Question:

How do I solve a problem that defies explanation–an electrical mystery?

Answer:

by Carl Evanson, Master Electrician

You replace a bulb in the living room and the light won’t work.  But the same outlet successfully powers other devices.  Or a factory experiences intermittent power.  Confounding electrical problems can sure seem like mysteries.

What if every second outlet in your house didn’t work?  A homeowner called us in. By deduction we determined the problem must be outside.  Consumers Energy had installed a new smart meter but had not removed the plastic tab.  That cut power to the house by half.  In electrician talk, one of the two “legs” of power was not making it inside.  The homeowner was happy he got the other half of his power back.  His mystery was solved.

Another homeowner was baffled.  No matter how many times he reset the breaker, power in two bedrooms stubbornly refused to flow.  As we traced the circuits, we found an attic bonus room was on the same breaker.  Plugged in was an old pinball machine.  It had a dead short.  The homeowner found it mind-boggling that a tiny light in this monster machine could create such havoc.

Were these really mysteries?

Consider the way an electrician looks at it. He or she converts a mystery into a puzzle.  Why is this important?  A mystery implies elements of the problem are unknowable.  A puzzle can be solved. He or she will sort the pieces in thought, put them together, and seek the missing piece.  That missing piece leads to the solution.

Here is a truth. Electricity is entirely logical.  When you flip a switch, the light goes on.  The path electricity follows is the circuit.  And like a computer program, if A happens to the circuit, B will result.  That doesn’t mean you can’t be tricked.  As in the story above, a missing “leg” will cause a bizarre situation.  Similarly modern electronic devices require a steady electrical platform that meets standards.  That phone, flat screen or LED light may act weird when those standards aren’t met.

I’ve heard of broadcast facilities having unsolved electrical issues.  The frustrated engineers are known to blame the difficulty on having built the station on an Indian burial ground and the dead are fighting back! The humor is momentary relief for the frustration. Yet, the engineers know the unexplained has an answer.  Why?  Because electricity is logical. There are no mysteries, only puzzles waiting to be solved.