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Blown Breaker - Very Dangerous

3K views 40 replies 30 participants last post by  TRSOtto 
#1 ·
Tonight we were watching TV when it died all of a sudden. Losing power here under extreme weather conditions (100 deg F today) isn't unheard of, but not extremely common either. However, the fan was still going. Hmmm, must be a single circuit breaker.

Before I go out, I arm myself and let the cuddly little 85lb GSD out first. The outside porch light is out as well so, I scan the area with a flash light and go around the garage to check the circuit breaker. Sure enough, just one blown; it won't reset. Turns out to be a faulty light fixture. Disconnect the light fixture and all is well.

That's not why I'm telling this story...

It is a technique of criminals to switch off a breaker in order to get you to come out of your house, unaware. This is why I sent the dog out first. This is why I armed myself.

Do not get caught by this trick. It is better to barricade yourself in the house, call 911 and wait for the sheriff or PD. There is no shame in taking this route. It's what I would have done if I hadn't had the cuddly fur-ball to assist me.
 
#2 ·
Fortunately my main breaker and breaker box is "inside" and not accessible. When I had a German Shepard if he started growling something was not kosher; our Pit Bull has her own bed in our bedroom and she doesn't hesitate to let us know ing is amiss. I am thinking out loud here but given the choice of a 140# GSD or 80# Pit no vote would be....leave that house alone! Although the Shepard has gone over the rainbow bridge I think he's still looking out for us and telling our Pit Bull how best to protect us.
 
#8 ·
Fortunately my main breaker and breaker box is "inside" and not accessible.
How does one have the main service and meter inside...? These generally need to be accessible to the utility. The meter (attatched to the main service) must also be readable by the power company...
 
#3 ·
My cats are sneaky little bastards but hear and smell a lot better than I can. They take great delight in alerting me to lurking birds and other critters though. In fact, they take great delight in waking me, period. I understand that the hours just before dawn and into early morning are prime hunting times for them so they expect me to be awake and join in the hunt. They consider me a terrible hunter and tend, at least once a week, to bring me a well chewed half a gekko as a pity present.
 
#6 ·
Is there some rule that disallows you from locking the cover so it can't be opened?:)
 
#14 ·
No. In some locals the fire department wants access, but they can use the disconnect attached to the meter. However, while a lock is a good idea, it wouldn't stop the issue I described. A pair of bolt cutters and they're in.

I don't know why the box is outside. Around here, every house has it outside.
 
#7 ·
I'm kind of interested in the "breaker box in an outbuilding" building code, if there is one.

I'm 58, and have lived all over the country (and overseas), I've never lived in a house that didn't have the breaker box in the main dwelling or at least the attached garage.

However, your point about using the dog in the example situation, which is the point of your story, is an excellent one.
 
#27 ·
Having a main panel and or breaker(s) on the outside of the building or in an adjacent "structure is not uncommon in rural areas. The older the homes the more crazy sh*t you will find in the regards . There are still alot of commercial buildings that have this fugged up feature never rectified. Just recently upgraded a residential service form 60 amp to 200 amp. Talk about the crazy wiring and the multitude of sub panels added years before and always things a trippin as 60 amp service for a home is way way old...but very prevalent even into the suburbs in places like Louisville KY.
It's still OK by code to share a neutral with 3 circuits if the circuits are on a single pole breaker or are tied together to trip together if one does. Personally I am way against sharing neutrals as too many people take for granted that a neutral won't ping you...better back up jack on that. Imagine a near full 20 amp load on three hots and one neutral and one breaker trips and you go into it and that neutral is carrying the load of two circuits not tripped...it's a good bite.
 
#10 ·
Reason 10,000 why I have CCTV covering all angles and 360 degrees around my house and I can watch and see all cameras on a screen from the comfy position on the couch!

And I live out in the country. But when we used to be city dwellers or even suburb dwellers, our house had been broken into and now my wife refuses to live in a house without cameras and security system on top of the dog and other precautions that alert me to the presence of a warm blooded moving object crossing onto my property!!! :)
 
#11 ·
Quote: if there's a breaker near the meter, it's a main disconnect breaker .
Not a box with dozens of breakers

Like Jtq, I've never seen a service panel with breakers outside the structure .
its always inside or in attacked garage.



There are lots of homes with breakers. yes dozens of breakers, that are outside the dwelling.
 
#12 ·
Maybe its "old school " wiring or rural living, but every home I've evero owned (all buuilt per 2000) had an exterior box with a meter similar to this one...

Theres also 2 sub panels in the house, and one for the outbuildings....

In fairness, this panel was probably installed in the 70s.... the second floor subpanel still uses Edison fuses....
 

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#24 ·
Thats similar to what I have. I built my house 14 years ago. Outside the house is the meter panel that has 100amp service with breakers built in and is a wet rated
breaker panel. It feeds my well, pool panel, sprinklers and pavilion. Inside my house is a 200 amp service feeding the house. If someone outside killed my power all power to the house would be out. Time to grab fido and a blaster to investigate. Just the tv....not so worried.
 
#13 ·
My 200amp panel with the breakers and main disconnect is outside the house which is very common for houses built 1970 and later. Earlier builds usually had breakers/fuses indie the garage or the house. (35 years as a real estate appraiser). That said I have to mini wiener dogs that bark if the neighbor farts so I feel safe walking into my back yard at nite.
 
#23 ·
Being a retired power lineman I responded to many fires . Some mains were locked because of people turning them off for harassment. When I got to the fire to turn off power it took a set of bolt cutters to remove lock. More time to burn is not good. The only breakers I can not see from my house are the ones on my well 100' away. TV security system is good as long as it works with out power. Deer would keep me up all night.
 
#25 · (Edited)
My place in Northern WI has a weather proof/resistant breaker box located outside mounted on a 6x6 with the meter. Was like that when we bought the place 25 years ago. All the neighbors have the same set up. I had it replaced 3-4 years ago. Electrician created the same setup, direct from the pole, replaced everything with new - pedestal, box/meter and wiring. I keep mine padlocked, though. House also has a BB inside.

In southern WI it's in the garage!

Dogs let me know if anything is around as they rocket out of any room toward odd sounds.
 
#26 ·
Live in a subdivision where all the houses have been built since 2000. None have the breaker panel outside. The meter and a main disconnect is outside. In my case I also have a generator, so pulling the main disconnect is likely to wake me up when the generator starts and 30 seconds later the lights come on.
 
#29 ·
I owned a house in New Orleans.

It was built in the eighteen thirties. The thing still had gas lights hooked up and working. The wiring was all Gutta Percha insulated post and pole (pretty scary)

It was a blue rated property by the Garden district historical (hysterical) landmarks commission. Anytime I wanted to fix anything, they came in there and acted like they owned the place. And it was not like I was going to put vinyl siding on it or anything. I finally got tired of it and sold the place for a tidy sum.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Just a side note.

One of the latest theft techniques is for one or two creeps to bring their truck to your house in the middle of the day. Most normal middle class folks are at work. One pounds loudly on the door and rings your door bell. After a short period there is no answer, they pull the electric meter that most have outside the house and cut all the internet cables. This effectively shuts off the electricity coming into your house and any alarms. Unless your security system has a cell phone backup, the house now belongs to the creep(s). They go to a back door and kick in or smash the glass and load up on your hard earned property. After a short ride for a quick sale, the creeps have new funds for their powder of choice to put up their nose or in their arm.

Besides the loss of your hard earned property, at times the homeowner or family member has decided to not answer the door. Then the creeps are left with being confronted by the person who did not answer the door, and have to make a decision about fleeing or not leaving a witness behind. If it is really an unlucky day one of the creeps might have two strikes against him and cannot take a third for the life sentence. A sobering thought when some of us have left our children at home on a day they did not feel well enough to attend school but are old enough to attend to themselves while we are at work.

Please get an alarm system with cell phone backup. Be aware of your surroundings. Train your family to retreat to your version of the "panic room" and call 911 if something is not right.

Be safe.
 
#34 ·
Circuit Breaker panel box and location

Building codes will vary from state to state, but older homes may have breaker boxes outside. Here in Florida, most all homes built after the 1970's have circuit breaker panels in the garage or utility room, but seldom outside the home or garage.

After a short period there is no answer, they pull the electric meter that most have outside the house and cut all the internet cables
If a criminal wants to lure the occupant outside the house, pulling the glass electric meter shuts down all electricity to the dwelling and is most always outside the house.....

However, as Rastoff pointed out, it is always a good idea to have a dog, and be armed if you have to check out your outside panel box in the evening when it is dark...... For me, my first home purchased in 1976 had an inside the house/garage circuit breaker panel, and every home since then as well.....
 
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