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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:03:58 PM EDT
Something odd happened last night. The wife was awakened by what she called a "sizzling" sound coming from the bathroom. Woke me up and I found this:
Disregard the test outlet I wired in right before this pic. Notice that the hot wire got really hot and melted its insulation and fried the GFI box. 
The hot side of the GFI box is burned. What caused this and how do I repair such a short wire? |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:06:41 PM EDT
[#1]
Loose connection caused arc probably.
What kind of load were you drawing on it? |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:13:10 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Loose connection caused arc probably. What kind of load were you drawing on it? There was an iphone charger plugged into it. They have this circuit wired to the garage and there was a fridge plugged in out there. Been here 11 years and nothing out of the ordinary. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:15:23 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
There was an iphone charger plugged into it. They have this circuit wired to the garage and there was a fridge plugged in out there. Been here 11 years and nothing out of the ordinary. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Loose connection caused arc probably. What kind of load were you drawing on it? There was an iphone charger plugged into it. They have this circuit wired to the garage and there was a fridge plugged in out there. Been here 11 years and nothing out of the ordinary. Did the phone charger short out? |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:17:18 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Loose connection caused arc probably. What kind of load were you drawing on it? Most likely. High resistance (loose) connection = heat. ETA, from now on, land the wires on the screw terminals, don't shove them into those crappy stabbing slots. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:18:19 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Did the phone charger short out? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
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Loose connection caused arc probably. What kind of load were you drawing on it? There was an iphone charger plugged into it. They have this circuit wired to the garage and there was a fridge plugged in out there. Been here 11 years and nothing out of the ordinary. Did the phone charger short out? Don't know. It still works. It happened about 2am. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:19:58 PM EDT
[#6]
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Don't know. It still works. It happened about 2am. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
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Loose connection caused arc probably. What kind of load were you drawing on it? There was an iphone charger plugged into it. They have this circuit wired to the garage and there was a fridge plugged in out there. Been here 11 years and nothing out of the ordinary. Did the phone charger short out? Don't know. It still works. It happened about 2am. Probably just a loose connection. I'd rewire it right and keep an eye on it. Maybe replace the breaker too. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:20:29 PM EDT
[#7]
Backstabbing sucks. Make the proper connections when you replace the
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:23:16 PM EDT
[#8]
The black wire is naked to inside the box. What do I do about the burnt insulation?
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:24:28 PM EDT
[#9]
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The black wire is naked to inside the box. What do I do about the burnt insulation? Hopefully you can pull some slack, but I doubt it. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:26:06 PM EDT
[#10]
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Backstabbing sucks. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:28:29 PM EDT
[#11]
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The black wire is naked to inside the box. What do I do about the burnt insulation? Didn't see that. Like stated you need to pull enough good wire out of the wall or you will have to run a new wire. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:29:08 PM EDT
[#12]
This would be a great time to call an actual Electrician ! ! ! 
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:32:19 PM EDT
[#13]
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This would be a great time to call an actual Electrician ! ! ! Lol! 
No need for that |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:33:36 PM EDT
[#14]
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Didn't see that. Like stated you need to pull enough good wire out of the wall or you will have to run a new wire. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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The black wire is naked to inside the box. What do I do about the burnt insulation? Didn't see that. Like stated you need to pull enough good wire out of the wall or you will have to run a new wire. I pulled a little. Didn't seem to have any slack. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:36:04 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I pulled a little. Didn't seem to have any slack. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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The black wire is naked to inside the box. What do I do about the burnt insulation? Didn't see that. Like stated you need to pull enough good wire out of the wall or you will have to run a new wire. I pulled a little. Didn't seem to have any slack. Hard to tell from the pic, but is there a strain relief where the wires come in the box that could be loosened? |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:36:37 PM EDT
[#16]
I want to know how you had two devices (GFCI, and duplex) fit into one single gang box.
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:43:01 PM EDT
[#17]
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I pulled a little. Didn't seem to have any slack. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
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The black wire is naked to inside the box. What do I do about the burnt insulation? Didn't see that. Like stated you need to pull enough good wire out of the wall or you will have to run a new wire. I pulled a little. Didn't seem to have any slack. How good are you at sheet rock repair? 
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:43:07 PM EDT
[#18]
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I want to know how you had two devices (GFCI, and duplex) fit into one single gang box. I think he was using the second outlet for testing purposes. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:43:13 PM EDT
[#19]
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I want to know how you had two devices (GFCI, and duplex) fit into one single gang box. RIF 
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:43:37 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
How good are you at sheet rock repair? Quote HistoryQuoted:
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The black wire is naked to inside the box. What do I do about the burnt insulation? Didn't see that. Like stated you need to pull enough good wire out of the wall or you will have to run a new wire. I pulled a little. Didn't seem to have any slack. How good are you at sheet rock repair? That's the $500 question |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:45:19 PM EDT
[#21]
Don't backstab the new one.
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:46:14 PM EDT
[#22]
Is the stud to the left or the right of that box? You might be in luck if it's to the left.
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:55:45 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Backstabbing sucks. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:57:10 PM EDT
[#24]
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Is the stud to the left or the right of that box? You might be in luck if it's to the left. Stud is on the right 
Wire is tight. I can go under tomorrow and see if I can find an inch to push up. August in a crawlspace. I hate spiders 
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Posted: 8/25/2016 8:59:55 PM EDT
[#25]
Quoted:
The hot side of the GFI box is burned. What caused this and how do I repair such a short wire? Some GFIs are junk and burn up. I have replaced about 6 from it. 4 of them were internal failures. 2 melted from the outside in. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 9:00:21 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Stud is on the right
Wire is tight. I can go under tomorrow and see if I can find an inch to push up. August in a crawlspace. I hate spiders Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Is the stud to the left or the right of that box? You might be in luck if it's to the left. Stud is on the right
Wire is tight. I can go under tomorrow and see if I can find an inch to push up. August in a crawlspace. I hate spiders Kill the whole thing with fire! |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 9:01:04 PM EDT
[#27]
What caused it?
11 years of refrigerator load on a 15 amp gfci. Unless you are willing to run a dedicated circuit to the fridge (which it should be any ways), your best bet is this... Get rid of that line and load bullshit. There is NO REASON to have a plug in your bathroom controlling the garage. They wired shit that way 30 yrs ago. These days, your garage is generally it's own circuit. Connect all the whites and put a 6" pigtail on it, do the same with the blacks. Install a new TAMPER proof gfci receptacle. Go out to the garage, and remove the outlet by the fridge and replace with NEW gfci receptacle. Be sure to turn off the breaker. Lol. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 9:02:55 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Some GFIs are junk and burn up. I have replaced about 6 from it. 4 of them were internal failures. 2 melted from the outside in. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
The hot side of the GFI box is burned. What caused this and how do I repair such a short wire? Some GFIs are junk and burn up. I have replaced about 6 from it. 4 of them were internal failures. 2 melted from the outside in. We have been here 11 years and it was already installed. I have no idea how old it is. It tripped during the incident and I pushed the reset button with nothing plugged in and it smoked until it burned up but never tripped again. Main breaker did not trip either |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 9:02:58 PM EDT
[#29]
How much clean wire can you get on that burned up hot? If there is enough clean, undamaged wire to get a wire nut on- probably at least a couple inches- you can attach a 6 inch piece of the same size wire and make the situation work.
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Posted: 8/25/2016 9:06:03 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What caused it? 11 years of refrigerator load on a 15 amp gfci. Unless you are willing to run a dedicated circuit to the fridge (which it should be any ways), your best bet is this... Get rid of that line and load bullshit. There is NO REASON to have a plug in your bathroom controlling the garage. They wired shit that way 30 yrs ago. These days, your garage is generally it's own circuit. Connect all the whites and put a 6" pigtail on it, do the same with the blacks. Install a new TAMPER proof gfci receptacle. Go out to the garage, and remove the outlet by the fridge and replace with NEW gfci receptacle. Be sure to turn off the breaker. Lol. Everything is finished and I hate to cut and repair 50' of sheetrock. I plan to rewire the garage when I finish my addition but that involves burying 50' of wire to feed a subpanel. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 9:07:07 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
How much clean wire can you get on that burned up hot? If there is enough clean, undamaged wire to get a wire nut on- probably at least a couple inches- you can attach a 6 inch piece of the same size wire and make the situation work. This is what they did for the feeders going out but that box is getting full. |
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Posted: 8/25/2016 9:42:06 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is what they did for the feeders going out but that box is getting full. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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How much clean wire can you get on that burned up hot? If there is enough clean, undamaged wire to get a wire nut on- probably at least a couple inches- you can attach a 6 inch piece of the same size wire and make the situation work. This is what they did for the feeders going out but that box is getting full. It's your only easy option and would be a safe repair.. Use stranded wire and you should be able to get another GFCI in there without too much trouble. Just don't downsize it. |
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Posted: 8/26/2016 9:25:13 AM EDT
[#33]
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That is an internal screw clamp. No gfcis were "back stabbed". Ever. Quote HistoryQuoted:
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Backstabbing sucks. Didn't notice it was a GFCI. |
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Posted: 8/26/2016 9:27:16 AM EDT
[#34]
Gotta make those screws TIGHT.
Probably a loose connection and when your SO went to unplug or plug in her phone it moved the outlet just enough to arc. |
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Posted: 8/26/2016 9:34:08 AM EDT
[#35]
The easy fix would be to slide some heat shrink up past the insulation, then hit it with a hairdryer.
Then, as stated use the screws on a new plug. Was probably loose,to cause the meltdown. I HATE GFI plugs. |
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