chuckography

No, you don't just lengthen an electrical short..

Do you know that sinking feeling you get when your lights start to dim and flicker?

When your tv shuts down unexpectedly. Your computer goes dark. But, you're not sitting in the dark

Some lights are still on.

What the...?

You are due somewhere in a little over an hour and need to get moving.

So you check the circuit breaker but nothing appears wrong there. In fact, the overhead light is on in that room.

A battery-powered vacuum device is still humming along but emergency lights have come on in some rooms.

Dark on one side with lights shining on the other side.

Do I call and cancel an important meeting? No.

I reached my handyman buddy Lee and he said he could be there in about 30 minutes. Cutting it close.

Actually he was there in 25 minutes.

He agreed it looked like a circuit had tripped. Maybe more than one.

Flipping them off and then on again did not solve anything so he removed the cover of the circuit breaker box and said:

"Wow, there's your problem!"

He pushed a wire and sparks flew.

Unhurt, he pointed out the thick wire going into the circuit breaker had pulled loose and was barely inside where it should be.

Lee killed the power, reinserted the brass end and tightened it down firmly.

When he restored power, lights came on, I could hear the tv and I saw everything was back to normal.

He said that loose wire could have caused a fire and severely damaged my house.

Lee likes to say he can spot and fix a problem - especially plumbing and electrical - and be done in less than an hour.

This took about 20 minutes and I was even a little bit early for the meeting.

Thanks Lee.

Need a Handyman who is good and honest?  Click the link for details.

Labels: C&L Services, Handyman, Lee Pollard

posted by chuckography @ 1:06 AM