By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
anonymous
Q: Problem with circuit breakers - who to turn to?
The circuit breakers in my apartment have a problem at the moment, and every time I try to turn them on (or turn any electric appliance on), the breakers trip and the electricity automatically goes off.
There's a janitor here who took a look and said I had to buy a new circuit breaker, that one of the cables was burnt, and then he just left.
My landlord lives in another province. All this leads me to two questions:
1. Shouldn't the landlord pay for this?
2. Where on earth can I find new circuit breakers??
Technically yes, your landlord should pay. Contact him by phone or email and explain situation, and tell him you are willing to find someone to fix it, provided he will reimburse you (you will need to have receipts of everything.
Most building complexes have an Admin Office somewhere within the complex. There, they will have all sort of handymen available. Explain your problem to them, and they will send you the correct guy to see what the problem is, buy the parts, and replac them. In my building the flat charge is 30 Rmb per service call, no matter what is done. I give them money, they buy parts needed, so end of problem. BUT REMEMBER RECEIPTS.
You will find circuit breakers at any neighborhood hardware store, but you will need to tell them the rating of the one you want.
I would not advise you to replace the breaker, unless you really know what you are doing. But if you knew, you would not ask the question. You are dealing with 220 volts, and true, 50 cycles will not kill you as 60 will, but still it could be quite a shock. Circuits breakers are easy to replace, just pop them out of holder, loosen up two screws, remove wires to them, and take new breaker, insert wires to each end, tighten screws holding wires in place and pop breaker back in. Probably you will have a 15 to 20 amps breaker
I had the same problem a few months ago but as Expat said,the flats will have handyman who should fix it easily mine cost 50 rmb including new breaker
If the cable was burnt, do you mean the entire cable, thats a short and all wire may need to be replaced, if the wire at the end is just kinds black on the copper, then maybe the terminal was not tight enough and the electricity has been arching (jumping).This will trip a breaker too.
I think your landlord need pay it. but you mean he live at another province. the breaker very cheap. you can buy it in any hardware store.just 15-20RMB. pls choice a famous brand name. its for safe. and pay 20 RMB let shopkeeper fix it. enough.
I'm a electrical engineer work for a Aus company sourcing this product. so i can tell you why this breaker easy broken.
1,maybe too old, 30%
2,cables was burnt: its means you used a high-power equeipment,70%
sorry my english is not good. hope it can help U.
