On Apr 7, 6:20 pm, Terry wrote:
On Mon, 7 Apr 2008 05:27:55 -0700 (PDT), 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

Swap a known working breaker with the suspect one.

Changing the GFI shouldn't be necessary. Your tester will tell you if
the wires in the box are hot. You can replace the receptacle for the
test, but you need a GFI there when you are done. One the GFI there
are "line" terminals and "load" terminals. I would put a piece of
black tape on "line" piece of Romex. A piece of tape on the black and
white. If you change it to a standard receptacle all the blacks go on
one side and all the whites go on the other. The darker color screws
is for the black wires.

I think the tester you are using is a good choice. All you need to
know at this point is....is it hot.

When you are tracing the wire inside the panel make sure the white
wire is tight at the bus bar.

Maybe you will have access to the attic and will be able to visually
find the first box in the run.

Alright, so I swapped two breaker lines with each other, and the
problem still prevails. I think that it must be a wiring issue
somewhere, but I still can't find the first item in the grouping. I
know that the line going out from the breaker is hot.

I tested the garage switches, and outlets, and they area all dead too.

A co-worker of mine has a son-in-law who's an electrician in my area.
I think I'm going to just have him come out and look at it. I assume
it would be safest to disable the breaker for the bad circuit at this
point?

You guys have all been very helpful. Thank you so much.

Thanks,

Trevor