DIYbanter - View Single Post - Outlets went out but no breaker is tripped

mm

On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:08:45 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 9 Jul 2009 06:37:40 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Jul 7, 12:29*pm, wrote:
On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 09:02:50 -0700 (PDT), WhiteTea

wrote:
On Jul 7, 10:23*am, wrote:
On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 08:21:12 -0700 (PDT), WhiteTea

wrote:
On Jul 7, 9:41*am, LouB wrote:
WhiteTea wrote:
On Jul 7, 8:16 am, "Colbyt" wrote:
"WhiteTea" wrote in message

...

I have some outlets and a light switch that have stopped working in
one room.
None of the breakers are tripped.
All I can think of is to shut off and then back on one breaker at a
time to isolate which one controls the non-functioning outlets and
switch.
Any feedback appreciated.
Andy
I agree with that attempt. *Sometimes, not often, a breaker will trip and
fail to show it fully.

Checking every GFIC in the house is also a good thing to do because this
portion of the circuit might be after a GFIC that has tripped.

If neither of those solve the problem then you have to trace the circuit
looking for a loose connection.

Colbyt

I couldn't find any tripped GFCIs.

I recall having problems with a GFCI when I had a mobile home.
It kept tripping for no reason.

This is going to be fun.

Are you sure the outlet is dead? *Maybe what is plugged into the outlet
is sick.

I used a voltmeter.

I just found that 2 GFCIs had tripped, resetting got all the outlets
going.

I would like to know why they tripped.

As far as I can tell, the load at the time it tripped was 5.8 amps for
a frig and a small amount for a fish tank pump and light.

Andy

The refrigerator should NOT be on a circuit with a GFCI.

Your fishtank is a likely cause of the GFCI tripping.

See previous post.

I plugged the fish tank pump back into the same circuit.
Maybe with the fridge on a separate line, the pump won't trip.

If it was my house, I would have one dedicated wire and breaker just
for the garage outlets.

We'll see what happens.

Andy

Generally speaking, you don't want anything with a motor on a GFCI. I
don't think the fishtank pump motor is big enough to matter, though.
The reason I suspect the fishtank for tripping the GFCI is the
abundance of water and humidity involved. If the light fixture gets
even slightly damp, it could trip the GFCI.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

FWIW, I ran 2 fishtanks on separate GFCI's for years without a single
trip.

The tanks were in the kid's rooms. I assumed that if code calls for
GFCI's near any water (sink, shower, garage) then a light fixture in a
flimsy plastic housing hovering over 20 gallons of water would
certainly warrant protection, especially when kids are involved.

Obviously, GFCI's, like fuses, shuld never trip unless there is a
reason. Regardless of your very small sample group, fishtanks are
frequently a cause of GFCI's tripping, for obvious reasons. Because of
that potential, they should always be on a GFCI protected circuit.

Hmmm. Won't that likely kill tropical fish if the breaker trips and
isn't noticed soon? Especially if you are saying that they trip
frequently.

My Oscar broke his heater, which was encased in a big glass test tube,
and, I believe, died of the cold. I'd had him for a couple years.

Isn't there a better way to protect whatever is being protected, like
an isolation transformer big enough to power the pump and the heater
and the light but no bigger? Or some other method?