Home electrical circuit dead
 

The electrical service to my house has a main panel with breaker
switches and a sub-panel in the garage with breaker switches for each
circuit in the house. One of the circuits has gone dead and I can use
some help diagnosing it before I break down and call an electrician.

The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

These are the circumstances leading up to this situation:

I was using a power washer (with another gfci built-in to the plug)
plugged in to the outdoor gfci outlet to wash my rear deck. While in
the middle of this task the power washer suddenly went dead and since
that time the electrical circuit is also dead. None of the breaker
switches in the main panel nor in the sub-panel were triggered.

I have toggled the breaker switches in the main panel and the sub-
panel. I have tried to reset both gfci's, (in the bathroom and the
outdoor electrical outlet) to no avail. Neither one will reset. I
have also replaced both gfci's and then tried to reset both of them.
Again, neither one will reset.

Can anyone help me deduce what might have occurred and/or suggest how
to fix this? I am suspicious that having two gfci's on the same
circuit may have something to do with this.

TIA

Luke

Home electrical circuit dead
 

Luke wrote:
The electrical service to my house has a main panel with breaker
switches and a sub-panel in the garage with breaker switches for each
circuit in the house. One of the circuits has gone dead and I can use
some help diagnosing it before I break down and call an electrician.

The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

These are the circumstances leading up to this situation:

I was using a power washer (with another gfci built-in to the plug)
plugged in to the outdoor gfci outlet to wash my rear deck. While in
the middle of this task the power washer suddenly went dead and since
that time the electrical circuit is also dead. None of the breaker
switches in the main panel nor in the sub-panel were triggered.

I have toggled the breaker switches in the main panel and the sub-
panel. I have tried to reset both gfci's, (in the bathroom and the
outdoor electrical outlet) to no avail. Neither one will reset. I
have also replaced both gfci's and then tried to reset both of them.
Again, neither one will reset.

Can anyone help me deduce what might have occurred and/or suggest how
to fix this? I am suspicious that having two gfci's on the same
circuit may have something to do with this.

TIA

Luke

Are you sure there's not a third GFCI somewhere?

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Home electrical circuit dead
 

Luke wrote in news:1aceb795-312a-4854-8621-
:

The electrical service to my house has a main panel with breaker
switches and a sub-panel in the garage with breaker switches for each
circuit in the house. One of the circuits has gone dead and I can use
some help diagnosing it before I break down and call an electrician.

The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

These are the circumstances leading up to this situation:

I was using a power washer (with another gfci built-in to the plug)
plugged in to the outdoor gfci outlet to wash my rear deck. While in
the middle of this task the power washer suddenly went dead and since
that time the electrical circuit is also dead. None of the breaker
switches in the main panel nor in the sub-panel were triggered.

I have toggled the breaker switches in the main panel and the sub-
panel. I have tried to reset both gfci's, (in the bathroom and the
outdoor electrical outlet) to no avail. Neither one will reset. I
have also replaced both gfci's and then tried to reset both of them.
Again, neither one will reset.

Can anyone help me deduce what might have occurred and/or suggest how
to fix this? I am suspicious that having two gfci's on the same
circuit may have something to do with this.

TIA

Luke


Highest probability is one of the outlets, including non GFCI, had a bad,
corroded, lose connection. Power draw while using arc'd it.

Below assumes there are no switched outlets.

Kill the power for the circut.
Remove an outlet from box on the circut. Don't disco wires. Just get
access to terminals.
Only a single black and white connected to it?
If so, this outlet not the cause.

Multiple black & whites to outlet?
If so, one cable is power in and the other power out.
Circut power on.
Check power going IN to the outlet
No power coming in either cable?
This outlet not the cause. Problem is upstream.
Power on both cables
This outlet not the cause. Problem is downstream.
Power coming in and none going out?
This outlet is bad.

Check all outlets on ckt. If you don't find one where power is only on
one side of outlet, then it's possible outlet(s) are wired through a
light fixture and problem is there.

Home electrical circuit dead
 

"Luke" wrote in message
...
The electrical service to my house has a main panel with breaker
switches and a sub-panel in the garage with breaker switches for each
circuit in the house. One of the circuits has gone dead and I can use
some help diagnosing it before I break down and call an electrician.

The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

These are the circumstances leading up to this situation:

I was using a power washer (with another gfci built-in to the plug)
plugged in to the outdoor gfci outlet to wash my rear deck. While in
the middle of this task the power washer suddenly went dead and since
that time the electrical circuit is also dead. None of the breaker
switches in the main panel nor in the sub-panel were triggered.

I have toggled the breaker switches in the main panel and the sub-
panel. I have tried to reset both gfci's, (in the bathroom and the
outdoor electrical outlet) to no avail. Neither one will reset. I
have also replaced both gfci's and then tried to reset both of them.
Again, neither one will reset.

Can anyone help me deduce what might have occurred and/or suggest how
to fix this? I am suspicious that having two gfci's on the same
circuit may have something to do with this.

TIA

Luke

Clearly an open circuit. The slightly peculiar thing is that you have an
outside GFCI outlet and a bathroom GFCI outlet on the same circuit, but
protected individually. If these two GFCI outlets were wired with
connections in the "load" terminals, I would go with CJT's suggestion and
look for a third GFCI device, possibly in the garage, or basement, that is
protecting the entire circuit

Home electrical circuit dead
 

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Luke" wrote in message
...
The electrical service to my house has a main panel with breaker
switches and a sub-panel in the garage with breaker switches for each
circuit in the house. One of the circuits has gone dead and I can use
some help diagnosing it before I break down and call an electrician.

The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

These are the circumstances leading up to this situation:

I was using a power washer (with another gfci built-in to the plug)
plugged in to the outdoor gfci outlet to wash my rear deck. While in
the middle of this task the power washer suddenly went dead and since
that time the electrical circuit is also dead. None of the breaker
switches in the main panel nor in the sub-panel were triggered.

I have toggled the breaker switches in the main panel and the sub-
panel. I have tried to reset both gfci's, (in the bathroom and the
outdoor electrical outlet) to no avail. Neither one will reset. I
have also replaced both gfci's and then tried to reset both of them.
Again, neither one will reset.

Can anyone help me deduce what might have occurred and/or suggest how
to fix this? I am suspicious that having two gfci's on the same
circuit may have something to do with this.

TIA

Luke

Clearly an open circuit. The slightly peculiar thing is that you have an
outside GFCI outlet and a bathroom GFCI outlet on the same circuit, but
protected individually. If these two GFCI outlets were wired with
connections in the "load" terminals, I would go with CJT's suggestion and
look for a third GFCI device, possibly in the garage, or basement, that is
protecting the entire circuit

Not so clearly an open circuit. An open circuit would not prevent the GFCIs
from resetting.

Charlie

Home electrical circuit dead
 

Charlie wrote:
"RBM" wrote in message
...
"Luke" wrote in message
...
The electrical service to my house has a main panel with breaker
switches and a sub-panel in the garage with breaker switches for each
circuit in the house. One of the circuits has gone dead and I can use
some help diagnosing it before I break down and call an electrician.

The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

These are the circumstances leading up to this situation:

I was using a power washer (with another gfci built-in to the plug)
plugged in to the outdoor gfci outlet to wash my rear deck. While in
the middle of this task the power washer suddenly went dead and since
that time the electrical circuit is also dead. None of the breaker
switches in the main panel nor in the sub-panel were triggered.

I have toggled the breaker switches in the main panel and the sub-
panel. I have tried to reset both gfci's, (in the bathroom and the
outdoor electrical outlet) to no avail. Neither one will reset. I
have also replaced both gfci's and then tried to reset both of them.
Again, neither one will reset.

Can anyone help me deduce what might have occurred and/or suggest how
to fix this? I am suspicious that having two gfci's on the same
circuit may have something to do with this.

TIA

Luke
Clearly an open circuit. The slightly peculiar thing is that you have an
outside GFCI outlet and a bathroom GFCI outlet on the same circuit, but
protected individually. If these two GFCI outlets were wired with
connections in the "load" terminals, I would go with CJT's suggestion and
look for a third GFCI device, possibly in the garage, or basement, that is
protecting the entire circuit

Not so clearly an open circuit. An open circuit would not prevent the GFCIs
from resetting.

Charlie



Depending on the GFCI it might. ISTR that the new Leviton "smart lock"
ones will not reset until power is restored, and those are the ones
likely to be found at your local Big Box.

nate

Home electrical circuit dead
 

"Charlie" wrote in message
...

"RBM" wrote in message
...

"Luke" wrote in message
...
The electrical service to my house has a main panel with breaker
switches and a sub-panel in the garage with breaker switches for each
circuit in the house. One of the circuits has gone dead and I can use
some help diagnosing it before I break down and call an electrician.

The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

These are the circumstances leading up to this situation:

I was using a power washer (with another gfci built-in to the plug)
plugged in to the outdoor gfci outlet to wash my rear deck. While in
the middle of this task the power washer suddenly went dead and since
that time the electrical circuit is also dead. None of the breaker
switches in the main panel nor in the sub-panel were triggered.

I have toggled the breaker switches in the main panel and the sub-
panel. I have tried to reset both gfci's, (in the bathroom and the
outdoor electrical outlet) to no avail. Neither one will reset. I
have also replaced both gfci's and then tried to reset both of them.
Again, neither one will reset.

Can anyone help me deduce what might have occurred and/or suggest how
to fix this? I am suspicious that having two gfci's on the same
circuit may have something to do with this.

TIA

Luke

Clearly an open circuit. The slightly peculiar thing is that you have an
outside GFCI outlet and a bathroom GFCI outlet on the same circuit, but
protected individually. If these two GFCI outlets were wired with
connections in the "load" terminals, I would go with CJT's suggestion and
look for a third GFCI device, possibly in the garage, or basement, that
is protecting the entire circuit

Not so clearly an open circuit. An open circuit would not prevent the
GFCIs from resetting.

Charlie

All the newer GFCI outlets will lock out the reset button if there is no
power, but my assumption was that the OP meant , restore electricity, when
he said, "reset"

Home electrical circuit dead
 

"Blattus Slafaly" wrote in message
...
Luke wrote:
The electrical service to my house has a main panel with breaker
switches and a sub-panel in the garage with breaker switches for each
circuit in the house. One of the circuits has gone dead and I can use
some help diagnosing it before I break down and call an electrician.

The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

These are the circumstances leading up to this situation:

I was using a power washer (with another gfci built-in to the plug)
plugged in to the outdoor gfci outlet to wash my rear deck. While in
the middle of this task the power washer suddenly went dead and since
that time the electrical circuit is also dead. None of the breaker
switches in the main panel nor in the sub-panel were triggered.

I have toggled the breaker switches in the main panel and the sub-
panel. I have tried to reset both gfci's, (in the bathroom and the
outdoor electrical outlet) to no avail. Neither one will reset. I
have also replaced both gfci's and then tried to reset both of them.
Again, neither one will reset.

Can anyone help me deduce what might have occurred and/or suggest how
to fix this? I am suspicious that having two gfci's on the same
circuit may have something to do with this.

TIA

Luke

Change all your GFCI's to standard outlets. Nothing ****es me off more
than playing hunt and seek to find the blown GFCI. Breakers belong in
the damn panel where you can find them, not all over the house. This is
the stupidest idea I have ever seen. If you need GFCI, put a GFCI
breaker in the damn distribution panel.

--
Blattus Slafaly ? 3 :) 7/8

GFCI devices are not breakers. It makes little sense to install a GFCI
circuit breaker on parts of circuits that don't require that type of
protection. IMO the most sensible thing to do is install GFCI devices at the
locations required with nothing off the load side of the device, this way
each GFCI device won't affect anything downstream of it. When a device goes
bad, only that device is affected

Home electrical circuit dead
 

On Aug 30, 12:01*pm, Blattus Slafaly
wrote:

Change all your GFCI's to standard outlets. Nothing ****es me off more
than playing hunt and seek to find the blown GFCI. Breakers belong in

Sounds like a pretty good place to start.

Home electrical circuit dead
 

"Blattus Slafaly" wrote


The dead circuit services the bathroom (with one gfci outlet), a
bedroom and one outdoor gfci outlet.

Change all your GFCI's to standard outlets. Nothing ****es me off more
than playing hunt and seek to find the blown GFCI. Breakers belong in
the damn panel where you can find them, not all over the house. This is
the stupidest idea I have ever seen. If you need GFCI, put a GFCI
breaker in the damn distribution panel.

Sorry, but codes require all outlets in bathrooms be GFCI, as well as all
outdoor ones be proper outdoor type. But you are right, probably one of the
GFCI's popped badly. I'm suprised replacing them didnt fix it though. Must
be something at the main panel or sub panel?

Home electrical circuit dead
 

cshenk wrote:

snip

Sorry, but codes require all outlets in bathrooms be GFCI
snip

Are you sure? I thought the code only required that they be
GFCI protected. There's a huge difference between the two.

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