# Electricity!!!



## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

The Past few days here in NW Kansas, the weather has been cool, for this time of year. I finally had to light the furnace in the shop a few nights ago, as I've been workin' on some picture frames that needed the constant temp in the shop to get the finish dry. The last two mornings, I've walked in the shop, flipped the lights on, & no lights. WTH? I checked the breaker box, no switches tripped, so I flipped all the switches, & had lights! Tonight I went over to work on the frames, & no lights again!! I walked around the shop, I had lights on one side, but not the other. The a/c wouldn't run, no lights over the scroll saw. So I grabbed a phillips screwdriver, went to the back room, pulled the front off the switch box, & guess what I found? The wiring for the furnace had got hot from the furnace issues I was having, melted the covering off it, burnt up the other wires that were in the 30 amp switch at the box. I kept telling my wife somethin' wasn't right, but I had no idea what, or where. Had I not took the cover off that switch box tonight, I may have lost every thing in my shop to an electrical fire! I have had this discussion with my Insurance agent in the past, due to renting a shop, & been told my tools are covered under my home Insurance policy. I know what's in my shop for tools, hand tools, screw inventory, finishes, etc. But I am not able to rattle off EXACT NUMBERS if asked. So, let me ask you this, do you take pictures of your equipment, & write down name brands & serial numbers of your tools for your own records? Does your insurance Company require an inventory? Either way, I'll betcha I'm headed to the insurance office in the morning to find out more about what I need to have in case of just such a loss! Most all of my tools aren't new, by any means, but are well taken care of. And I can promise you, this has been an eye opener for me! What are your thoughts?


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Did the wiring for the furnace burn up outside the panel?


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

Scary stuff. I do want to warn you about something though. If you have a standard homeowner policy most carries will cover tools under the base policy but they have standard limits. I have nationwide, and the standard policy does cover my tools, but it's under a block coverage for tools/jewelry and cash and it's only 2,000.00. So yea tools are covered but if you are like me, that won't touch my tools. I added a 20, 000 rider just for my tools. It was cheap like 20 buck a year, but If I had not thought to ask and point out how much my tools were worth, I would have been high and dry in the event of a fire.

Something else I've done for years, and in the fall I pull the cover on my panel, and hit all the lugs to make sure they are good and tight. Loose one's will heat up!

Take care.


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## timbertailor (Jul 2, 2014)

Take lots of pictures. When it comes time to make a claim, it will make things go much smoother.

And yeah, read your policy. Between the deductibles, limited coverage, limited reimbursement, etc., it really just makes ones blood boil. I moved my gun insurance to the NRA. It was much cheaper and provided much better coverage.


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

Good advice, gentleman! That's why I put a post on here. No Fridge, it burnt the wiring inside the the box, going to the switch. After doing some more looking last nite after posting, I noticed on the front of the switch box that someone had wrote "furnace, a/c, & south wall" in the space for the the 30 amp switch. If that's the case, there's way to much being carried on that switch. So today when the electrician shows up, I think I'm going to have him change out the switch that is burnt, repair the burnt wiring, put the a/c on a switch of its own, & see about putting the south wall on a switch of its own. My shop is a retired beauty shop. Its a 14' x 24' trailer set on a foundation. Has been there several years. And by the looks of the wiring at the box, the owner has done some SERIOUS "cobbling" just to keep from spending the money on electricians, & then expects the renters to pay for the electrician! Will update you this evening on how things go today! Thanks again for the ideas & thoughts. Enjoy the day!


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

An update to the situation, I had an electrician at the shop yesterday morning. He looked things over, & the first thing he told me was that the wrong amp breaker had been installed in the box. That was the main reason for the melt down! So he replaced the 30 amp breaker with a 20 amp breaker. Now for the heart breaker. He said in order to fix things the way I want them fixed, and fix the wiring the right way, with proper amp breakers, etc., it would take a bigger breaker box. Roughly costing $500 - $600 for parts & labor. I told him to get on it! I don't exactly have the extra money just layin around to spend, but when I talked to the man I rent the shop from, he was willing to help me pay for it to get it fixed right. So, the next step I took was to go to my insurance company. I discussed the situation with my agent, and she talked to the carrier on our house policy. I finally got them to see that my tools were a large value of our home policy. So we are going thru the shop, taking numbers & names & estimated values, & PICTURES of ALL our tools, & they are being put on a rider of our home policy. Thanks again for your advice, gentleman!! I appreciate it!!


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## timbertailor (Jul 2, 2014)

Sounds like a very fair price from your electrician and sound advice.

I would have expected the AC system to be on its own circuit, as well. The power required when the compressor kicks on has a large initial draw.


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

Thanks timbertailor! I thought it was a fair price as well, considering what needs to be done. My shop is a "retired" beauty shop, across the street from our house. We live in a SMALL agriculture community, and it is pretty hard to find a house to rent, much less a shop, or shop space. I grew up here, & have lived here most of my life. That being said, Like you, I expected the a/c to be on its own circuit as well, but after visiting with my landlord yesterday, he had rented the shop to a man & his wife in the past, & the man claimed he was a "master electrician!" Now some of the the goings on are starting to come together!! I am yet to figure out how to download pics on here yet, but if you could have seen the mess I had in the electrical box before the electrician cut the melted wiring back to good wire, & installed the new breaker, it was a mess, to say the least! Enjoy the day, Sir! & work safe!!


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## nicksmurf111 (Jun 6, 2014)

Was that 30 amp breaker double-tapped?

Also, if it's a modern, name-brand box, you can install those narrow double breakers. I relied on those in the last house I rented.


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## sawdust703 (Jul 6, 2014)

No Sir, It wasn't. Just single.


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