OK so a few days ago a outlet failed on a circuit. the wire was glowing red at the outlet so i killed the power and tossed the outlet. Only a inch of the wires are burned but there is not enough to cut them to install a outlet directly on them without pig tailing without a box and i can't fish new wire inside the wall since the old wires are stapled somewhere and I don't want to drill a bunch of holes in the plaster So I ended up doing a surface run by hooking up a box extender to the first outlet on the circuit they using 3/8 flex alum condult to carry the wire on the surface to bypass the bad area and hookup to the next good outlet. I used metal boxes.
I did not ground the boxes just the outlets. After the surface run gets to the good outlet I ran the wires into the wall from behind the new surface box to connect to the old wires that daisy chain down the line leaving the bad wire disconnected. All grounds are twisted together then go to the outlets. I turned the power on and it works until i turn the porch light on then the breaker trips. If I disconnect the one ground wire from the outlet that sends power to the living room(my room 1 side of the hall way one side of the living room one side of the kitchen and 2 walls in my moms room are on one circuit) then the porch light works.
It also works if the ground is hooked up but porch light off but turn it on it trips the breaker. I'm also reading 120 volts on the surface run boxes and the alum flex even though no black wires are touching the boxes and I'm sure the wires did not get nicked when putting the wire inside the condult. I'm thinking something is back-feeding but what. too late and dark to mess with the porch light or anything else. If anyone has ideas other then rewire the entire trailer cause i don't have the money been laid off since april.
I did not ground the boxes just the outlets. After the surface run gets to the good outlet I ran the wires into the wall from behind the new surface box to connect to the old wires that daisy chain down the line leaving the bad wire disconnected. All grounds are twisted together then go to the outlets. I turned the power on and it works until i turn the porch light on then the breaker trips. If I disconnect the one ground wire from the outlet that sends power to the living room(my room 1 side of the hall way one side of the living room one side of the kitchen and 2 walls in my moms room are on one circuit) then the porch light works.
It also works if the ground is hooked up but porch light off but turn it on it trips the breaker. I'm also reading 120 volts on the surface run boxes and the alum flex even though no black wires are touching the boxes and I'm sure the wires did not get nicked when putting the wire inside the condult. I'm thinking something is back-feeding but what. too late and dark to mess with the porch light or anything else. If anyone has ideas other then rewire the entire trailer cause i don't have the money been laid off since april.
