Circuit Breaker Sparking

[DrDel]

I have a Seimen's circuit breaker in my box that
suddenly decided to not be on or off.. it remains in
the middle position.

I removed the circuit breaker and bought a new one
(the exact same one) and I have the same problem.
When I try to turn it on a blue spark appears from
behind it.

The only reason I can think of this is that the
circuit is overloaded.

The particular circuit is for a bunch of outlets, 2 of
the kitchen ceiling lights and the dining room light.
The house is brand new (3 months old).

I moved the chandelier last week and I am guessing
that this is the cause of the problem since I do not
have anything plugged into any of the outlets and the
2 kitchen lights are the original lights. The only
thin I have tampered with on this circuit is the
dining room chandelier receptacle.

Last week I moved the receptacle 3 feet east and
attached it to a different joist. In order to do that
I extended the wiring by 3 feet and I used the
electrical caps to attach the wires. Before I screwed
the electrical caps on I twirled the wires around
really well so that the wires would stay together.

I hung the old chandelier to test the circuit and it
worked. I then removed the old chandelier and tossed
it -- it was a **** $10 chandelier. I then drywalled
the old spot where the old receptacle was and painted
the ceiling so that you cant see the defect at all.
The new chandelier receptacle is left open and I
haven't attached the new chandelier to it. The ground
wire is not attached to anything, it is flapping in
the wind hanging from the receptacle alond with the
live/black wire and the neutral/white wire.

That brings me to today... I saw that the circuit was
half on/half off. I changed the circuit and still no
luck. The stupid blue spark remains. I stopped
flicking it back and forth to prevent starting a fire.

So, before I tear down the drywall that I put up and
inspect the area where I attached the new wires with
the electrical plastic caps... is there annything else
I could be missing before I do this?

[electricguy]

Umm Are you trying to tell us that you have a flying splice buried in the Ceiling??. I would highly suggest that you call a certified electrical contractor before you have to put a claim in on your insurance policy which probably will be voided by now anyhow.

[Cosimo Diano]

Ask the manufacturer of the circuit breaker how many times can you close a breaker onto a fault before they consider the breaker unsafe for use.
Do you think electrical work is a hobby? Do you not care about the safety of your loved ones? Please do yourself a favor and hired a qualified contractor to undue the damage you have created.

[DrDel]

I don't know where you guys live but what I did is prefectly fine to do from my insurance. Maybe things are different in your country, I don't know.

Either way, back to my original question: where do you think the problem lies? Am I missing something else? Is the problem with the circuit the area that I extended the wiring? If so, do you think one of the wires is loose or one of the wires is touching something else?

should capped wires remain in the metal receptacle at all times? Is this a fire regulation where you live?

[Daledo]

I gather that you have made your splice in the ceiling and drywalled over it. That is not proper trade practice no matter where you are from. I agree that the best thing you could do would be to call an electrical contractor in your area. If your house is only 3 months old, I'm sure there will be one you could reach. I think I know what the problem is with your breaker, but a qualified electrician would be able to assess the situation better and repair the work you've done as well. I've been an electrician for 20 years, and have done a majority of service work. The mambers on this site are very experienced with the code and are knowledgeable in all aspects of the electrical trade. We've all spent years learning, and perfectin our trade. That is why someone with qualifications should be doing the work for you. Do the right thing, man. Call a contractor. It may cost a bit more, but will be worth it in the end. At least it will be done properly.

[M,ADDOG]

Short somewhere.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ June 20, 2005 10:00 PM: Message edited by: hdghsparky ]</font>