My stove was not on a dedicated breaker and was still supposed to be tied in with the fuse box
I’m mystified by this, how does an old light, receptacle or stove get controlled by a breaker when it has never been upgraded and therefore never disconnected with the fuse box to be connected with a breaker.
Several receptacles and sconces were not working after the electricians left. I had them come back to fix it.
All the non-working lights came on when they fixed the wiring going into the breaker box and then this weird thing happened. Some of the non-working lights, plugs and a non-working stove that were still connected to a fuse box were turned on when the breaker got fixed.
How does a stove or any non-upgraded light or receptacle get turned on by a breaker when it is still supposed to be running on a fuse? Doesn’t someone have to disconnect them from the fuse box and connect them with a breaker?
I have never had them do any work on these things that are still running on a fuse.
This non-upgraded stove was thought to be not working and therefore some of the buttons had been pressed to ON and it was plugged in and was not working. HOW DOES A BREAKER TURN ON A STOVE THAT WAS RUNNING ON A FUSE.
It could have started a fire.
In addition to this weird situation, the sconces and plug-ins that are still tied in with a fuse box and not upgraded were also turned on when they fixed the breaker. HOW DID THE BREAKER TURN THEM ON WHEN THEY WERE NEVER CONNECTED TO A BREAKER AND STILL RUNNING ON A FUSE?
We had to shut the breaker off to ensure that no fire gets started on the stove. This means that some of the sconces and plug-ins are still not working.
On the web I found out this is a code violation but not how a non-upgraded plug got tied in the breaker box when no one has worked on it for decades.
Here is what I found.
- “Dedicated circuit: A dedicated circuit means only the stove is powered by that specific breaker.”
Replies
A lot of things are possible. remember that it takes a neutral wire, as well as the line (hot) wire to operate any device.
It would take some electric detective work to understand what is going on with your specific blend of old and new.
It is possible that when the breakers were installed, the feed to the fuses was modified, and when your electricians came back they fixed the feed.
It is also possible they re-routed the fuse box to operate from a breaker. (made it into a sub-panel.) or the other way around.
You might be better served by asking your installer to have a discussion.
The other way is to disconnect each breaker and fuse, one at a time, and verify exactly what is disconnected in your house.
Was there a time in history when there was no requirement for a stove to have a dedicated fuse or breaker?
Can you finish upgrading your system by removing the fuse box and installing more breaker controlled circuits? It sounds like the fuse box is being controlled by a breaker.
I asked the electricians a lot of questions and now I regret not having kept a journal on their visits to record the details of what they did each time. We were comparing notes and found out that neither of us has an accurate memory of what was done. I also detected a lack of communication between various electricians that have come over and don't know why they don't keep notes. I would have thought they kept records of their own as a legal requirement and that they could look things up. Because they didn't seem to have records on it, it's of great importance that I keep my own records and not just a stack of receipts. I intend to upgrade most of the wiring at my house. Because of the expense, there are certain places where I will have them rip the old wiring out and cover up the openings in the walls.
It still mystifies me why the stove was connected to the same breaker as some other non-upgraded lights and plugs when this is a code violation and why they did not seem to be aware of it.
If any electrician had no way of knowing, either/or was devious, then this would mean that all homeowners no matter who they hire could be in a precarious situation like I was and never know it. It means also, they should learn as much about the code as they can.
If your stove wasn't connected to a dedicated breaker, it could pose a safety risk, as appliances like stoves often require a dedicated circuit for proper power distribution. It’s crucial to ensure your stove is tied directly to the fuse box with its own breaker to avoid electrical overloads. Consulting a licensed electrician for a proper setup is highly recommended.
The company I use has licensed electricians and this is why it mystifies me how some areas they never touched got connected to the breakers instead of the fuse boxes. I liked some of the suggestions made in this thread of how this might have happened and am not sure why the electricians don't have a complete answer. It was a bad mistake not to keep an ongoing journal of what they've done.