RBM wrote:
I would try a different electrician. The cable going to this dead
outlet has to come from somewhere, and depending upon the location of
the dead outlet, such as outside or in a bathroom, it should give a
clue to where to look for the problem. It sounds like a loose
connection, but the devil is finding where



"nj_dilettante" wrote in message
...
I have a circuit which has no power even though the breaker is on. The
power stays off for several months, then suddenly goes back on. Several
months later, it suddenly goes off. I haven't noticed any
triggering events.

The electrician I've been using tells me its a ground fault and can
only be checked when the power is on. He goes from outlet to
outlet, fixture to fixture, testing but never seems to find
anything. I'm not even sure what he's testing! I've forked over a
ton of money to this guy and still have a problem.

Does this sound reasonable, or should I be looking for another
electrician? I wish I could re-wire, but it just isn't in the budget
right now!

--
nj_dilettante
in the words of the immortal Sgt Schultz:
~~ I know NOTH-THING ~~

It's not one outlet, it's an entire circuit which (unfortunately) services
PARTS of 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, the den, the upstairs hall, a couple of
basement lights and all of the finished attic. No GFCI on the circuit. My
house is a 200-year old monster which was re-wired - not by us - in the
1970's. I have 28 circuit breakers in the box, but almost half the house is
on this one damn line!

I really would like to know if "ground fault" is a reasonable diagnosis, and
if so, how one would go about finding the problem. I've found it difficult
to get an electrician in for this - all of them here in central NJ are too
busy with new construction to want to be bothered with a nasty problem in a
old house.