump is a homeowner’s first line of defense against a basement flood, whether caused by a storm or plumbing leak. But when a sump pump fails on you, it can make a problem worse or cause flooding itself. Why do sump pumps fail? They are mechanical devices and therefore prone to malfunction, especially over time.
Where do the wires go in a switch box?
You probably have one live set of wires coming into the switch box, and one or more set going to the outlets. If you have more than one set going to outlets, they you might also be in luck. You would have to figure out where these wires go and wire the ones you want switched to the switch and the others directly to the power wires.
Is it possible to have a dead short in a home?
Fortunately, a dead short is not possible in a typical home. The wires have resistance as do the connectors, wire nuts, and switch. There is probably nearly one ohm in your configuration. This limits the current to 120 amps—initially. As the point of closing the unwanted circuit, the contact gets hot, perhaps sparking.
