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    clanflan's Avatar
    clanflan Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Jun 18, 2008, 10:46 AM
    CIrcuit Breaker for Refrigerator won't turn back on
    Had a nasty storm and lost power a couple of times. My refrigerator and microwave are on one plug and they did not have power. Checked the circuit breaker and the switch was off. When I flip it back on, it immediately turns itself back off. A few sparks fly sometime. Do I have a blown fuse and need an electrician to fix or something else?
    donf's Avatar
    donf Posts: 5,679, Reputation: 582
    Printers & Electronics Expert
     
    #2

    Jun 18, 2008, 11:31 AM
    If you get sparks popping out at you, you can try to unplug both the refrigerator and microwave. Before you reset the breaker, stand to the side away from the arc and sparks. Then turn the breaker on and if it flashes or sparks again, replace the breaker and re-test by plugging in the refrigerator and then the microwave(one at a time).

    If the breaker stays in the "ON" position, turn off the breaker, plug the refrigerator in and set the breaker to the on position. If the breaker shuts down immediately, you know the short might be caused by the refrigerator. If the breaker stays on and the refrigerator comes back to life, set the breaker to off and unplug the refrigerator and plug the microwave in then reset the breaker to repeat the test.

    There appears to be a short circuit and it may well be caused by one of the appliances.

    Please, if you do not know how to change a breaker, call an electrician. The work can be done by a DIY type, but it truly helps to have a comfort level with what you are doing especially if you have to go into the main panel box.

    By the way, check with your homeowners insurance, if the damage was caused by lightning, the repairs may well be covered after a deductable.

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