Electrical Gremlin - solved

DRFury

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So last weekend I get the fix-it bug. One of my back doors doesn't really latch as the frame has sagged and it no longer lines up properly with the catch plate. No big deal, I can chisel out a little more wood and move the plate down in the frame 1/2". Note: my home is a "modern" log cabin with the exposed logs as the outside walls inside the house as well. Chiseled the door frame, go to put the screws in for the plate and decided to use the drill. The plug doesn't quite reach the nearby outlet so I plugged into the strip at my desk. The screw gets half way in and the power goes out.

First thought, I blew a breaker by trying to run through an improper extension cord. Go to the box, 2 breakers are tripped? The lights in the kitchen and the bedroom (where I was working) are all out. Try to reset the breakers, no good. They won't hold. Maybe something shorted in the outlet? Disconnect the wall outlet, cut the wires, the breakers reset! Yay, now only a couple of lights are out. I figured as much since I had cut some wires off the outlet. Trip to Lowes for a new outlet.

Back at home. Turn off both breakers again. Put in the new outlet. They won't set?!? Maybe it's the breaker. Main power off, switch a breaker out with another one that is working. No joy, same circuits trip. Well crap, take out the outlet again. Cap the wires in the wall so nothing else shorts out, back to Lowes for a solid plate. Covered the hole (outlet box) and leave it for now. I have most power in my bedroom, just the missing outlet and my overhead light/ceiling fan. This is beyond my area of expertise as it must be something in the walls.

Go to church and lament my problems to fellows on the worship team and one says did you hit a wire? How in the world would I hit a wire putting a screw in a door frame? Nah, I will have to call someone who knows what they are doing. Go to work Monday, again retelling my woes and asking for a recommendation for an electrician, a coworker asks, "Did you hit a wire?"

So apparently it is a thing to run wires along door frames. I guess it makes sense as my walls are solid logs and the wires have to go somewhere as there are no studs per se to run them between. Pulled the screws out from the lock plate (no black on the screws which I was told to look for), new outlet in the wall, reset the breakers. They hold!!!

Moral of the story: Be careful where you screw.

Hopefully my bit of trouble will help someone else avoid or fix theirs.
 
If you do not have combination arc fault breakers in your panel it would be a good idea to upgrade.
 
I live in a "moden" log cabin too. I had no idea what a huge pain it would end up being to work on things. I hope I can sell and get into a normal house.

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We do plan to retire into a ā€œnormalā€ home too.
 
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