"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Apr 7, 8:27 am, wrote:
On Apr 7, 6:05 am, "RBM" wrote:





wrote in message

...

On Apr 6, 9:38 pm, "RBM" wrote:
wrote in message

...

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

First you want to determine if the hot leg is dead, or the neutral,
or
both.
If both legs are dead, I'd be looking for a GFCI device upstream of
all
the
dead stuff. If not, assuming you have determined which breaker
controls
the
string, and it's good, you need to find anything live on that
circuit,
and
check for loose, possibly back stabbed connections there. I would
probably
pay most attention to outside outlets that are dead, as the hostile
environment lends itself to corrupting connections

Actually, it's funny you mention that. I only recently discovered the
front, outdoor a/c outlet, but I actually did replace the a/c outlet
in the back of my house. I only recently moved here, so I hadn't
noticed the one out front previously. The wires on the back one indeed
looked worn by the elements, however, there was no power there either.
I was surprised, because, from what I can tell, that outlet would be
the first one in the circuit that I'm having problems with, at least,
the conduit traces very near to it, and the next outlets are somewhat
farther away.

I still need to check the a/c outlet in the front of the house, but as
I mentioned, I'm pretty sure that, that isn't the first one in the
chain, because of where the conduit goes.

I'm thinking that I might just have an electrician come out and look
at it, even though I'm sure it's going to cost me an arm and a leg.
Having my garage door stuck open is kind of a problem.

Thanks,

Trevor

I'm curious as to how you have determined which breaker controls this
"dead"
circuit. You can't test breakers with a proximity tester as there is too
much electrical field inside the panel, it'll always show "live". At the
very least I would switch off and back on, all circuits in the panel, to
reset them

I determined the dead circuit based on both the labeling on the inside
of the breaker panel, and also, before it died, I switched it back on
once, and it worked. I am using a Greenlee GT-11 proximity tester, and
to verify that the dead breaker is indeed hot, I disabled the other
breakers around it, left the one live, and tested it. Even so, the
proximity tester usually has to be pretty close to a specific wire to
verify that it's hot, but just to make sure, I did disable the other
ones near it.

1. Do you think it's worth just replacing the breaker anyway, to see
if it clears up anything? It sounds like a good idea to switch off/on
all the other breakers .... I hadn't thought of that.

---

2. Can I replace the GFI outlet in the 1st floor bathroom with a
standard outlet (which I actually have on hand), for the sake of
troubleshooting? If so, how would I go about doing that? The GFI
outlet has two hots (black), and two grounds (white), so could I
attach these the same way to a standard outlet (would I need to break
the tab, or anything?)?

---

BTW, I did remove the breaker panel to test the breakers, and also so
I could trace the bad line up to its respective conduit. Are there
some specific safety steps you wanted to provide? I'm all for them,
since I'm personally rather scared of electricity. By the way, I've
taken this opportunity to replace some old a/c outlets, and none of
the ones I've worked on so far have been hot, with the breaker on. The
only other areas I have to test for being hot are the front-outdoor
outlet, and a couple switches in the garage.

Thanks,

Trevor- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

" By the way, I've taken this opportunity to replace some old a/c
outlets, and none of the ones I've worked on so far have been hot,
with the breaker on."

Please don't tell us that this means you've been replacing outlets
with the breaker on, even if the oulet read dead when you started the
work. Since you don't know what's casuing the problem, you don't know
what could make it go away.

A loose connection in a junction box could re-connect with something
as simple as someone walking across the living room floor.

Besides, it rarely makes sense to make changes to a problem situation
before you know what the problem is. This is a general statement, not
just related to electricity. Making changes while troubleshooting a
problem introduces variables that may mask the original problem or
make the tracing of steps more difficult - especially if you are going
to turn this over to someone else - like an electrician. Now you've
got to tell him everything you changed from the original setup which
just makes the whole situation more confusing

I agree completely, You have an obvious open circuit, which can just as
easily close and become energized, so caution should be taken. Also, why
potentially complicate the existing problem by making more changes? First
find and correct the problem, then move on. There are times when I have to
replace all the outlets and switches in a house, and even though I am a
"professional" and do this for a living, and have for over 35 years, I do it
room by room, killing the power then turning back on and testing. If you
take too big a bite, and something goes wrong, it just takes that much more
time to find it