We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.
It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 14:30:09 -0700, wrote:

We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.
It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?

Is this a GFCI receptacle? Mine are reset from a GFCI located in the
garage.


--
Oren

"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."

On Jul 22, 5:30 pm, wrote:
We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.
It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?

- It registers that it has power

What does this mean?

There are any number of possibilities. Do all the other outlets in the
kitchen work now? How old is the house or at least the kitchen wiring? Do
any of the kitchen outlets have GFCI protection? It could be a tripped GFCI
or it's possible that you have an open neutral. If it's an open neutral,
you'll likely find the loose connection in an adjacent "working" outlet



wrote in message
oups.com...
We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.
It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?

If there is a GFI and it does not test out correctly when you hit the test
and reset buttons, turn off power to that circuit and replace it. GFI's
sometimes go bad.


wrote in message
oups.com...
We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.
It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?

wrote:

We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.
It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?



You've got a "loose disconnection" somewhere in the circuit feeding that
outlet, possibly at an outlet upstream from it, particularly if "back
stabbed" connections were used.

As you seem to think there's "power" registered there, the poor
connection is probably on the neutral conductor.

Good hunting!

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 14:30:09 -0700, wrote:

We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.

Have you checked the voltage WITH the load connected?

It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?

Loose connection on an old outlet? The hot wire is close enough to
induce 120V when the circuit is very lightly loaded, but connecting
any significant load makes it go to 0.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent
force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov

On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 14:30:09 -0700, wrote:

We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.

I'm putting my hands on the monitor. I can feel the power. Amen!!

But seriously, how does it register this power for you? Why do you
say it has power?

If it had power, it would run things, so what do you mean?


It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?

On or about Sun, 22 Jul 2007 14:30:09 -0700 did
dribble thusly:

We have an outlet that we think we blew this afternoon plugging a
drill into it the power turned off. When we tried to reset the
breaker box everything turned back on but that outlet. We changed the
outlet. It registers that it has power, but it won't run anything.
It is like it does not have enough juice to run something. What
causes the power to decrease in an outlet to where it is there, but
now running?

I had similar symptoms with an outlet a while back - it would register
120V with a meter, but turning on the light fixture on the same
circuit didn't work.

The cause was a loose neutral wire in the breaker box. It was resting
against the other wire sharing it's hole on the neutral bar, so each
time load was applied, the wire melted a bit. After trimming,
stripping, and re-tightening, the circuit was fine.

Since you're looking at a single non-functioning outlet, as opposed to
an entire circuit, I'd guess that outlet is the end of the run, and
one of the wires leading to it (from another outlet, fixture, or
whatever) is loose at the other end from the non-working outlet.
--
- Mike

Ignore the Python in me to send e-mail.