This project from hell I am working on right now has found a new problem. We finally got power hooked up to this modular home, installed the light bulbs and they burn out within 30 seconds of being turned on. Not just one light but lots of lights. some in the ktchen, some in the bathroom, some in living room. Some are fixtures and some are can lights. The only thing I can think of is that they are wired wrong and are sending 220v to the lights? Does that sound right. It wouldnt suprise me after all they miswired the switch for the floresent lights so they were on all the time :rolleyes: Any ideas on where to look. I got a voice mail saying that was the problem so I havent even tried to find how this got screwed up yet.

Matt sounds like to much power going to them. Think about what happens if you had 220 hooked up to them, they would get real hot real fast, and then they are done. But look at the bright side(no pun intended). At least they are not exploding on you. :D

O' and when are you coming up this way, I'm going to need to borrow your reemer. Unless you wanna just mail it up here. :rolleyes:

Yeah, I agree - too much current is going through those bulbs.

-Drew

Thats what I figured. I swear every time I get one thing done 2 more things on this project show up that are screwed up by the previous contractor. Also found a nice leak in the roof today as well.

I don't know. My porch light and hall lights do the same thing. They seem to go through stages where they'll blow up once a week... for a few weeks. Then work for the next couple months. I am thinking it's more of a ground issue as I don't have 220 anywhere near these lights.

You more than likely have a serious ground condition or loose connection problem. That is about the only thing that can cause what you are describing.

Electric power has to have an "in" and an "out" just like a hydraulic system does. What flows into a circuit has to also be able to flow back to the ground, or it just chews up lights or whatever is plugged into it (like computers, televisions, fridge, etc.! :eek: ).

I'd start by pulling the cover off of the circuit breaker panel.

HERE'S THE RULE ABOUT THE INSIDE OF CIRCUIT BREAKER PANELS!!!!
(For newbies that have never done this type work)

Only touch ONE THING at a time -- and DO NOT rest your free hand on the box while you work. The box is grounded, and if you contact a hot wire, you also get to find out if your heart is strong -- catch my drift?

Also, it goes without saying, to make sure you are not WET -- you are not STANDING IN WATER, etc., while you work.

Otherwise, it is perfectly safe to work inside a circuit breaker panel with the power on (and about the only possible way to turn the power COMPLETELY OFF is to pull the meter!).

Now, with that warning in place - pull the cover, and take the appropriate screwdriver and start tightening EVERY screw you see that has a wire attached to it. Don't strip them by forcing them if they are already tight, but in many cases, you will be able to tighten each wire a turn or two, especially the wires coming into the box from the meter (those LARGE wires at the top of the box). Again, use just one hand, on the screwdriver, and only touch one wire/screw at at a time and you are perfectly safe.

While you are poking around in the circuit breaker box, try to see if you have a ground wire that goes either to a water pipe or to a rod driven into the ground somewhere. That is a critical part of your electrical system, as the electricity must eventually flow back to "earth" (also called "ground").

You don't have 220 going to any of the lights. That is impossible, as there is no place in your electrical system that has 220 V on any single wire. Both of the main feed wires that come into your circuit breaker box from the meter are each 110 volts. 220 V circuits are simple a pair of 110 V wires plus a common (white) wire that returns to ground.

As far as loose connections (outside the breaker box) are concerned, you will have to open each electrical box and inspect/tighten the connections, both in wire nuts, and on the terminals. Many new homes use a push in wire connector on switches and outlets instead of wrapping the wire under a screw and tightening it down. Sometimes these push in connectors are weak, and don't transmit power and ground correctly.

Also, it is very easy to bundle several wires into a wire nut (those red, yellow, brown thingies that screw on to connect wires), and have a loose wire, or a wire that popped out while being connected. Pull on each wire to see if it is loose (you can turn off the breaker for this test!) and it it is, unscrew the wire nut, and re-bundle the wires. Use a pliers to tighten the wire nuts onto the bundle of wires! They are supposed to be tight. You do NOT have to tape wire nuts with black tape! Just make sure the wires are stripped to the correct length so no copper sticks out and you are good.

I'll lay odds that you very quickly find the problem if you check out this stuff.

One last thing -- if a florescent light is blowing bulbs quickly, it probably has a bad ballast (the black box inside the light fixture that ignites the gases inside the light -- it is a step-up transformer that increases voltage to light the bulb). Ballasts can be easily replaced with new ones, which you can get at almost any home center store. Just wire color for color using wire nuts to connect the new wires with the old ones (that you cut off from the old ballast). Just make sure to match the new and old ballasts carefully. There are a LOT of different models out there -- for different length bulbs, for different number of bulbs, and for different T-ratings of bulbs (the diameter of the tubes).


(Edit) -- One last thought... Some power companies provide "dirty power" to homes. In other words, it fluctuates at higher and lower voltages. This will blow cheapy bulbs that are only rated at 120 V. Try some better bulbs that are rated to 130 V and see what happens -- if none of the above works for you.

Well we had the cieling collapse in the master bedroom last night from a leak in the roof. So now I dont have to figure out the problem as the warrenty people from the manufactrued home company will be there tommorow. They can solve the lighting isuue as well as why the water heater will only stay lite for 30 seconds. Hopefully a day or two and I will have my stuff done so I can get off this job. It sucks coming into a job after someone screwed it all up in the first place.

geeze remind me not to go modular ever

modular homes are built well... it sounds like whoever set the thing up just threw it together.... there is a way to get bulbs to burn out really quickly without putting 220 to them.... if you happen to wire hot to ground in one of the fixtures instead of hot to hot to go to another fixture the bulb acts like a fuse in the circuit.... as soon as you flip the switch you create a short circuit.... and the filament in the bulb will usually be the first thing to go... it sounds like you want to get as far away from this house as possible... not only does it sound dangerous but it sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen....

I have worked on two modulars (different companies) and I wouldnt say they are well built. More like ok built. They all have bouncy floors, walls dont quite match up between units, and teh cheapness of the fixtures and cabnets are crap. I guess they are probably comparable to a modern stick built in a developement. The two I have worked on the corners cut are where you go from ok to being great. I guess they get about 95% of it right but that last 5% is what sets them apart. Of coarse seeing the guys that set these things up and I can see why they are trouble. As soon as I can get these two projects wrapped up I plan on going back to doing comercial TI work and in a bit get my contractors licence. Just need to get a few books and read up and I should be able to pass it. Guess all those years at college were good at making me beable to take tests. I know it didnt improve my typing, spelling, grammer, or puctuation skills. :confused: :D

i agree with you on the cabinents and fixtures.... most people change that stuff anyways after a few years. In the floors its all about what kind of house you have and how it was set up. My parents have one and its on a foundation with full basement and the lineup is perfect. Part of the reason they went with one is the remote location they live... It woulda been hell to get a contractor in there for the entire build... The house traveled almost 500 miles to be set in 2 days.... then all we had to do was finish the basement... Now granted they have redone the kitchen and a few of the bathrooms.... but for the most part it was a good deal. I would call the inspector on that guy.... He's gotta be pulling permits... hopefully.... and i would think they might crack down on him some...

Electric power has to have an "in" and an "out" just like a hydraulic system does. What flows into a circuit has to also be able to flow back to the ground, or it just chews up lights or whatever is plugged into it (like computers, televisions, fridge, etc.! :eek: ).

Ummm no. The device will simply not work if the neutral is lifted. Nothing will get destroyed. In the old days light switching was done by breaking the neutral. Bulbs didn't blow all the time back then...

An intermittent neutral could be a problem though, resistance and therefore current will skyrocket.


You don't have 220 going to any of the lights. That is impossible, as there is no place in your electrical system that has 220 V on any single wire. Both of the main feed wires that come into your circuit breaker box from the meter are each 110 volts. 220 V circuits are simple a pair of 110 V wires plus a common (white) wire that returns to ground.

What if this modular was built on a friday after lunch? Wouldn't be too hard to imagine someone supposed to be installing an arc fault but putting a double pole breaker.

Also if there is a well pump or electric water heater there will be 240v on a "single wire" with no neutral.



Not trying to be too nit-picky but 120v does not use a hot and ground. It uses a hot and a neutral. There will ONLY be power on the ground if something is wrong, and hopefully only for a fraction of a second until the breaker trips.

Ground and neutral are not the same thing. If your breaker box is more than four feet from the power meter your grounds and neutrals will be completly seperate. Otherwise they can go to the same bars in the box, but there are seperate main ground and neutral wires.

i guess what i am thinking is that someone wired one of the lightbulb fixtures wrong... in my thinking if you have three light fixtures and wire two of them correctly but accidentally wire the hot wire to the neutral on say the third outlet when you throw the switch the circuit will short circuit.... now because those first two lights are wired correctly in order for current to get to the short circuit it has to flow through the bulbs... you get so much current draw through the short circuit at the correctly wired lights that it burns the filaments in them essentially using them as fuses... In my mind this would be possible but i am in no way an expert at this. Is my reasoning sound...

Just trying to help a guy out, using homeowner level terms... :rolleyes:

Not my problem so I am no longer concerned about it. Ill wait till the guys show up to fix it and ask them what was causing it. Much easier then me trying to trouble shoot it.