On Sun, 6 Apr 2008 20:16:19 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Apr 6, 11:04 pm, Terry wrote:
On Sun, 6 Apr 2008 19:24:46 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
On Apr 6, 10:16 pm, Terry wrote:
On Sun, 6 Apr 2008 18:46:24 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
On Apr 6, 8:06 pm, wrote:
This seems oblivious but if you haven't done this start he

1) With the breaker on, identify all dead outlet and switches. Check
every outlet, switch, appliance, junction box and light.

2) Turn breaker off, identify all dead outlet and switches. Check
ever outlet, switch, appliance, junction box and light.

3) Any device that is dead in step two and is live in step 1 needs to
be checked for problems.

4) If all the devices in step 3 check out then you either missed an
device or junction box or you have a wiring problem between two boxes
and it might be time to call a pro.

n Apr 6, 8:26 pm, wrote:

Hello guys,

I've got a dead circuit in my house. I tested the output of the
breaker, and it's fine. I have also done some research, which
indicates that a tripped GFI outlet could cause the problem, however,
I removed the GFI that's on the dead circuit, and there is no power
going to the GFI even. None of the lines, on that circuit, that I've
located in my house are hot.

Does anyone have some additional troubleshooting ideas?

Thanks,

Trevor

That sounds like some good advice. I haven't, as of yet, been able to
find any live outlets on this circuit. This circuit actually affects a
large number of things, including:

Basement lights
3 power outlets in the living room
1st floor bath - GFI outlet
1st floor bath - fan
1st floor bath - light
Front & Back outdoor a/c outlets
Garage door motor
Alarm system in garage

I still haven't checked a couple light switches though, so I'll have
to see about those.

Thanks,

Trevor

It is a pretty safe bet that the home run goes to the GFI outlet. All
the other devices are being protected by the GFI.

If the breaker is hot and no power at the GFI, it almost has to be the
wire going to the outlet. (This is very rare)

Make sure you look closely at the breaker and the wire leaving the
breaker at the panel. It could be a loose connection on the neutral.

If you do have a loose connection on the neutral you should still show
a hot connection at the GFI box. Tell us what kind of tester you are
using.

I am using a stand-alone, contactless voltage tester. It's pretty
accurate at telling whether or not there is voltage coming out of a
wire, and I haven't been able to find any live wires on that circuit.
As someone suggested, there's a good chance that the run is bad,
although I don't know what has caused it to fail at this point. I'm
actually pretty sure that the main run isn't going to the GFI, at
least as far as I can tell, because I traced it up from the breaker
panel, and it's going the opposite direction from the bathroom.

The only odd thing I've noticed so far, is that the GFI outlet's
"test" button doesn't operate, although I'm assuming that, that's
because it doesn't have a hot line?

Thanks,

Trevor

The tester you are using is a pretty good choice for what you are
doing.

Basement lights not GFI required
3 power outlets in the living room not GFI required
1st floor bath - GFI outlet
1st floor bath - fan not GFI required
1st floor bath - light not GFI required
Front & Back outdoor a/c outlets
Garage door motor not GFI required
Alarm system in garage not GFI required and
should not be

Terry,

Thank you for the follow up. I don't have GFI outlets on the exterior
a/c outlets. The home was built in 1982, so it's not exactly new, but
this circuit -was- working as of just a few hours ago. Leading up to
the circuit failure, the only thing I did was to switch off a couple
breakers to the first floor, because I was pulling off a ceiling
fixture in a coat closet, so I could paint around it safely. Later on,
after I switched the breakers back on, it started being problematic.
The funny thing is, the light fixture that I unscrewed (not fully
removed), still functions properly, and isn't on the same circuit as
the one I'm having trouble with. Due to the numerous devices on the
problem circuit, I'm guessing that I have a bad wire somewhere. Is it
possible that a loose wire on a lightswitch could cause this whole
problem, or would I still see some outlets working?

Thanks,

Trevor

I think the next step is to find the first box. If you don' think
everything has been GFI protected then try to figure out which box is
the one coming from the panel. It should be the one closest to the
panel.

If you can see from the attic, you may be alble to look and see which
is the first device from the panel.