On 1/12/2013 5:50 PM, Meanie wrote:
Approximately 3 days ago, I noticed a few quick power bumps whenever I
would turn on a light switch or my cable box or my computer, which are
all on the same circuit. Everything on that circuit would shut down
and start up instantly. Today, it did it again when the wife turned on
the bathroom light (same circuit). Therefore, thinking it may be a
loose breaker, I turned off then back on the breaker. Upon restarting
my computer, the entire power within that circuit went out and this
time, never came back on.

I tested the breaker which indicated good. I removed the breaker feed,
turned the breaker on and read 120v. Therefore, I assume the problem
is elsewhere in the field. I ensured all neutral connections were
secured. I reconnected the breaker feed and turned on the breaker and
still no power. The good part is, it's designated to one circuit and
not the entire house. The bad news is my router and modem are on that
circuit, but I am running an extension cord to another outlet.

Any suggestions what the problem could be? My guess is a wire, but
uncertain and where.

Thanks
OK, you have an open somewhere on that circuit. The first thing I would
do, is determine if it's the hot leg or the neutral that's open. The
second thing I would do, is determine if all of the outlets on that
circuit are dead, when the breaker is on. If some outlets remain live, I
would try to determine the wiring sequence and look for the open circuit
at the last live outlet in the chain, or the first dead outlet on the
chain. Sometimes you can locate the location of the loose connection by
plugging in a test light bulb, into one of the dead outlets, then tap on
all the other outlets, and switches on that circuit. If you whack one,
and it causes the light to flicker, look for your loose connection
there. Don't overlook outdoor outlets, that may be on that circuit as well.