Series circuit wiring problems.

Thread Starter

Nightdestroyer51

Joined Jun 15, 2023
2
So I have a house that mainly runs on a variety of series circuits maintained by a breaker box. My problem being that a major appliance is broken, and thus was disconnected in order for it to not cause problems. This has shut down the circuit - and half my house - , and while the rest is in working order, I do not know how I would reconnect the wires in the correct manner in order for the circuit to run properly. I've looked elsewhere for answers, but it just gives me physics-based assistance. Any help in figuring this out would be greatly appreciated, as living in Texas w/out an AC is living hell.
 

Ya’akov

Joined Jan 27, 2019
8,505
Welcome to AAC.

When you say it is “based on series circuits” what do you mean?
Where are you located? (House mains wiring practices and requirements vary.)
 

ElectricSpidey

Joined Dec 2, 2017
2,628
I can only assume the appliance was disconnected at the breaker box leaving the rest of the branch without power.

The solution would be to disconnect the appliance locally and reconnect the branch at the panel.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,030
So I have a house that mainly runs on a variety of series circuits maintained by a breaker box. My problem being that a major appliance is broken, and thus was disconnected in order for it to not cause problems. This has shut down the circuit - and half my house - , and while the rest is in working order, I do not know how I would reconnect the wires in the correct manner in order for the circuit to run properly. I've looked elsewhere for answers, but it just gives me physics-based assistance. Any help in figuring this out would be greatly appreciated, as living in Texas w/out an AC is living hell.
If you are located in Texas, then you have N.A. style wiring, I think you mean a series of outlets that are Paralleled off of each cable run, each run fed off its own breaker.
Sounds like you have interrupted or broken the 'string' at some point, leaving a number of outlets without power.
The N.A. house power wiring system is quite simple to understand..
 

Tom Harry

Joined Feb 2, 2023
1
I recently bought solar panels have problem in series circuit a wholesaler company did all the installation and wiring for me but now i realised my appliances are broken which caused shortcircuit

MOD NOTE: Link removed.
 
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BobTPH

Joined Jun 5, 2013
8,092
None of what you are saying makes any sense. Stop trying to diagnose the problem and just tell us what you are seeing that is not workng.

Your use if the term “series” is completely wrong. House sockets are no wired in series.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,496
So I have a house that mainly runs on a variety of series circuits maintained by a breaker box. My problem being that a major appliance is broken, and thus was disconnected in order for it to not cause problems. This has shut down the circuit - and half my house - , and while the rest is in working order, I do not know how I would reconnect the wires in the correct manner in order for the circuit to run properly. I've looked elsewhere for answers, but it just gives me physics-based assistance. Any help in figuring this out would be greatly appreciated, as living in Texas w/out an AC is living hell.
Have you checked to see if all the breakers are closed?

For it to have taken out power to half the house would likely indicate that the appliance in question was a 230 VAC appliance and managed to pop the main breaker on one of the two 120 VAC lines. Otherwise it would only be affecting a small fraction of the house.

Also, the various circuits in the house are not series circuits. You have a number of branch circuits, each of which has a breaker (or two) in series with it. But all of the loads on that branch are in parallel with each other.
 

ElectricSpidey

Joined Dec 2, 2017
2,628
I wouldn't go resetting breakers or replacing fuses before making sure the appliance is disconnected locally...because that may have been the method used "to disconnect the appliance".

IMO the OP should hire someone to do the work or at the very least get someone maybe a friend that knows what to do and have them assist...anybody other than the person that disconnected the appliance in the first place.
 

Thread Starter

Nightdestroyer51

Joined Jun 15, 2023
2
Alright @ElectricSpidey @WBahn @BobTPH @MaxHeadRoom @Ya'akov
Bob, when I say series, I mean as in if one gets screwed, so does the rest, I checked on that and thanks to WBahn and Mr. Room, sort of concluded that, especially since my quarter (and personal quarters) of the house along a different breaker line are affected by a short circuit somewhere in the walls along the circuit, leaving only two wall sockets to plug in electronics, my lighting also unfortunately included.

However, thanks to said appliance being the water heater, there is, as far as I'm aware, no secondary pathing for the current.

For context as to why I asked the reason for this thread, our water heater burst and was leaking in the house, thus I needed to shut off the water supply to the household, before I was assisted in capping the pipe heading for the heater, and the help disconnected the heater by wiring, in order to make sure that it does not continue running up our energy bill. The water flows perfectly now since it was turned on, the electricity does not however.

There is no short circuit along the line w/the heater, simply a full disconnect, and shutting down the other quarter of the house leaving my half in darkness. I neither know how to reconnect wiring since I wasn't taught at least the basics nor was there when it was set up, leaving me at an impasse as to what wire goes where and how to reconnect them.

There are images attached, the top of the heater being the start of the circuit, with the center being the motherboard, if you will allow my uninitiated self to use that terminology, and the bottom flowing to the rest of the circuit.
 

Attachments

GetDeviceInfo

Joined Jun 7, 2009
2,180
Get yourself an electrician. Hard to tell in the photo, but your loomex coming in appears to be 14 gauge, and has single phase coloring, neither acceptable. The heater should be on a dedicated circuit sourced directly from it's own 2 phase breaker. Sounds like you have a tripped breaker, which is stabbed with multiple circuits, another no no.
 
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