I get a call to change a bad breaker. Get to the house, and the customer takes me the main load center and - while he's telling me what's wrong - he tries to switch on a tripped breaker. He doesn't switch it "off" and then back "on," he simply tries to push the switch on and hold it there. His explanation is that the breaker is bad. [Linked Image]

I try to switch the breaker on, when all of the lights dim and it trips back out. Find out that this breaker controls the living room receptacles. I ask if these are the only things in the house that aren't working. They answer "yes." I had already checked the load center, so I start pulling the receptacles out and find one that looks like the ground wire had been bent around and contacted the ungrounded conductor. The others have some loose back-stabs. SO, I change the receptacles out confident I had found the problem. Turn the breaker back on and it trips again. [Linked Image]

Again, I ask if there is anything else in the house that isn't working. One person says "no," then another finally says "well, except for the venthood that burned up in the fire yesterday." [Linked Image] (They had a grease fire on the stove that burned the vent hood.)

Check the venthood and found that the temperatures from the grease fire had melted the insulation on the Romex and allowed it to go to ground.

I had worked for nearly an hour moving furniture, pulling receptacles, etc. and asked at least twice about other electrical problems before they finally decided to fill me in on the fire!!!

Kevin