# Old mobile home



## Arikculwell (Feb 16, 2016)

Okay guys, so I got invited to look at an old trailer home. The front bedroom is dead Sept one plug on far left wall.. outside that bedroom is a bathroom that is dead aswell (right side) everything else seems to be fine Sept dryer keeps tripping... is there a possible diagram I could look at cause I honestly don't know where to start Sept to tear into the ceiling. ..


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

...first I would check voltage leaving breakers, also make sure no ground fault outlets are tripped. If voltage is correct, shut breakers off , than open up all outlet boxes and light boxes and check splices and connections. Physically take wirenuts off and confirm connections. Its a mobile home, won't take long to do, keep it simple.


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## varmit (Apr 19, 2009)

Several possibilities, but most likely a wire/connection loose on the service. Check the power and NEUTRAL at the main. If the service is aluminum, this is a common problem.

Other possibilities:
Main breaker failed.
Panel buss bar loose or corroded.
If this is a "double wide", the connections between halves can be loose.
Utility service problem.
Multiple bad connections.
Any combination of the above.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

Go around and bang on the wall till it starts working a again. It is a bad stab in. Divide and conquer.


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## Sparky48 (Dec 21, 2014)

The first thing I would do is *UN-INVITE *myself from the project. Just me, but I lost a very good friend working on a mobile home. 

If it is old, it could possibly be wired with aluminum wiring. If it is *DEFINITELY *leave the project. You'll have your hands full with it NO doubt.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

varmit said:


> Several possibilities, but most likely a wire/connection loose on the service. Check the power and NEUTRAL at the main. If the service is aluminum, this is a common problem.
> 
> Other possibilities:
> Main breaker failed.
> ...


What would make you think it is a bad neutral?


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## theJcK (Aug 7, 2013)

Divide and conquer like sbrn says. But do the basics first.. check breakers and gfis around.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

It sounds like just one bad circuit. easy peazy.


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## mitch65 (Mar 26, 2015)

Old trailer chances are it could all be on one circuit. Go to the plug that works and see if the wire leaving that box is still intact. If so, check if any light fixtures or devices nearby have recently been changed, probably a bad splice. If it's Aluminium, RUN. Most old trailers I've seen don't have big enough boxes in the interior walls for the Marrettes to properly pigtail the Al to Cu.


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## theJcK (Aug 7, 2013)

Lots of good pointers.. most trailers ive been in have no boxes.. just those butterfly devices with made plates.


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## varmit (Apr 19, 2009)

sbrn33 said:


> What would make you think it is a bad neutral?


Loose/open neutral could be part of the problem. According to the OP there are probably, at least three circuits involved. 

Issues that an open neutral can cause:
120 volt devices not working.

Neutral potential to ground due to feed back from 120 volt loads.

If bonding is not installed correctly, metal parts can become energized. (There have been fatalities due to this.)

!20 volt circuits with 240 volts "hot" to "neutral".


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## varmit (Apr 19, 2009)

If the interior wiring is aluminum Romex, RUN FROM THIS JOB IMMEDIATELY.


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## varmit (Apr 19, 2009)

If this house has an underground aluminum service, this COULD be the problem.
I have seem aluminum "dissolve" for several feet of the run length, due to high resistance ground faults caused by insulation damage.


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## Arikculwell (Feb 16, 2016)

Yall scare me.. lol.. no breakers are triped. Is two light fixtures missing, will check that plug.. kind of just let it be and walked away... to bad it's an aunt of mine that keeps calling..


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## theJcK (Aug 7, 2013)

Ive worked in a trailer where ckts fed through light boxes in bedroom and hit kitchen and living room. The reason I got called is because my uncle who did HVAC service 40 years past couldnt figure out why he was only reading 60V.. classic dropped neutral.


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## Arikculwell (Feb 16, 2016)

Question, Still really haven't broke into any box's yet, but if the front room is dead, and the guest bath is dead.. is it possible they are on the same circuit? Instead of whoopdydooed from the master bath. Also the has is ran in k&t.. The wire gage is small!! And was wondering if it would make a difference if I splice in 12 Guage to add length to some switches and plugs, cause there is only about 2 inches of wire in the box..


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

Arikculwell said:


> Question, Still really haven't broke into any box's yet, but if the front room is dead, and the guest bath is dead.. is it possible they are on the same circuit? Instead of whoopdydooed from the master bath. Also the has is ran in k&t.. The wire gage is small!! And was wondering if it would make a difference if I splice in 12 Guage to add length to some switches and plugs, cause there is only about 2 inches of wire in the box..


I don't really understand what you're saying here. Are you saying there is knob & tube wiring? How old is this place?


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## Indman (Oct 10, 2012)

Sounds like you have your hands full of crap. If you aren't familiar with k&t or troubleshooting circuits like these you should step away...


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

cant swear to it, but i dont think they made any mobile homes with k&t


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## AllWIRES (Apr 10, 2014)

Doesn't sound like a position is want to be in with so many unknowns.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

papaotis said:


> cant swear to it, but i dont think they made any mobile homes with k&t


That's what I thought. But I am wrong a lot.


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## Spunk#7 (Nov 30, 2012)

Stay calm! Do the simple things first,pull the devices out of the wall nearest the problem.(switches&receptacles) Anything back stabbed,replace and side wire while its out of the wall. Make sure you get paid!


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## Arikculwell (Feb 16, 2016)

Sorry guys it's not k&t.. just at my first glance before breaking into anything it looked that way. Just old wiring. I have a plug that shows a open neutral... The plug is on a switch.. The plug does not feed anything. Switch is in a 2 gang box. First switch is front porch light 2nd is the plug. So that's 2 switch legs and a feed in and a feed out. All 4 neutral's are secured togather. . Not sure what's up here...


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## Arikculwell (Feb 16, 2016)

I actually fixed this. Well not 100% proper and maybe not up to any code or standard. But i consualted my jman about it and he said thats what he would of done. So let me explain what i do know..

There are zero arc fualts in this trailer home.. some how every receptical/switch is tied in a single 15 amp gfci in the master bath which a previous tendent swapped out alot of plugs and switches luckly he didnt put a up to date 20amp gfci on a 15amp breaker with 14awg. I rewired that for starters to make proper line/load side. 2nd looks likes like all lights = one circuit, right side of trailer plugs = circuit, left side plugs= one circuit. So since hall bath is closer to left side i just tied into a plug right out side in living room. Giving power to each individual wire comming in the 2gang one at a time. One does nothing as i can tell, one is switch leg, one is conected to front room, one trips master gfci and one trips breaker. Pretty sure breaker tripper is wired to a front porch light that has 2 inches of cylicone around it.. didnt want to touch it. I wired for a switch plug and left front room connected and boom fixed. I tried to overload the circuit, 2 vaccums 2 space heaters and bunch of cellphone chargers amd never triped. Its old 14 awg so was scared it would over heat and burn it down so stayed a few nights occasional testing valtage. So i guess problem solved.


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