$700 Light Switch

[Modlbldr]

I found this NEW problem in my shop today.

<a href=http://s486.photobucket.com/albums/rr225/Modlbldr/?action=view&current=VID_20130504_192706.mp4 target=_blank><img src=http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid486.photobucket.com/albums/rr225/Modlbldr/VID_20130504_192706.mp4 border=0 alt=></a>

Later-

Edited May 5, 2013 by Modlbldr

[Modlbldr]

Sorry all. I can't figure out how to upload my video from Photo bucket. Maybe tomorrow I'll get my daughter to help me.

Later-

[Clemi]

The link works.

That's a funny problem! But I don't know a solution...

[Modelbuilder Mark]

um, yeah, good luck with that one. Is there another outlet to chose from, and if so, same results?

[crazyrichard]

its not nice when i happens but the way you explained is .. awsome i just had a bog smile on my face watching the video

so one light switch > $700

the smile on people's faces watching the video > $priceless

still a very weird issue , did you use the machine for the first time ?? then something must be wrong inside that ??

otherwise you would have notised a similair problem earlyer right ??

[Gothic Kustomz]

LOL, good one, sux, but good one, it has to be in the box man...

[trogdor]

I just had a similar issue at our house. Our dining room dimmer switch was somehow back feeding into our power feed to out furnace. I'm not joking, it took 4 service calls until we finally isolated and found the problem. New dimmer switch and the problem was gone . Find a good seasoned electrician. Good luck.

[TheRX7Project]

As a former residential electrician, I am baffled.

At first I thought it was likely something wired backwards- but since it turns the lights "off" when you turn it "off" that can't be the case.

Is the outlet it's plugged into GFCI protected, either at the outlet or at the breaker (it should be since it's in a garage)?

[James2]

If you look closely in the back ground, you can see your wife giggling and working the real light switch!

[IHSS]

I had a similar problem. If the saw is 240 your loosing one leg of your power feed. My house had a bad conection at the feed coming in to the house. I would loose half the power but if I turned on my clothes dryer it would power up all the dead outlets and lights. Open your breaker box and use a multi meter and check the feeds coming into the box. Good luck

[Guest G Holding]

Now tell us the truth.....If it is wired correctly, james is spot on, one leg out / bad connection, but the saw still runs....C'mon man.

[Tom Geiger]

What happens if you unplug the saw? Do the lights work normally then?

If the saw is 240, that outlet should be on two dedicated circuits. Are the lights on the same circuit?

[Modlbldr]

Here is what I do know, which if you ask anybody, is nothing.

First, I live in an old house with most of the wiring done within the last 30-40 years by who knows who.

I have a panel box outside mounted on the side of my house that has a breaker that shuts off the entire garage.It also has breakers for about half of my house. I have one mounted inside the garage for everything inside the garage.

Everything in my garage worked normally until about 3-4 months ago. I didn't change anything before then with the exception of me wiring a heater to my model room about 3 years ago. One day, 3-4 months ago about half of my sockets quit working. I found one breaker in the panel in the garage was tripped, when I reset it it sparked and smoked!! I turned off the power to the garage at the panel on the house and looked at the bad breaker. Not being an electrician, the only thing I knew to do was replace the breaker. When I powered it back up it tripped again without the smoke and spark (it was progress).

Yesterday I decided to use my saw it will not come on, but the lights will.

I just went and checked a couple of things.

1. My lights won't work from the light switch.

2. Saw won't turn on from the power button on the saw.

3. Lights still come on and off from the saw power button.

4. The breaker to the lights is on

5. The breakers for the saw(two 30 amp) are on.

I have an extra panel on the shelf in my garage. I am about to power everything down and have an electrician start over.

Later-

[ToyLvr]

Electrical problems are not to be taken lightly, especially for those of us who are not electricians (as my Grandpa used to say, "Only 2 people take the back off of a watch: a fool, and a watchmaker").

A public service announcement...

Most of us take the electrical system in our house for granted, as most of the time it operates flawlessly for years, until it doesn't.....

Had a problem a while back at my home (built in '87), when I started smelling that weird "ozone" smell. Kept searching around the house to find the source. Ultimately, I thought to check the main utility box, and it was HOT. To make the long story short, the main 150 amp breaker was going bad, and was *melting*, and the electrician I called in to help said we were only hours away from a possible fire. If my family and I had been away on vacation or something, we could have lost the house. See attached photos.

Moral of the story, if you live in an old house like mine, get the electrical system checked out once in a while, and get help if you suspect trouble. You'll be glad you did...

[Kaleb]

I'm no expert, but seeing that your house has been wired that long ago. We were placing some new lights in a church. Well in the boxes, and I don't know how to explain it other than everything was wired backwards to what we do now. This was noticed by a professional electrician. They ran the hot to the light and broke the ground. This might be the case in some weird setup. Where your power is broke by the switch instead of the ground.

[Modlbldr]

I talked to a retired electrician friend of mine today and I couldn't begin to explain what he said he figures the problem is. Hr is coming over some time this week to look at it.

Later-

[TheRX7Project]

I'm no expert, but seeing that your house has been wired that long ago. We were placing some new lights in a church. Well in the boxes, and I don't know how to explain it other than everything was wired backwards to what we do now. This was noticed by a professional electrician. They ran the hot to the light and broke the ground. This might be the case in some weird setup. Where your power is broke by the switch instead of the ground.

This is what I'm thinking also. Most electrical equipment has diodes, so that just in case it gets hooked up backwards, it won't work (because otherwise you'd burn it up).

[Hollywood Jim]

I am an Electrician.

An electrician should check the main box. Verify all grounds and neutrals are correct and all incomming power is wired correctly. Verify the outlet is wired correctly. Verify the breakers are working correctly. Verify current flow is correct. Hook up something else to the outlet and verify it works correctly.

I'm sure the problem can be found. I wish I were there to help you..........................

.

[Hollywood Jim]

My suggsetion is to turn off the breakers to the saw and the lights. Don't turn them back on until an electrician checks it out.

When breakers smoke and spark that's a bad sign !! And you said the new breaker tripped, another bad sign !!

Don't take any chances, turn it off and get it checked ASAP !!

.

[torinobradley]

I had a wierd issue with one of my rentals. They were having trouble with their kitchen and dining room lights. It turned out to be a blown (scorched) wall plug outlet in the living room. It was cross-feeding power so that while nothing worked, I was getting power from the ground as well. There are plug checkers at the home stores that will tell you if the plug outlets are working and wired correctly, though the best advice is to shut it all down until it is checked out by an electrician.