Danger :: More Fun With Electricity
I should really know better than to mess with electricity.
You might recall awhile back when I was treated to the aroma of burning flesh when I had a mishap with my motorcycle battery. This weekend I was at it again, although it wasn’t quite as bad.
We recently had the interior of our house painted and something happened to our dining room light while they were painting as it was no longer working. After a visual inspection of the electrical connections on the light and testing that the light bulbs worked, I assumed that the problem was likely the dimmer switch.
After a trip to the hardware store for a new dimmer switch, I was ready to tackle another electrical project.
Now I know what you are thinking - but I did go down into the basement and flipped the circuit that is for the dining room.
With the power to the dining room off, I proceeded to remove the old dimmer switch and began to install the new dimmer switch. The new dimmer required me to hook the electrical wires around the two terminal screws and then tighten them down. As I was using a pair of needle-nose pliers to make a nice hook on the wire, I touched the tip of the other exposed wire.
Holy #@$%!
This might come as a surprise to you but I am not an electrician, however I thought that when you turned the power off that you would avoid this shocking experience. Thinking that maybe I needed to turn off the power to the kitchen since the dimmer is on a shared wall with the kitchen, I went back down to the basement and flipped that circuit off as well.
After confirming the appliances were all without power and the outlets in the dining room had no power, I had to test the two exposed wires again to see if I had the right circuit.
#@$%! The wires still had juice.
With tingling fingers, I proceeded back into the basement and turned off every circuit that runs the lower level of the house. Yes, I tested it again and I am typing this two days later because I just now can feel my finger tips again. 
Since everything was off at this point, I assumed that I was just mistaken that actually turning the power off was supposed to help avoid this problem and I proceeded with the replacement of the dimmer switch.
As I carefully connected each wire, making sure not to touch both at the same time, I had it all wrapped up just a few minutes later. Once all the circuits were back on I gave it the final test…
We have light!
The new dimmer switch works like a charm. While at the hardware store, we also bought a replacement light fixture for the dining room. But I need to figure out this whole issue with the electricity before I remove the old light and shock myself again!
Are there any electricians in the crowd?
Photo by Mary R. Vogt
Well, I’m not an electrician, but due to my ham radio passion I do play with electricity quite a bit. Here’s an idea:
Now that you have power to that light, turn the light on and then go to the breaker box and start testing to see which one actually powers the light (you will know b/c the light will go off) and then label it so you know. Then, when you’re ready to replace that light fixture, you’ll know which one to flip so it’s not such a “shocking” experience.
That is the way to do it for the light, thanks for pointing that out. I didn’t get a chance to swap out the light today but will do it over the weekend.
If there isn’t a post on Monday, you’ll know it didn’t go well.
You’ll get no help from me. I was the kid that shoved screwdrivers into the wall outlets to watch the sparks.
That explains alot…
I also like to poke dogs in the eyes, thus my facial scars.
LOL!
LOL!!
I only have my hands inside running computers all day while drinking coffee. I’m also a bad choice
My first career was in appliance repair and installation, so this type of thing was a daily possibility. Ever get hit with 240 volts when crouched under a kitchen counter while installing a crazy German dishwasher to Canadian power lines? It’s not fun.
However, one day I went and bought a voltage detector, then the problems went away.
Just remember … when someone says they shut the power off to X room, it doesn’t necessarily mean the wires you’re working with *belong* to that room
Congrats on the successful install without the flesh burn. Gotta love those sneaky wiring tactics.
Ouch… I would never even think of doing something like this myself, for exactly this reason. I admire you for giving it a shot, and even more for eventually getting it right, but the learning process seems longer and more painful than it’s worth to me. Thanks for sharing this story, hope you’re feeling better
I am in no way an electrician…but have found some weird things when I have done similar work on my 24 year old home. Previous owners extending a circuit, adding a light fixture where there was not one previously, etc. Most likely there is a logical reasoning for your current circuit setup…but you never know. Glad to hear that you came away without any real damage though!
Speaking of home improvement…how are those new windows holding up?
@Stephen :: Sounds like a great mixture, lol.
@Jason :: That is very funny and I can picture it quite well. The thing with this switch is that I turned off all the rooms around it, unless the power is coming up directly from the basement - which is a possibility I guess.
@Derrich :: Given the builder of our home, nothing surprises me anymore.
@Aaron :: I’m willing to try just about anything, although some things I fear that I will screw up more and just hire someone else to do. Thanks for the comment!
@Chris :: Thanks, the windows are fantastic and we are really enjoying them. It’s amazing how nice it is to have windows that actually stay open when you open them.
Good work! You know, I am not an electrician but I always do small electrical works myself most of the time for my house.
I am by no means an electrician, but I did just spend a couple days diagnosing a 240v circuit for my hottub and fiddling with some wires. I would strongly recommend getting a cheap multimeter that can do AC. Always test the wires you’re about to be working with as a precaution. As someone else pointed out, just because you flipped the breaker to one “room” does not mean that the power to whatever outlet or switch is off. All sorts of bizarre configurations can arise over years of repairs and modifications, and you never know what you’re going to end up with. A multimeter along with some basic knowledge of how to use it to check for current will go a long way in alleviating any apprehension you have about tackling a small repair like this. Then you can proceed to dive in hands first and come out looking like a real hero to the family!
That is good advice and something that I really need to do. My most recent electrical work involved swapping out four hallway light fixtures with new fixtures. Fortunately, the entire job was completed without incident.
Whenever I complete a job like this, I strut around like I should have a show on HGTV, lol.
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