GFCI Outlet dead....electrician input????

[Julian]

VICTORY!!!!!

Pulled the other service panel and checked for power to all the circuits and found one with no power! Circuit looked engaged.....tripped it and redid it and VOILA POWER!!!

Thanks everyone.....this little power sensor is awesome! Although the directions the guy at HD gave me didn't work....he said tap it on the screw on the breaker to tell if it has power. I discovered that if you do that it shows power even when the circuit is tripped. Seems it senses power within the breaker....you have to put it on the wire away from the breaker! Once I figured that out....I was in business!!!!!

Well that quick 30 min switch replacement job only took 7 hours and a buttload of F bomb dropping!!!!

And its all my wife's fault!!!! She asked me when I was just about done....how much longer til you are done!!!! I blame her! LOL

 

[Julian]

Oh....and the job isn't finished....now I have reassemble all these outlets! LOL

But the smell of VICTORYwill carry me on!

 

[906Tony]

Oh....and the job isn't finished....now I have reassemble all these outlets! LOL

But the smell of VICTORYwill carry me on!

Awesome!!

 

[Julian]

It seems the problem occurred while you replaced the light switch- so maybe coincidence but I would check the following;
Try cycling the breakers again - you said you turned many off - to make sure they are actually all on.
Also - check the light switch you replaced - maybe power was passed through that box?
Third - instead of randomly replacing outlets, use a volt meter to see if you have power to the outlet or not

You had the winning answer....I just didn't go through enough of them! Next time....clocks be damned....I'm tripping every breaker in the house! Although I did pull out the label printer and make a nice clear label for that breaker! (vs the illegible pencil from 30 years ago!). I wonder what it would cost to get my electic "mapped"....(I think my anal retentive OCD is rearing its ugly head LOL).

So glad I found it....and as I expected....it was something STUPID! Live and learn!

Thanks again everyone for joining me on this stupid journey!

 

[Julian]

The new toys adding to the collection (all three together on sale at Homdepot for 24.88):

 

[zipper]

Your outdoor and garage outlets should be GFCI protected also. If someone tied into that gfci circuit to feed the lights, I would question their electrical knowledge. But I guess anything is possible. Find that wire on the other side. Tying in on the line side (Upline) would be ok, just not on the load side. You can use 2 gfci's on the same circuit, but you need to wire them in parallel. That is a cheap way, gfci breakers are way more expensive than 2 gfci's wired in parallel on a 6 outlet circuit. Just an example that might work for two bathrooms on the same circuit, but wiring them in parallel, not series.

EDIT: Never mind. A little slow on the post button...Congrats.

 

[TimW451]

The new toys adding to the collection (all three together on sale at Homdepot for 24.88):

Isn’t this what it’s all really about!

 

[Scuba_ref]

Isn’t this what it’s all really about!

Amen!

 

[Bruce]

GFCI's burn out. I have had several fail related to lightening nearby.

I replace them when they will not reset.

 

[drewkaree]

I wonder what it would cost to get my electic "mapped"....(I think my anal retentive OCD is rearing its ugly head LOL).

$30 for tools/materials, and your time.

Klein Tools ET300 link

I have something similar from Ideal, although pulling it up on Amazon shows it to be $78, and I know damn good and well that I didn't pay that much for it. Our house had multiple hidden junction boxes, some with no covers on them, 2 with bare wires thankfully not touching, one with masking tape covering one of the wires while the other one was bare, and I still have a light switch in the attic that doesn't do a dang thing no matter how many times I switch it on/off (guy called from Sweden the other day and said "Stop it!").

Here's what I did, and I know it will be a PITA, but when you're done, the only thing you won't have any certainty about will be if you remember what your descriptions mean to you 5 years down the road! Get a notebook, and section off areas for each breaker (note the breaker number). If you can't read the number, get a Sharpie and color in the number on the panel next to each breaker so you can read them. Alternatively, get one of your kids to read it to you. Nail polish wiped off before it sets will also highlight the numbers for you too. Starting at the furthest room/outlet from the panel (if you're doing this yourself), plug the transmitter into an outlet. Go to your breaker panel, and determine which breaker that outlet corresponds to, and mark it down in the notebook. Lather, rinse, repeat for EVERY outlet. It sounds like I don't have to tell you this, but you'd be surprised how effed up your wiring can be, so do it for EVERY outlet before you move to the next room, until you have EVERY outlet charted to the corresponding breaker number. Alternatively, and for free, plug in some sound-producing device such as a clock radio. Using the same methodology, you'll be tripping breakers until the sound goes off, and you mark it down. After you've got all the outlets mapped, do the same with the lights - turn them on, trip breakers until the lights go off. When you're done with the inside of the house, do the outside of the house, the garage, the pool, whatever.

When you have everything mapped, condense your notebook to whatever descriptions you chose. Fire up a spreadsheet program and set it up for each cell to represent an individual breaker. When it's set up to your satisfaction (size, borders, font, etc), print it out and tape it over the old crappy hieroglyphics in your panel. My electrician commented on mine when they came to upgrade my service recently, and asked me if I wanted to fill it out or if he should - but it would have to be done before the inspector would sign off on it.

 

[Zackdadams]

Every time a do-it-yourself Homeowner calls me the first question I ask them is if they have a multimeter and/or plug-in tester.

If the answer is "no" or "what is that?", I tell them to stop what they are doing and go buy some basic electrical tools. Every home should have one.

It helps with diagnosing the issue much simpler.

Also Just for future reference, GFCI's will not reset for one of two reasons:
1: No power.
2: Defective

Additionally, GFCI's have LINE and LOAD terminals.
Line is power from the breaker, while load are outlets/devices it will protect.

A common mistake is connecting one GFCI to another using Load. Both should be on the Line terminal.

One last thing, if you are replacing a GFCI at an outdoor location, make sure to use a WR (weather resistant) version.

If they still can't figure it out then I'll gladly come by and thank them for helping me purchase my new FSH 252.

Master Electrical and Technology Contractor for 25 years.

 

[Robconn]

Found this item on amazon. not sure it’s of use if having no power is the core issue.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUL2UU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_t1_JaOSFbGWRRWH4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Zackdadams]

Check this out at Amazon
Klein Tools Electrical Test Kit 69149 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J9Q5FCE/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_fabc_LAOSFbDG0V4PZ

 

[Julian]

Check this out at Amazon
Klein Tools Electrical Test Kit 69149 Amazon.com

That is close to what I bought at Homedepot for $24.88 (although when I went to check out it rang up at 29.99)

 

[Julian]

$30 for tools/materials, and your time.

Klein Tools ET300 link

I have something similar from Ideal, although pulling it up on Amazon shows it to be $78, and I know damn good and well that I didn't pay that much for it. Our house had multiple hidden junction boxes, some with no covers on them, 2 with bare wires thankfully not touching, one with masking tape covering one of the wires while the other one was bare, and I still have a light switch in the attic that doesn't do a dang thing no matter how many times I switch it on/off (guy called from Sweden the other day and said "Stop it!").

Here's what I did, and I know it will be a PITA, but when you're done, the only thing you won't have any certainty about will be if you remember what your descriptions mean to you 5 years down the road! Get a notebook, and section off areas for each breaker (note the breaker number). If you can't read the number, get a Sharpie and color in the number on the panel next to each breaker so you can read them. Alternatively, get one of your kids to read it to you. Nail polish wiped off before it sets will also highlight the numbers for you too. Starting at the furthest room/outlet from the panel (if you're doing this yourself), plug the transmitter into an outlet. Go to your breaker panel, and determine which breaker that outlet corresponds to, and mark it down in the notebook. Lather, rinse, repeat for EVERY outlet. It sounds like I don't have to tell you this, but you'd be surprised how effed up your wiring can be, so do it for EVERY outlet before you move to the next room, until you have EVERY outlet charted to the corresponding breaker number. Alternatively, and for free, plug in some sound-producing device such as a clock radio. Using the same methodology, you'll be tripping breakers until the sound goes off, and you mark it down. After you've got all the outlets mapped, do the same with the lights - turn them on, trip breakers until the lights go off. When you're done with the inside of the house, do the outside of the house, the garage, the pool, whatever.

When you have everything mapped, condense your notebook to whatever descriptions you chose. Fire up a spreadsheet program and set it up for each cell to represent an individual breaker. When it's set up to your satisfaction (size, borders, font, etc), print it out and tape it over the old crappy hieroglyphics in your panel. My electrician commented on mine when they came to upgrade my service recently, and asked me if I wanted to fill it out or if he should - but it would have to be done before the inspector would sign off on it.

Ordered!

 

[PeterB]

@Julian glad it is finally all working! Frustrating when a seemingly simple project turns into something much bigger! Seems HD was the winner given all the purchases this prompted.
just to clarify what the HD guy told you about GFCI’s on the same circuit- while everything down stream of a gfci is protected - thus no need for additional gfci outlets down stream ( regular outlets are then protected) - there may be points where gfci’ were added to a circuit upstream of and tee’d before an existing gfci, or someone may have added a gfci without realizing they didn’t need to - point being - never assume there is only one on any given circuit. That “ gfci hidden behind a shelf” can exist and be a real issue of frustration!

 

[the MfM]

Ordered!

Get the accessory kit so you can use it for light fixtures and or bare wires.

 

[Julian]

Get the accessory kit so you can use it for light fixtures and or bare wires.

I looked at the accessory kit, and the light bulb part is a $4.99 adapter to allow you to plug a 2 prong plug into a socket, and I don't think I'll need the bare wire adapter, but could buy something like it on its own. So I DID buy a $4.99 2 prong bulb adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DN6QX2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[drewkaree]

I looked at the accessory kit, and the light bulb part is a $4.99 adapter to allow you to plug a 2 prong plug into a socket, and I don't think I'll need the bare wire adapter, but could buy something like it on its own. So I DID buy a $4.99 2 prong bulb adapter.
View attachment 137239

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DN6QX2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Holy cripes, I'm sitting on at least 2 rounds of beers worth of those stupid things! $5?!?!?!? And my wife wonders why I always tell her not to throw stuff away!

For whatever reason, there's a ton of those at our lake house, from the parents/grandparents.

 

[the MfM]

Holy cripes, I'm sitting on at least 2 rounds of beers worth of those stupid things! $5?!?!?!? And my wife wonders why I always tell her not to throw stuff away!

For whatever reason, there's a ton of those at our lake house, from the parents/grandparents.

I can never find one when i need it...or the three prong to two prong adapters. (Lots of my extension cords have had the ground ripped off the plug)