Hello everyone,

We live in a large double-wide mobile home.It's practically brand new- though the warranty is expired.Lately,we've been having flickering lights-even total power loss on one whole side of our house.We've tried unplugging everything on this side-it doesn't help.This is the side our furnace is on[wish we had real fireplaces;wish we had solar...anyways...back to the problem:]Wouldn't ya also know this is the side my computer is on!Does anyone have any ideas?Is this dangerous?After church tonight,I'd like to have a family fire drill just in case!!Well,I need to go as I might get cut off at any moment. Bye friends,God Bless,~~~Tracy~~~ On the bright side,perhaps I'll get my fireplace!

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), September 06, 2000

Answers

Tracy! Sounds like you have one side dead. I'm assuming the furnace is on the back side and the breaker box is also on the back side. You need to first check if anything thats 220volts is working, like central a/c etc. If you have 220 and its workin you'll need to call an electrician or somebody that's knowledgable about electrical power. A voltmeter is a MUST when runnin down trouble. I doubt if it's one breaker that's bad because more than one breaker would be required for that section. Possibility of one side of main breaker has quit, loose connections in breaker box, loose splice. Several things it can be and it's kinda hard to guess without knowin anymore. If your puter etc is on the front half there are connections to hook both sides together at the back end of the house at the "marrage wall. They will be at the bottom and just inside the outside wall. Looking under the house you'll see'm. Make sure they are plugged in correctly. Email me direct if'n ya wanna. I'll help anyway I can. Don't know where you live but it's probably too far for me to drive. Oh BTW, it could be a fire just waiting to happen. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), September 06, 2000.

On most mobile homes, the main breaker box is most likely fused. One fuse can be bad or blown. Pull it, the switch block, switch fuses, if this is the problem and replace both fuses. If this home is wired with aluminium wire; shut off all current and tighten all connections in wall outlets and main boxes. If the supply line is under ground and aluminium wire, wire corrison is a very good bet. Some cables that have been spliced, get moisture inside splice and will do a bad act of rotting away. Follow Hoot advice!!

Been there and done that. It is not comfy living in a toaster.

JR

-- JR (jr3star@earthlink.net), September 06, 2000.

Tracy -

Pop is a retired electrician. He says get someone out there NOW. You have a fire waiting to happen. I didn't understand a lot of what he said, but the gist is - you probably have a loose connection at the junction box where the wiring from the two sides of your double wide hooks together. That would be best case scenario - ie: easiest to fix. He said a whole bunch more but what it added up to is: call an electrician and do it now. You are too far from us, or I would send him on down. He also says to check the consumer reports type web sites and see if your brand has this problem. He has had to do a lot of electrical stuff for family members who are in doublewides and manuafactured homes - one was out of warrently, but got paid for anyway because they had had several problems with that particular model.

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), September 06, 2000.

My brother (a electrician) advises you to get a electrician (they do stick together, lol) to check under the middle. He said some of the newer homes used a lesser grade crossover connector. He too thought it could cause a fire. Better safe than Sorry.

In our single wide he found that 75% of our outlets was on 1 breaker. Gee turn on the ceiling fan and the microwave went off. Finally got part of that mess cleaned up. So I sympathize with electrical problems.

BE SAFE.

Kenneth

-- Kenneth (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), September 06, 2000.

Tracy, I recommend getting a pro to inspect asap. We had loose electrical connections in the main breaker in our first mobile home (aluminum meeting copper, or something), and we had a fire! I literally jumped over flames in our hallway to get to where I could put it out. The electrician who came out to inspect, told us that I was very, very lucky to have caught it and escaped the way I did. He lost his wife and child in a mobile home fire from a similar circumstance some years before. Please get it checked out. Good luck to you.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), September 06, 2000.

Thank you everybody for the advice! I will call an electrician first thing tomorrow-Lord willing of course.

This is rather a scary situation.

Both my daughter and son are in bed with us because I feel it is safest for them.My smoke detectors are in good working order. Most of all,the Lord never sleeps.So,I am about to go to sleep and hope for a speedy resolution to this mess!

I will keep everyone posted.

Thank you so much everyone,

God Bless y'all,~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), September 06, 2000.

Have you tried mobilehomerepair.com? They have a forum where you can ask any question about mobile home problems or repairs.

-- Peg (NW WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), September 07, 2000.

I know its been said but here goes again Hubbys an electrician and says a loose conection at the meter or at the breaker panel .Did you get anyone out yet ?

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), September 09, 2000.

Tracy, did you get this figured out yet -- and solved? Let us know please, or we'll be worrying about you!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 10, 2000.

Hi everyone!

I tried to post an update the other night,but it didn't go through foe some reason.

Yes,we got an electrician out right away.There was corrosion in the wires at the outside main breaker box(-not sure if the outside one is called that but I'm sure y'all know what I mean...)They were also rather loose.

He fixed it right up.Everything is much better.Although we are still experiencing some dimming of the lights on this side.I will probably call him out again this week,as we may have to replace the outside thingy.

Thanks so much for all your help,advice,and concern!! God Bless you all!~~~Tracy~~~

ps-I'll try that website sometime-thanks!!!

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), September 10, 2000.

When you get the electrician out again, insist they also check the box underneath where the electrical lines from both sides are connected. On dimming, that would imply there is too much pull on a particular circuit.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 12, 2000.

Tracy, you can get a copy of the "mobile home electricial pole installation" at planning and zoning too. To check and see if your grounds are sufficient and properly installed. We had a temporary pole up here for a few months while we worked on the house, and it wasn't grounded properly, and one windy night, the ground cable hanging down was swinging and "trying to find it's ground". Our lights dimmed in and out. Our elect. co. came right out in the middle of the night and fixed the ground. Some of those poles are not grounded good, ask the electrician to check. Lights should not do that. Let us know.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), September 12, 2000.