Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!

"Aaron Fude" wrote in message
...
Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!


Open up that outlet and see what is going on. Maybe a loose connection.

"Aaron Fude" wrote in message
...
Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!

If the flash, pop, spark, etc. occurred right there while you were plugging
something in, the open circuit should be in that box

On Feb 19, 7:08�am, "RBM" wrote:
"Aaron Fude" wrote in message

...

Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!

If the flash, pop, spark, etc. occurred right there while you were plugging
something in, the open circuit should be in that box

yeah and DONT use a digital meter, that 3 volts isnt real

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 02:08:12 -0800 (PST), Aaron Fude
wrote:

Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!

Check: loose connection, broken wire, GFCI, bad circuit breaker, wall
switch, improper wiring.

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:58:57 -0500, Phisherman wrote:
On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 02:08:12 -0800 (PST), Aaron Fude
wrote:

Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!

Check: loose connection, broken wire, GFCI, bad circuit breaker, wall
switch, improper wiring.

Outlets are frequently daisy-chained. Start from the circuit breaker and
check each outlet till you get to the last live one. Check the wiring leading
to the dead outlet.

Flip the breaker off to see which outlets are on the circuit.

Aaron Fude wrote:
Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!

The outlet is likely fried.

I've experienced several of these. The outlets are connected via stab-in
connectors. The current draw is just too great for the minimal contact, the
socket heats up, partially melts, distorts, rusts, barnacles develop, and
god-knows-what, such that the next time you plug in an electric clock, the
whole thing goes BOOM!.

The fix is simple. Replace the outlet. Might as well get a good one and
don't use the stab-in connections.

Hi,

Thanks for responses.

Actually, it's not just the outlet - it's the entire circuit. I've
just replaced the outlet, but it didn't fix anything. Also, it's the
last outlet on the circuit. Could the event have broken a connection
somewhere else or killed the circuit breaker (although I think I've
tested that).

Thanks!

"Aaron Fude" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Thanks for responses.

Actually, it's not just the outlet - it's the entire circuit. I've
just replaced the outlet, but it didn't fix anything. Also, it's the
last outlet on the circuit. Could the event have broken a connection
somewhere else or killed the circuit breaker (although I think I've
tested that).


Quite possibly. Now you need to look at every outlet and switch on that
circuit. Start with the ones close to the circuit breaker. You should also
check the hot AND neutral connections in the circuit breaker panel.

"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...

"Aaron Fude" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Thanks for responses.

Actually, it's not just the outlet - it's the entire circuit. I've
just replaced the outlet, but it didn't fix anything. Also, it's the
last outlet on the circuit. Could the event have broken a connection
somewhere else or killed the circuit breaker (although I think I've
tested that).


Quite possibly. Now you need to look at every outlet and switch on that
circuit. Start with the ones close to the circuit breaker. You should
also check the hot AND neutral connections in the circuit breaker panel.

Ditto, you said you checked the circuit breakers, but didn't say how. Open
the box and check with a test lamp, each breaker terminal to ground

Aaron Fude wrote:
Hi,

Thanks for responses.

Actually, it's not just the outlet - it's the entire circuit. I've
just replaced the outlet, but it didn't fix anything. Also, it's the
last outlet on the circuit. Could the event have broken a connection
somewhere else or killed the circuit breaker (although I think I've
tested that).


The outlet you replaced was blown all to hell, right? Black. Necrotic.
Melted. Covered with barnacles.

It's possible that the excessive current draw that fried this outlet put a
strain on some upstream outlet(s) and similarily caused them to fail. Sort
of a poor-man's GFCI.

John Grabowski wrote:

"Aaron Fude" wrote in message
...
Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!


Open up that outlet and see what is going on. Maybe a loose connection.
No, replace that outlet with a new one. Visible arcing is enough
evidence to never trust the outlet again. Outlets are cheap, and no
point opening it up twice.

My Blue-Sky hunch- the outlet is worn out, and something arced
internally, or outlet was loose in box, and the hot screw got too close
to the grounded box. As to the three volts- was that a modern cheapo
electronic detector and VOM, perchance? It can pick phantom voltages
real easy. Does the new breaker trip immediately when switched on? Are
other outlets in the string, especially further downstream, still hot?
If breaker trips, it is a short, if upstream outlets are still hot, it
is an open connection. If there is a GFCI on the circuit, reset it.
(Those can trip without tripping breaker.) Even if you don't think there
is one on the string, just go reset every GFCI in the house- sometimes
electricians run strings in bizarre ways for reasons that made sense to
them, but are not obvious years later. (My outside deck outlet is hung
off a bathroom GFCI 40 feet away...)

But I'm not a qualified electrician, so what do I know? The Real
Electricians of the group will be along shortly.

aem sends...

A bad outlet, a popped breaker, and the use of a digital meter where an
analog one is warranted.

s

"Aaron Fude" wrote in message
...
Hi,

One of the circuit in my house has all of a sudden died. It happened
when I was trying to plug in a (working) device in the outlet, and
something in the outlet popped with a bright spark. Now the circuit is
down, except when I use a voltage detector it beeps and when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V. I don't think it's the circuit breaker
because I swapped it out and it didn't affect anything. What could
this be?

Many thanks in advance!

On Feb 19, 5:18 pm, "S. Barker" wrote:
when I use a
meter it shows a voltage of 3V.

Don't trust that. Digital meters pick up on the natural tendency of
wires to become antennas.
Antennas form a voltage from EM radiation passing over them.
Shut the brakers and replace the switch!

On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:39:49 -0500, "Jimmie D"
wrote:


"RBM" wrote in message
...

"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...

"Aaron Fude" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Thanks for responses.

Actually, it's not just the outlet - it's the entire circuit. I've
just replaced the outlet, but it didn't fix anything. Also, it's the
last outlet on the circuit. Could the event have broken a connection
somewhere else or killed the circuit breaker (although I think I've
tested that).


Quite possibly. Now you need to look at every outlet and switch on that
circuit. Start with the ones close to the circuit breaker. You should
also check the hot AND neutral connections in the circuit breaker panel.

Ditto, you said you checked the circuit breakers, but didn't say how. Open
the box and check with a test lamp, each breaker terminal to ground




Make sure you have really checked all the outlets. I had a similar problem
with all the outlets in one bedroom. Fuse box was labeled for that bedroom.
It also went to one outlet in the living room on an adjoining wall. My wife
found this while I was scratching my err head when she plugged in the vaccum
in there and found it didnt work either. It was then I noticed there was no
livingroom on the breaker panel. every outlet there was shared from some
other room in the house.

Check outlets on adjoining walls.

Jimmie



And consider better fusebox labeling.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

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

On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:51:37 -0600, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

And consider better fusebox labeling.

Better advice never given, and I continue to follow it to this day as
I track down which circuits serve which outlets, etc.