dead outdoor receptacle

[badgolferman]

I have not opened the breaker panel to get a better look yet. I really don't want to turn off the main breaker during the week when it's hot outside. I will take a look this weekend.

There isn't anything else that isn't working. There is an outside light attached to the house near the affected receptacle but that is fine. There is a dehumidifier under the house but that has its own separate GFCI and it just got checked recently and everything works there. Unless there's another junction box under the house or under the deck I don't think anything else is hooked up to this breaker.

[Marilyn Manson]

No one said you *had* to turn off the main breaker to open the box, but it is strongly advised. Proceed at your own risk and peace of mind.

Unless, of course, you physically have to turn off the main to open the box. I do.

After I installed the generator interlock on my panel, I could no longer open the panel when it's energized. Either the main breaker portion of the interlock blocks the panel when the main breaker is on or the generator portion blocks the panel if those breakers are on.

You said that there "is only one cable coming to it". What kind of cable?

Do you see that same type of cable jacket at the panel? If there is more than one, it would hard to tell which is which at the panel, but if there is none, then there has to be a change in cable type somewhere along the run to the deck. Hopefully that change is in a junction box. :-0

You could get one of these, hook it to the exposed end and trace the run. This is not a specific product recommendation, just an example of "one of these." ;-)

[TimR]

I had no idea you could get one that cheap. If it works, I'd buy it to use even once. I'm not sure where the underground power goes to my shed.

I've looked into renting a cable locator but now we're talking more than $100.

[Marilyn Manson]

I've actually never used one, but I'm thinking of getting one to try. My daughter bought an 90 YO house with terrible wiring. Everything from BX cable, to cloth covered Romex to modern Romex. Maybe even some aluminum.

The biggest problem is that they spray-foamed the rim joist bays and buried a lot of the wiring. You can't tell what goes in where and what comes out somewhere else. Tracing wires will still be an issue, but like you said, if a $50 device can help just once, it's worth it.

I know where my shed wires runs because I ran it. What a PITA that was.