Kirchhoffs Law with 3 Voltage Sources

kirchhoffs-lawsresistorsvoltage divider

So I thought I knew what I was doing but, this 3rd voltage source is totally throwing me off. Any explanation is very much welcome.

schematic

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab

So I have

I1 = I2 + I3 ——————- (1)

-I1(3) – 30 – I1(2) = 0 ——– (2)

-I2(4) – 10 – I2(5) + 30 = 0 — (3)

Solve for I1 in (2), we get:
-(5)I1 – 30 = 0
I1 = -6

Sub I1 = – 6 into (1) and then that into (3)

(I2 + 6)(4) – 10 + (I2 + 6)(5) + 30
(9)I2 + 74 = 0
I2 = – 8.2

Therefore I1 = -(-8.2) – 6 = 2.2

Does this look right? I want to be able to double check my answer using power but am unsure what voltage to use for each resistor. Any help/explanation is greatly appreciated.

Best Answer

You should try something different, using meshes. I'll do the one on the left.

$$ +20-3I_l-30-3I_l=0 \implies I_l = -\frac{5}{3}\ A $$

On a side note, this problem could be easily solved with superposition. If you know about it, then you might want to give it a shot.