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The basics, the tools and how to troubleshoot

Mobile Home electrical systems are designed to the same code and use the same parts as a site built home. Information about how the wires are placed during the manufacturing process can be found in the At the Factory section.

You may find this helpful in locating wires and troubleshooting problems becausethe fundamental strategy in finding and fixing electrical problem is to find a place where there is no problem and then keep splitting the distance between that point and the problem point. That is the approach taken on the links from this page but it won't work if you are unable to visualize how the wiring is laid out in your home.

Before you begin working on any electrical problems you might want to check the electrical tools section to see what kind of tools are available to make the job easier and to protect yourself.

Start your electrical troubleshooting here:

When working with any electrical problem, maximize your safety by taking simple precautions. Turn off breakers to any area in which you are working. Use an outlet tester to verify that the power is indeed off before touching wires. Electrical repairs are more fun during the day. Trying to squeeze in an electrical repair in the late afternoon can make for a long evening of juggling flashlights, extension cords, ladders and tools. Waiting 18 hours to start the next morning is probably a good idea.

Especially when installing a switch, make sure it is on the proper conductor. You do not want to install a light fixture with a switch on the neutral wire. If you're lucky, when you switch the breaker on, it will trip and scare you. Replacing existing parts is generally straightforward - put things back the way you found them and you should be ok. Adding new equipment can be more challenging. Be particularly cautious with any wires that are not white, grey or green. In one home with some very strange electrical work (probably done by a previous owner and not an electrician), I had the nasty surprise of finding cut (but not capped) black and red wires. I think they were intended for a hot tub installation. I probed them and found that they were indeed live at 220 volts. Yikes!

If you have questions on this topic, at least visit a book store and buy (or read and memorize) the NEC guide for residential wiring. An electrician may cost you some money, but a 'cheap' repair could cost you your home and/or life.