u/BiggestPossible

I have a tripped breaker. It is an Eaton Cutler-Hammer BR115AF. It powers both the lights and outlets in 2 bedrooms.

With no load, I can flip the breaker back on. As soon as I turn on a ceiling light, the breaker flips.

If I flip the breaker on and then plug in a dimmable lamp, the lamp works up until about 70% brightness, at which point the load becomes too much and the breaker flips again.

I'm 95% sure the problem is from a nail puncturing the wiring somewhere in the walls. The house has 2x4 framing. I have been nailing 4' x 8' siding panels.

I unhooked the wires from the breaker and attached a toner to the wires, with the intent of going outside and using the locating wand to find whichever nail had a beep. Here's the kicker, the house has a foam sheathing underneath the siding that has a conductive foil lining and so every nail is now essentially connected to each other and so every nail beeps.

I'm at a loss as to how to find the problem nail now, short of tearing out drywall and manually searching for a punctured wire. Any input is appreciated.

Edit: To be clear, the breaker is an arc fault if that changes anybody's advice. I did attempt to turn on the dimmable lamp under low load to, in theory, heat up the nail enough to show up with thermal imaging, but every nail shows up the same.

https://preview.redd.it/5agzmeglxlbh1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=853ecb0202ab9d0afc86899db45fe66d9660adea

Interestingly enough (or not) the breaker did trip again after being on a significant amount of time with the dimmable lamp on its lowest setting, well below the usual 70% threshold that causes the breaker to flip immediately. That behavior doesn't make sense to me.

Hey everyone, looking for some building science advice on a re-siding project. I’m located in Climate Zone 6 (Montana), so managing extreme cold and winter condensation is a top priority.

The house is 2x4 framing with interior vapor barrier and fiberglass insulation in the bays, and 3/4" foil-faced EPS board on the exterior of the studs with no other sheathing.

I stripped the old siding off. The original EPS was riddled with punctures and huge gaps at the seams. I have since filled all the gaps with spray foam and taped over all seams/holes with flashing tape. I now have a solid, continuous exterior air barrier.

I'm worried about winter condensation hitting the cold back-side of that EPS and now that I've sealed all the gaps, it can no longer breathe.

To fix this, I am considering adding a layer of Rockwool Comfortboard 80 (either 1.5" or 2") over my taped foam to push the dew point safely outward, followed by a vertical furring strip rain screen.

I have already purchased LP SmartSide Panel Sheets. LP’s installation instructions say that panels must be fastened with nails penetrating at least 1.5" into structural framing.

If I use standard 3/4" furring strips over a 1.5" or 2" Rockwool sandwich, a standard 3.5" framing nail gun won't have the length to reach the original studs.

Is adding the Comfortboard the right call here to protect the wall assembly from moisture issues? If so, should I stick to 1.5" or push to 2"?

How would you handle fastening the LP Panels to meet warranty/structural code over this thick insulation stack?

Is there a better method I'm missing?

Appreciate any insights from the builders and building science folks here!

Pierced my home's wiring while re-siding the house and at a complete loss as to how to locate the problem nail.

Residing a house and considering adding more exterior insulation