Dead outlet in my garage!

JB-Glock21 · Aug 4, 2018

Word to the Wise!

First Rule in Gun Safety: The Gun is always Loaded!

First Rule in Electrical Safety: The Circuit is always Energized! (HOT!!)

Always: Proceed with CAUTION!!

dantheman · Aug 5, 2018

You need a multimeter and somebody that knows how to use it . No reason to replace breakers and GFCI's unless you KNOW they are bad .

JB-Glock21 · Aug 5, 2018

dantheman said:
You need a multimeter and somebody that knows how to use it . No reason to replace breakers and GFCI's unless you KNOW they are bad .

Yep...good advice...without benefit of a meter, everything is just guess work!

Savgun · Aug 5, 2018

I have a very good meter (Fluke) and checked all of the outputs of the C/B's and all are good. Removed the covers of the outside outlets and no voltage at both. It has to be a wire or a junction.

I am in aviation and it is easier when the return path is the airframe itself!

XDguy · Aug 5, 2018

All outlets that are dead are in "wet" locations therefore are under a ground fault outlet. I've seen gfci's fail in many ways, just because it seems to reset doesn't mean it is. If all breakers are good to go (highly unlikely one breaker feeds only 3 or 4 outlets) then it is a gfi problem. I've seen one outlet on a different end of the house fed by a gfi in a bathroom. Check all wet areas in the house for gfi's, bathrooms, garage, and laundry room usually house them all, sometimes they have them outside as well. Newer homes have them in the garage, bathrooms, laundry only (typically anyway) where older homes you'll find them all over the place especially if any significant work has been done.
I'm not an electrician but have been a remodeler for 15+ years.

Savgun · Aug 7, 2018

I have checked everything I can think of and all of the suggestions from the thread and no luck. I am going to call an electrician. Anyone know of someone in the Slidell area?

gwpercle · Aug 7, 2018

Sometimes it's best to just call in a pro. You've checked the obvious and easy stuff and unless you want to check the wires and all the connections that go into the system ....which could get dangerous...call a pro.

I spent three Saturdays trying to figure out my electrical problem , couldn't find problem for heck or high water...called a pro and in two minutes he had found a bad circuit breaker , pulled it out and replaced it...problem solved. I had never heard of a circuit breaker going bad !!!!!
My guy is in Baton Rouge , Jay Manno , Manno Electric Co.
Gary

kengel2 · Aug 7, 2018

One more spot to look.

Behind the door in the toilet areas. We put gfcis behind the doors sometimes when they control some things and a gfci is required. Dont really want anyone using them so they get stuck in very inconvenient areas.

And if you still need an electrician send me a pm.

BDill · Aug 8, 2018

JB-Glock21 said:
Word to the Wise!

First Rule in Gun Safety: The Gun is always Loaded!

First Rule in Electrical Safety: The Circuit is always Energized! (HOT!!)

Always: Proceed with CAUTION!!

^^^Straight out the OSHA Refresher :mamoru:

cajun 22 · Aug 8, 2018

One other thing to check is that all of the common (white) wires are secured tightly. Been on many service calls and the screw is loose on the common bar. But you said no voltage so you have an open circuit. Some GFCI rec will fail and not allow voltage out of them to protected devices.

Good Luck.

SouthernUnderGod · Aug 9, 2018

Troubleshooting GFCI Protected Outlets

There might be another GFCI outlet or breaker somewhere that is tripped. There might also be another GFCI outlet or breaker somewhere that is faulty. Tracking down the offender may be frustrating.

If you do not find a GFCI breaker or outlet that is tripped, you may have a GFCI outlet whose output (feed to another outlet) has failed.

By the way, do you have any Arc Fault breakers or protected outlets? Those can be finicky.

Although rare, it is possible that a connection in another outlet box on the same circuit could have broken or failed. It also can occur as a result of rodent damage (usually there is a burned indication!) I have also seen instances of a conductor that was loose in an outlet box, and over time the loose connection caused arcing that ate away the conductor!

If the house was wired in the last three or four decades, the outlets in the garage would have been either GFCI or protected by (downstream from) another GFCI outlet or breaker. If it is less than 20 years old it may have arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI).

I was a general residential contractor and remodeller for awhile and what people now refer to as a "flipper." One thing that always made me nuts was an electrician or electrical contractor who would put an exterior or garage outlet on another (i.e., downstream from) GFCI outlet to save money and not spend an additional $3.95 to install a dedicated GFCI in the garage or exterior. One of the favorite tricks was to put the exterior outlet downstream from the bathroom outlet, which also had to be GFCI.

Of course, the code also allows GFCI breakers, but most electrical contractors in the competitive subdivision construction market would not use them. A GFCI outlet is only $3.95 whereas a GFCI breaker is $25-$35. So it's way cheaper to use a GFCI outlet and daisy chain the other locations off of the primary GFCI.

In case this is confusing, let me explain like this: The feed from the electrical panel goes first to the GFCI outlet mounted in the bathroom. The code allows some additional outlets to be added on the same circuit, so more outlets can be fed from the GFCI in the bathroom. The GFCI outlets have connections that allow it to protect other outlets that are fed FROM that GFCI. The code requires an outlet on the outside adjacent to every exterior door, plus convenience outlets in garages and carports. It's conceivable that one bathroom GFCI outlet could also be protecting 4-6 other exterior outlets.

By the way, there are some other places to look for GFCI outlets and protectors during your "hunt." One that can be particularly overlooked is a whirlpool (Jacuzzi) or a disposer, or any of the kitchen or laundry outlets. If you have a hot tub, one is supposed to be used there. Be sure to check any arc fault protected outlets as well (arc-fault circuit interrupter also known as an arc-fault detection device (AFDD) a circuit breaker or outlet similar to the GFCI.)

See the attached drawings:
∙ Example of GFCI protecting "downstream" outlets in a house plan
∙ Diagram of GFCI wired to connect additional outlets

Ground-Fault Required Locations (GFCI) required:

∙ Bathroom
∙ Garage / Accessory Buildings - includes water softeners, refrigerators, alarm systems, and central vacuums.
∙ Exterior Receptacles (adjacent to doors)
∙ Crawl Space Receptacles / Basement Receptacles
∙ Kitchen Countertop Receptacles
∙ Laundry, Utility, and Bar Sink Receptacles

Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI) may be required:
∙ Sleeping rooms (e.g. bedrooms), family, dining, living, sun, and recreation rooms;
∙ Parlors, libraries, dens, hallways, closets, and similar rooms and areas.
- Subject to the "Authority having jurisdiction."

JB-Glock21 · Aug 9, 2018

BDill said:
^^^Straight out the OSHA Refresher

1 & 2 were acknowledged and adhered to, long before OSHA was formed (1971) and implemented (1978) into the work force.....just common sense.

geauxbubba · Aug 15, 2018

Savgun, what was the outcome of your dead outlet?

troy_mclure · Aug 16, 2018

just had this happen with a gfi outlet on my back porch.

hunted every outlet and breaker in the house. nothing. posted on the neighborhood facebook page(cookie cutter houses) and learned that there was a gfi outlet IN the ac power junction box.
it was tripped.
reset it and now am gtg.

jdindadell · Aug 22, 2018

If the wires were just stabbed in the back of the receptacle that can cause issues. I have had this happen a few times. Putting the wires under the screw terminals is a must. Multiple electricians have told me this.

tun_o_matic · Aug 22, 2018

Problem solved? What was it?

Dead outlet in my garage!

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