Dead short solved - long
When I opened the bedroom slide, the power to the washer/dryer would pop the circuit, and last winter we finally resorted to an extension cord for the washer and left the circuit off. So today was time to find the short.
The washer drains through the plumbing under the bedroom which also slides out. After emptying the storage area, removing the back panel, I could see the plumbing, wiring, and drive system for the slide.
I removed and checked the outlet (which I had to install as the hot wire was just inside the wall when we bought it), traced the wiring to the box under the bed, and saw the wire which could slide back and forth under the slide, from one metal box to another. Eureka, the wood piece screwed in to stabilize the drain hose into a flex hose was put in with long screws that caught the electric wires, pinning them between the screw and carpet. With time they managed to split the wire, causing a short... albeit inconsistent since the cable would move from screw to space as the slide was moved in and out.
The short also caused the wire inside the box to split and arc to both the ground and the box. Lucky there wasn't a fire.
So, off to get a whole piece of wire tomorrow, and developing a method to keep the wire away from the screwed bracket... If I could get at the screws I'd replace them with something shorter.
So if any of you have the same problem, this might give you a clue as to a solution.
The washer drains through the plumbing under the bedroom which also slides out. After emptying the storage area, removing the back panel, I could see the plumbing, wiring, and drive system for the slide.
I removed and checked the outlet (which I had to install as the hot wire was just inside the wall when we bought it), traced the wiring to the box under the bed, and saw the wire which could slide back and forth under the slide, from one metal box to another. Eureka, the wood piece screwed in to stabilize the drain hose into a flex hose was put in with long screws that caught the electric wires, pinning them between the screw and carpet. With time they managed to split the wire, causing a short... albeit inconsistent since the cable would move from screw to space as the slide was moved in and out.
The short also caused the wire inside the box to split and arc to both the ground and the box. Lucky there wasn't a fire.
So, off to get a whole piece of wire tomorrow, and developing a method to keep the wire away from the screwed bracket... If I could get at the screws I'd replace them with something shorter.
So if any of you have the same problem, this might give you a clue as to a solution.
