Aftermath

I got all 11 of those beautiful kitties returned, after they recuperated from surgery.

There has been quite the clean up aftermath, given many of them were huge boys and I held some of them several days in the garage in cages, that now have to be cleaned and taken down.  More litter boxes to soak in disinfectant, carriers to clean, traps too, laundry.

In the middle of this, suddenly, my internet goes out.  But only because the outlet the router plugs into was not giving out power.  I figured it was just the outlet and faithfully replaced it.  Nothing!

I found the receptacle in the second bedroom, just through the wall from the one the router was plugged into didn't work either and neither did the bedroom light.  Shoot darn.

I replaced that outlet, which did not help.  The receptacle was fine.  but I don't have a current tester and since outlets are cheap and those two had not been replaced in many many years, I just replaced them, sure as sure can be one or the other was shorted even though I'd heard no pop or fizz, as I have before, when an outlet goes.

I found that the switch controlling the 2nd bedroom overhead light was cracked and wires were loose.  Aha! I thought.  I replaced the switch.  When I flipped it on, I was so sure everything would come to life.  Not!  At that point I gave up.  I'd by then replaced three outlet receptacles and one switch and taken down the overhead light to check the wires underneath it to be sure everything was connected and nothing loose.

I had switched all the breakers off and on too.  None had been tripped either.  So this is something small somewhere, some loose wire.

I called my brother who is very ill with a nasty cold.   I felt so bad bothering him and told him so.  he gave me advice, tips, said we'd get an electrician or he'd come up when he could if I couldn't find it.  I'll do everything I can to find the problem.  Today I'll figure out the circuits.  I don't know what is on what circuit here. I should have marked a long time ago.  I think color coding circuits might be good.  A dot of blue, for instance, at the breaker for one circuit, then that blue dot on everything that's on the circuit, like a blue dot in the corner of an outlet or switch plate.  You'd know then, be almost too easy.   There are so many outlets in this house and I barely use any of them.  I have not found another thing that doesn't work, however, and I have checked everything (I think), outside of the one overhead light and its switch, then the two outlet receptacles.  So, I think it myself, its going to be whatever is right before the first problem and its going to maybe not be that receptacle per se, but rather a loose wire behind it, carrying power out to  the next receptacle, the first in the string of dead ones? 

Well I talk like I know anything and I know nothing, but I watch youtube videos and I did a lot of that yesterday too.

I know exactly which two outlets I'm targeting as possible problems today, even though they work.   I don't know what else to do, and it never hurts to upgrade an outlet.  I replace now with weather resistant tamper proof duplex outlets.  I'm getting some new wire nuts too, because I noticed some, where wires are screwed together  behind switches or outlets, using that area as a junction box really, that they don't really fit into some of the nuts that were too small for so many wires.

What a lengthy boring post, eh?   Well, hang  on.  There is this......