No electricity in basement

Our 2-family house in Bushwick has lost all power in the basement, all other outlets and lights in the building work. It doesn’t seem to be an issue with the brakers. Does anyone has any idea what could cause that? Thanks

michaelsaur67

in About Brooklyn 9 years and 6 months ago

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neweco | 9 years and 6 months ago

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I can be reached at 718.309.4186

daveinbedstuy | 9 years and 6 months ago

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I used Ceriello once for a similar issue. They were prompt and figured everything out in a very short time

michaelsaur67 | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Thanks very much, Steve, it may be time to have an electrician look into it. Perfecto, I would like to take you up on your offer. Do you have phone number under which I could reach you? Thanks!

thetinkerswagon | 9 years and 6 months ago

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and lastly, I am wrote my response assuming you checked the breaker like one of the other posts suggested. Steve

thetinkerswagon | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Hey, it is ironic that you have this issue because the same thing happen here in our basement (and some of the kitchen) last weekend and I had not been able to look at it due to work until just now – so it too has been a few days and some members of my family have been getting a bit unhappy about it. At first I thought we had a bad GFI. when we installed the GFI, we used it to service some other outlets so it appeared that the GFI was the issue as it and everything after it was the problem. Not so. we have a junction box somewhat close to our unvented gas dryer and, I suspect, the combination of the humidity and the exhaust from combustion in the dryer (maybe that exhaust is acidic) corroded a connection in the box. when I opened the box and move the connections (which were all tight) I could hear arcing. I opened up the connections and used contact cleaner on them and recapped them with new wire nuts. Prior to cleaning the wires, one side of which were new, they were black (as in black like a hundred years old); I think this was the result of a reaction with the gas and humidity. Now, FYI: this is the kind of situation that can lead to a fire. arcing causes heat. also, resistance on the lines caused by corrosion can cause heat. In my case I will want to move the box away from the exhaust. even if you do not have the humidity of an unvented dryer, I am thinking that maybe you have a junction box which has been affected by basement humidity in general and that could be the issue? not a fix for a homeowner as the insulation on these old wires will crack and break; you will be opening a can of worms. also, you may solve one issue but break an old wire someplace else and guess what, a hot spot or arc develops and you have a fire. I had seen your post a couple of days ago and honestly would not have chimed in here but for having solved my own issue this morning. and one last thing, I am not an electrician and really am not qualified to speak here; you need a real, licensed electrician. and I am installing an extra smoke detector in my basement today. Steve

neweco | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Give me call, Id be happy to send someone over Free of Charge for a quick look .

michaelsaur67 | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Not yet resolved, but thanks for asking. I am not at home right now, but will be able to check the breaker situation tomorrow again. My guess is that there is second breaker box in the basement.

neweco | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Any updates ? Has the issues been resolved ?

nyc_sport | 9 years and 6 months ago

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How many breakers are in the basement box and what do they say (20A? 100A?)? It may be that the basement box is just the main breakers that feed the two panels in each apartment. In that case, the breaker for the basement outlets would be in one of the other apartment panels (or elsewhere in the basement).

BobMarvin | 9 years and 6 months ago

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I probably need not tell you this, but you can’t always tell if a breaker has tripped by looking at it; you have to switch it off and on.

steam_man | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Do you have a main breaker? Start from where your power comes in from the street and test the feed to each breaker panel.

michaelsaur67 | 9 years and 6 months ago

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Hi bobjbln, The breakers all seem in place, and I checked all the GFCI outlets in the building, and reset them all. And yes, there is power to the boiler and furnace in the basement, they work fine. Alas, I don’t have a diagram. I have three breaker boxes, one in each apartment and one in the basement. The ones in the apartments have agendas, the one in the basement does not.

shahnandersen

in About Brooklyn 9 years and 6 months ago

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    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(6)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Are you sure it’s not the breakers or a tripped GFCI? Do you have a diagram of what fixtures/outlets are associated with each breaker and GFCI? Is there power to your Boiler (or furnace)?