Category Archives: Home repair

Resetting a tripped circuit breaker

My housekeeper probably probably hooked up my vaccuum cleaner to the same circuit that I have all my home theater components hooked up to, which tripped a 15-20 amp circuit that controlled lots of lights and outlets in my apartment.  She did not know how to handle the situation, blaming it on a bathroom light gone out, and I lack home repair knowledge in general.  I called the maintenance guy who pointed me to the electrical service panels; however, the labeling was jumbled and illegible, making it hard for me to find my apartment’s circuit breakers.  Given that I’m in a four-unit apartment building, there were several panels.  With the maintenance person on the phone, I accidentally turned off the electricity in my neighbor’s apartment for which I apologized in person and with a pittance.  Sorry you lost work on your computer, dude.  Ever heard of auto-save, or an uninterruptible power supply?  Not my problem if you go two hours without saving your work.  Anyway, besides my lack of basic home electrical knowledge as illustrated here, it would have helped if the maintenance guy had simply said, "Look for the breaker that is not like the other ones–it should be in the off position when all others are in the on position."
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