I have 4 dead outlets all on the same wall 2 upstairs and 2 downstairs
They are all connected to each other. They seem to be getting power from a dimmer switch next to the first outlet in the chain of 4. I have removed that outlet and dimmer and found that the dimmer is getting power from a GFI outlet in the bathroom directly behind it. Dimmer/lights works fine, its just the outlets are getting no power.
I shut the power off and did a continuity test of 1 of the white wires in the dimmer to 1 of the white wires in the first dead outlet and I get continuity, but the back wires in that smae wire do not get continuity, could that be the problem?
ANy suggestions on troubleshooting as I have limited knowledge. I would think that the black wire is broke somewhere in the wall and is causing the issue?
I dont think they are running off the dimmer switch as they lights work fine, I think its getting its juicefor the outlets(or lack there of) from that dimmer switch there. ANy suggestions?
I should also state that the first outlet that I have the continuity from the white wire coming from the dimmer switch to the white wire going to that outlet is now completely disconnected and the lights work fine.
. Agree totally, wiring breaks outside of boxes very rare unless someone has driven a nail or something else such as major construction has completely broken the cable/wire.
But a question; what on earth is a dimmer switch doing feeding four wall outlets? Or is it really controlling the flow to those four outlets? Or am I misreading the OP?
Another thought maybe the downstream from the GFI outlet is faulty; replace the GFI? Sounds like the wiring is bit of a botch up if all that is switched/dimmed through one box and fed from a GFI in the bathroom behind?
Dimmers are only 'good for' a limited number of watts; usually only of very 'ordinary' lamp bulbs. Not anything else (fluorescent lights, radio, stereo amp. TV set etc.) that may have other inductive circuitry in it.
If so equipment could be damaged by the reduced voltage and or the dimmer become faulty!
Usually if dimmers are installed to control say, room lamps they may be connected to only one half of certain wall outlets. While the other half of the same duplex outlets has 'full' undimmed voltage for proper operation of entertainment devices/appliances.
I recall one neighbour who thought their vacuum had gone faulty; but they were plugging it into a lamp dimmer circuit! Blew the el-cheapo dimmer though! Good thing anyway; cos when it was removed and replaced by a regular on/off switch interference to their bedside radio went away.
Nasty things those cheap dimmers? Surprised that although many of them do not seem to meet FCC (that's in the USA) or (other countries similar regulatory bodies), technical requirements for 'Not radiating radio interference' even when supposedly working OK, they are still sold!
BTW maybe somebody is listening in to room conversations via those so-called radio emitting dimmers??? :-)
My guess is what he is saying is (this is just a guess) that the hot feeding the dimmer is probably pig tailed to the hot feeding the outlets. If this is the case then I would check the wire nuts joining the black wires in the dimmer box and the ones joining the blackwires in the first outlet box.
You need to make a drawing of all the wiring as you see where each wire goes, or as you deduce it from tests. No one can keep all this stuff in their heads.
For example, you say that the outlets are getting power from the dimmer switch, but you probably mean they are getting power from the same wire that powers the dimmer switch. Unlikely anyone would connect an outlet, especially one upstairs, to a dimmer switch. But once you wrote it, even if you didn't mean it, your going to tend to think it is true. You need to make a diagram.
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