circuit dead

This evening my wife went to turn on the front door light (outside fixture). She said it flashed brightly like the bulb blew out and wouldn't turn on... A few hours later we noticed that everything on that circuit is dead. Looking at the breakers on the fuse box none looked tripped, but I flipped them all off and on to make sure (I don't know what breaker goes to what area of the house). Still the circuit is dead. I checked every GFCI in/out the house and none were tripped. The only thing I can think of is that the breaker went bad?? Does this sound like a possibility? Any other ideas?? I'm going to call an electrician on Monday (so I don't need to pay weekend rates). Luckily it only affects outlets in mud room and some outside lighting.

Reply to
grodenhiATgmailDOTcom
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I would look around the mud room to be sure you haven't missed a GFCI and test the actual plug in each GFCI to be sure it is really "on". Trip them and reset them. The $10 GFCIs use a 10 cent relay on the output and the contacts can blow open.

Reply to
gfretwell

When you reset most home circuit breakers, you must push the handle hard to the off position until you hear a click then back on. The handle position on breakers can fool you if you don't know this.

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

I think I found the problem late last night. I was walking outlet to outlet on the circuit with one of those touch testers (beeps if you touch a live outlet simply by touching it (as you see, I'm no expert, no idea what its called). While pushing lightly on one of the outlets everything on that circuit came back on. So, now whenever I kind of push on/wiggle the outlet the circuit goes off and on. My uneducated assumption is there's a short in either the outlet or the connections to it? Since this was in the middle of the night I turned off the breaker (that must be a fire hazard) and will switch out the outlet later today. Does my assumption sound about right?

*Sounds like a loose connection at that receptacle. I would bet that the wires are back stabbed. When you change the outlet, pigtail the wires instead of having everything feed through the receptacle.
Reply to
John Grabowski

Sounds like good detective work. Being a detail man, I'll point out that a "short" is electrical connection where it's not supposed to be. Short circuits often lead to safety problems, or breakers that trip. You're describing an "open" which is something that should be connected, but isn't.

For me, a switch is a device that turns something on or off. To switch an outlet out is like to pizza a cheeseburger. Me, well, I replace outlets. That said, please be sure to turn off the breaker, and use your beeper gadget to make sure you turned off the correct breaker. (Mine says "volt sensor" on the back of it, I also don't know what they are called).

Some electrical sockets are called back stabbed. The wires can be stuck in the back. This is a bad design. Please wrap the wire around the screws, and snug down. Much better contact. Much more dependable.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

It does seem that most everyone uses the term "short" when there is anything wrong with an electrical device.

I work as an insturmnet technician/ electrician at a large company. Anytime something stopps when it should not stop, the call always says the motor 'kicked out'. I have never understood that term or where it came from so that it means the motor or anything else that quit working is 'kicked out'. Even lights kick out if the bulbs burn out.

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

.com...

Does not sound like the circuit is 'shorting out'. But you are on the ball finding the location. Maybe the oulet got damged or is old or got damp!

More correctly it sound like a 'loose' or bad connection. In other words something is disconnecting and the circuit is going 'open'.

Best advice might be (after turning off the power to that circuit) to change out the outlet for brand new. Prob less than a dollar for a good one with 'screws' for attaching the wires. See below.

Avoid those cheap 'back stabbed' (These are where the wires were/are just pushed into holes on back of the outlet!). Back stabbers economic maybe but more prone to long term problems. From time to time check elsewhere in case other back stabbers were used.

Examine the existing wiring carefully (get someone familiar to help if necessary) The black or hot wire (or wires) goes on the brassy looking screw, the white or neutrals go on the silvery looking screw. There may also be L or live moulded into the plastic. Make sure the ground wire/s (usually bare wire!) is/are connected to the metal box in the wall. Or may be connected to a green looking screw which is part of the outlet itself. If it's connected to a screw of the metal box the two screws that hold the outlet into the wall box will make a metallic connection to the outlet ground pin (the round one). If it gets' more complicated than that get someone handy to help/ advise the first time you do it.You don't want to have say a meta washing machine or fridge sitting there not grounded!

There is one other thing to check though, especially if the house dates from the 1970s! And that is 'Aluminum wiring'. Due to the high price and shortage of copper Al. wiring was used in some cases. It did not prove reliable (And even caused a few fires!). Sometimes it was recalled. Except for certain industrial applications it has virtually disappeared from domestic use. If by some remote chance you do have Al. wiring, get knowledgeable advice. Because the outlets and switches etc. have to be compatible with Al. wire and have to be installed more carefully; especially on an older installation where the softer Al. wire may have a tendency to become loose over the years.

Here's hoping the advice from posters here is a help.

Reply to
terry

I prefer the term "loose disconnection".

Jeff

Reply to
jeff_wisnia

I tell people that if it's a short it won't cost much because the electrician can just lengthen it.

Another expression I find odd here in east Tennessee is "It's all tore up". Someone could have a dead battery from leaving the lights on and the car "is all tore up". Even a flat tire can render a car "all tore up". First time I heard the expression I thought there was an accident and the car was totaled.... No, it's just all tore up.

Reply to
Tony

d out'.

My wife is from North Ga, just barely across the line from Tennessee, she says that too. if ts really something bad it a "train wreck"

Jimmie

Reply to
JIMMIE

"John Grabowski" wrote in news:4afea218$0$31272$ snipped-for-privacy@cv.net:

And change the outlet. Don't just clean up the connections. I mean, the things are dirt cheap. Cut and restrip the wire ends that were connected.

Reply to
Red Green

formatting link
verifies the common usage but not the origin

cheers Bob

Reply to
DD_BobK

Tony wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net:

And there's; Iss awl toe up.

Reply to
Red Green

Got me puzzled. When I worked at McDonalds, people would ask for an "order" of fries. Same deal, no clue where that term started.

I wonder if that information is on the net some where?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

He said he was going to switch the outlet. If it were Briggs and Stratton, you'd "renew" the outlet.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

net:

Thats WV

Jimmie

Reply to
JIMMIE

I have no idea if it is true, but I was once told 'kicked out' came from the old-style thingamajig on power poles, that when it trips, there is an actual arm that 'kicks out' beyond arc distance, to break the circuit. I've seen them in the open position, on poles in older neighborhoods, while wandering around looking at damage after a storm. Very visible from the ground.

Could be BS, but is sounds plausible.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

That one is easy- dates from the greasy spoon diner days. Remember those little green pads the waitress (yeah, they used to serve you at the table) wrote your order on? And the big silver wheel thing hung in the pass-through behind the counter, out to the kitchen? When the scary guy out back pulled your order off the wheel, cooked it, and got done, he'd set it on the pass-through ledge and holler 'Order Up!'. Each little green slip was called an 'order'. For us techies, it is analogous to the work order taped to a dead machine.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

JIMMIE wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@j4g2000yqe.googlegroups.com:

And NC.

In this particular area, people conversate. "They was conversatin' 'bout how the yard got awl toe up when the poeleece was chasin' that crack head and ran the car up in it.".

Reply to
Red Green

snipped-for-privacy@j4g2000yqe.googlegroups.com:

We're veering off-topic here

Reply to
hrhofmann

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