Random Thoughts - Part III The Search for Spark (No Politics)

[spike021]

When I lived in San Jose for ten years, the water came out of the faucet nearly opaque white both at the university dorms and then at my apartment. Whenever I washed dishes, if I didn't completely dry them off they'd leave pretty thick white calcium (I think) precipitate. It also made the water taste funny. Fortunately it's not too bad like that where I'm living now.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by spike021

true, true. The water here isn't too bad.

For the first 18 years of my life I either drank unfiltered well water, or slightly filtered rain water (my Grandparent's farm had a cistern and captured rain water because the well water around them had a high sulfur content).

It would take a lot for municipal water to scare me.

[86-75309]

Billy Corgan: Hey, Homer, looks like our next stop is your hometown, Springfield.
D'Arcy: Is it true that we have to bring our own water?
Homer: We got a little rule back home: if it's brown, drink it down; if it's black, send it back.

[Sapphireho]

Hey @soundman98, need advice. I woke up this morning to my coffee maker with no power. The 20amp gcfi breaker tripped. It has the two outlets next to the sink on the circuit. There has been no change, and the coffee pot has been plugged in there for years, and worked fine in another outlet. Breaker wouldn't stay on, nothing plugged in. I pressed the test button on the breaker about 50 times, and now it is staying on. Goes off with test button now. Do I have a breaker that is wearing out? I have an outlet tester, but doesn't have the gcfi test button. I think I'll head to HD and get one. Should I just get a new breaker while there?

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Hey @soundman98, need advice. I woke up this morning to my coffee maker with no power. The 20amp gcfi breaker tripped. It has the two outlets next to the sink on the circuit. There has been no change, and the coffee pot has been plugged in there for years, and worked fine in another outlet. Breaker wouldn't stay on, nothing plugged in. I pressed the test button on the breaker about 50 times, and now it is staying on. Goes off with test button now. Do I have a breaker that is wearing out? I have an outlet tester, but doesn't have the gcfi test button. I think I'll head to HD and get one. Should I just get a new breaker while there?

breakers really don't go bad as often as people are suspicious of them that's going to be a $60 wasted, imo.

the test button only works if the breaker is staying on. a breaker immediately tripping usually indicates an issue with the circuit. you should have been feeling a detent when moving the lever from tripped, to off, and then there was another detent and immediate audible/tactile click when moving the handle to the on position that snaps it to the tripped position. a faulty breaker generally feels like sand in the mechanism, or won't have the audible click, or lack the detents in the handle travel.

easiest way to check the breaker when it's tripping like that is to disconnect the wires. without the wires connected, it should reset and stay on.

i'm suspicious of the romex wiring going from the breaker to the outlets--very possible that there's a cut in the neutral wire insulation, and if you've had a lot of humid/wet conditions lately (as is typical for spring), the paper separator can saturate enough to cause the neutral to 'short' to ground, which would trip a gfci (it's actually how the gfci testers work). could also be a loose splice causing a higher than-normal resistance on some of the wires as well--might be worth checking the connections behind the outlets.

[2020BRZtS]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Hey @soundman98, need advice. I woke up this morning to my coffee maker with no power. The 20amp gcfi breaker tripped. It has the two outlets next to the sink on the circuit. There has been no change, and the coffee pot has been plugged in there for years, and worked fine in another outlet. Breaker wouldn't stay on, nothing plugged in. I pressed the test button on the breaker about 50 times, and now it is staying on. Goes off with test button now. Do I have a breaker that is wearing out? I have an outlet tester, but doesn't have the gcfi test button. I think I'll head to HD and get one. Should I just get a new breaker while there?

Totaled. Time to put your house on the market.

[soundman98]

Salvage title house would sure save a lot on a mortgage

[2020BRZtS]

I am really confused how the word fitment has become so common on this website. The standard definition is a piece of furniture or equipment made especially for a particular room or space


How does this translate to how well something fits?

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by 2020BRZtS

I am really confused how the word fitment has become so common on this website. The standard definition is a piece of furniture or equipment made especially for a particular room or space


How does this translate to how well something fits?

It doesn't. A fitment is a thing that fits. Facebook generation is raping... um, "evolving" the English language.

[humfrz]

hmmmm......

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

For the first 18 years of my life I either drank unfiltered well water, or slightly filtered rain water (my Grandparent's farm had a cistern and captured rain water because the well water around them had a high sulfur content).

It would take a lot for municipal water to scare me.

Cistern water was the best -

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by 2020BRZtS

I am really confused how the word fitment has become so common on this website. The standard definition is a piece of furniture or equipment made especially for a particular room or space


How does this translate to how well something fits?

I suggest you ask ol @Tcoat , "fitment" is one of his favorite terms -

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Sapphireho

Hey @soundman98, need advice. I woke up this morning to my coffee maker with no power. The 20amp gcfi breaker tripped. It has the two outlets next to the sink on the circuit. There has been no change, and the coffee pot has been plugged in there for years, and worked fine in another outlet. Breaker wouldn't stay on, nothing plugged in. I pressed the test button on the breaker about 50 times, and now it is staying on. Goes off with test button now. Do I have a breaker that is wearing out? I have an outlet tester, but doesn't have the gcfi test button. I think I'll head to HD and get one. Should I just get a new breaker while there?

A thought - you may have MORE than those two outlets on the same circuit - Maybe another one outside, maybe another one in a bathroom?

OR just screw it - eliminate the gfci, wire the outlet direct, stick a penny behind the fuse in the fuse box - then look and smell till you find the smoking/burning wires.

Ol sparky has spoke -

[spike021]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

It doesn't. A fitment is a thing that fits. Facebook generation is raping... um, "evolving" the English language.

Hey I take offense to that!!