All Breakers Off, Outlet Still Live

[ken874]

It's an outside outlet under the back porch. I double checked that all breakers were off. Is my only option is to call in the $200/hr electrician?

[ameijers]

electrician?

If your porch has an 'under', I bet you have breakers and/or fuse panels in more than one place. Did you shut off the main disconnect, or just flip all the little breakers? If the main disconnect is outside by the meter, you likely have a branch or subpanel tucked away somewhere, likely near the furnace or water heater, if that is electric. If this outlet is truly under the porch, what on earth was it used for? Is or was there a well head there? Older and remodeled houses can have some strange and wonderful and scary suprises when it comes to wiring.

aem sends...

[Doug Miller]

Obviously you missed something somewhere.

Only other option I see is to keep looking until you find the breaker that powers that outlet. There *must* be another one *somewhere*.

[hallerb]

try turning MAIN breaker off. do you live in a multi family home?

[CJT]

I suppose you could short it out, and see how much of the countryside goes dark. :-)

That is NOT a recommendation.

[ken874]

I live in a single family 2br, 1 bath. House is about 23 yrs old. The outside outlet is common in houses from what I've seen. I has the metal hinged protective covers. I flipped all the small breakers, I thought that is all there was. I can check for a main disconnect by the meter but the house is very small, I don't think I could have missed another panel. Thanks for the tips.

[RBM]

If killing the main and the individual breakers doesn't kill it, is it possibly a condo complex or other community where outside outlets are on an "owners" panel

[searco]

The lines can be hooked directly to the power side of a set of lugs instead of to a breaker. This is totally against all codes, but it happens. Find wires from the power company to see where the first panel (maybe only panel) is located (next to or backed up to the meter usually). If you cut off the main breaker to all panels close to the meter and the plug is still energized, it is either hooked directly to power or coming from another source (This happens often in apartments. They get wires crossed all the time from one apartment to another.) If hooked directly to power, you will have to call that $200 electrician. You must have this dangerous situation taken care of, since this can be a real fire hazzard.

[HeyBub]

No. Another other option is to ignore it.

[CJT]

I thought he wanted good, safe options.

[HeyBub]

Neither "good" nor "safe" was on his list of desired qualities. Haven't we all, at one time or another, ignored a potentially life-threatening condition (like a wife)?

Still, he could buy a signal injector and trace the wiring with a detector.

[Greg Guarino]

I have learned never to use the word "must" where such things are concerned. "Should" is better. "is usually" will do. You could also replace the word "must" in your sentence with "would have to be an idiot involved for there not to..".

Greg Guarino