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OPen hot

My garbage disposal stopped working. The voltage meter says I have power to the on/off switch and it is good. The continuity tester at the plug the GD plugs into shows open hot (no lights). The voltage meter notes no power. I am never sure how much is open hot and how much is just no juice. I changed out the plug with no luck. Anything I can do before I call an electrician?

Reply to
Kurt V. Ullman
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"Kurt V. Ullman" wrote in news:LeOdnQC_jsCVt1XEnZ2dnUU7- snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:

Check the switch again. Possibly the switch has failed, or the hot wire from the switch to the disposal receptacle is not connected at the switch.

I think you should just replace the switch anyway, even if you're pretty sure it's good. It's certainly a lot cheaper than calling an electrician. Even if it doesn't fix the problem, you're only out a buck.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Have you checked from neutral to ground? Maybe plug a trouble light into the outlet just for confirmation of the volt meter's reading.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

In no particular order:

  1. Check all GFI outlets to ensure none have tripped.

  1. Temporarily plug the GD into an extension cord, ensure it is still working.

  2. Check to see if there is a breaker on the GD.

  1. If there is power at the switch, as you say and no power at the outlet, I would shut off the circuit breaker and pull the outlet (very simple), turn the breaker back on, test for power at the wires where they are connected to the outlet. If you have power from the switch to the outlet, then you have a bad outlet.

  2. Are you sure the GD outlet is not a GFI? If so, have you tried to reset it?
Reply to
Stormin' Norman

Done that

Done

There is and it wasn't tripped.

Did that and then changed the outlet and still no juice.

100% since there is no reset or test and the outlet when I took it out was plane vanilla. All of the other plugs in the kitchen are working. It is on its own breaker.
Reply to
Kurt V. Ullman

The outlet was for the garbage disposal and it stopped working, which is why the hooha. Tried to plug it back in following changing the outlet and still no luck.

Reply to
Kurt V. Ullman

Okay. I'll try that.

Reply to
Kurt V. Ullman

That did it. A little education is a dangerous thing. ;) Thanks to all

Reply to
Kurt V. Ullman

You replaced the outlet? Did you test for power at the wires where they connect to the outlet? If there was no power, I would replace the switch.

Reply to
Stormin' Norman

Good that you got it fixed. You had said you had power "to the switch". I was going to ask if you checked if you had it on the load side of the switch with the switch closed.

Reply to
trader_4

Yep I had. I checked and in off one terminal was hot and the other wasn't. I flipped it to on and both were hot. That was when I was sure it was okay. I switched out the plug, since I thought the switch was good. Still didn't work so then I decided to follow Doug's advice to switch out the switch before I called an electrician. For some reason that worked.

Reply to
Kurt V. Ullman

"Kurt V. Ullman" wrote in news:Mr-dnTnmuctQzVXEnZ2dnUU7- snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:

news:LeOdnQC_jsCVt1XEnZ2dnUU7-

the

It's

you're only

If you were checking with a digital meter, or a non-contact voltage tester, you could have been reading a high voltage at almost zero current. The switch contacts may have been passing enough current to light up a detector but not nearly enough to power an electric motor.

Glad my suggestion helped.

Reply to
Doug Miller

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