- remodeling at its finest. Note the cautious approach to the live conductors passing through the knockout...


- Hmm - must've not used long enough screws. Remove cover and


- Nope.. screws holding the outlet in are tight. Just no screws holding the box to anything


- The two bx runs to the top are fine... they must have run out of fittings or time.


- Remodel put the plaster ring behind the drywall. What to do? I know... use 1/4-20 machine nuts as spacers! So what if the hit the terminals and ground out later when someone takes the outlet out...


- Hey... the wire's in there...


- I think we're getting closer to the source of our problem. The next box upstream the red had joined 2 other 12's feeding the dining room. In this box, if joins two other 12s feeding the living room, and a pair of 14's that go to points beyond.


- Houston, we found your problem...

Oh, and the breaker that wouldn't reset? It was a 30 amp. Closer examination revealed that the wire feeding that branch circuit wire had burned insulation for the 1st few inches. It had been covered by electrical tape by the homeonwer, who had seen the bare copper and decided that that probably wasn't good.

- DougW

Good lord!

You didn't tell us you were planning on visiting Mexico! That's the norm there, in fact it's a bit better than the norm.

By the way, I can't make out the last picture. Do I want to know what it is?

That last pic is the remains of a melted wire nut and some burned wires, looks like from the soot on the cover (or is it a lamp canopy?) that there was a LOT of arcing going on.

To DougW: Where was the few inches of burned wire that the H/O taped up located? In this last box?

MX-

The burned wire (#12 Cu stranded) was actually at the panel side of the circuit - I replaced the run between the panel and the next box in line.

He told me he didn't know exactly what caused it, but that bare wire in the panel wasn't a good thing, so he taped it up then called one of my customers, who gave him my #.

As I told the H.O. and his wife - the last time I saw more evidence of fire, I showed up at the house on the BRT (Big Red Truck) with a hose in my hand.

Told them that, while I'm not a religious kind of guy, somebody was definitely watching out for them.