Losing power 1 outlet out a time.


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Old 07-17-16, 05:01 PM
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Losing power 1 outlet out a time.

Name:  20160717_182410.jpg
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Size:  28.6 KBAn electrician came out 7/13 and completely replaced the main breaker box including breakers. Lights had been sporadically dimming. The main switch was definitely damaged. He did an awesome job with the repair.

Two days (7/15) later, the sunroom fan (southern most fan in the image) blinked when it was turned on. This happened twice. It doesn't work now. The kitchen fan/light (northern most fan)had worked that morning, but by mid morning it and the sink light (outlet due East of the kitchen fan/light) would not work. Now the dining room fan (center fan) does not work.

We removed each outlet (not the kitchen fan/light) separately, and each is getting power; we used a volt tester to check.

Why won't any of the fan/lights and sink light work?
How can we trouble shoot?
 
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Old 07-17-16, 05:09 PM
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Welcome to the forums! Why did he change the breaker panel? Did he check the incoming wiring for chafing or rubbing against trees, etc.? Have you contacted your power company? They can test the incoming wires and the incoming voltage for abnormalities.
 
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Old 07-17-16, 05:11 PM
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volt tester to check
If you mean a non contact tester they are useless for real testing. The fact they lit up doesn't mean you have 120 volts of usable power. You need a multimeter, preferably analog, (or a neon test light or a solenoid tester) to determine if you have power.

Have you read: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...ther-info.html
 
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Old 07-17-16, 06:08 PM
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Pic of VT

All of the other outlets on the breaker are working...the 2 wall plugs in the kitchen, the utility room light, the three in the dining room, the five in the sun room, the one in the living room, and the hall light. They are each on the same breaker as ceiling fixtures that are not working.

Chandler, Thank you for welcoming me and for your reply. The panel was over 35 y.o., the breaker connections looked corroded, so I wanted a new one. The main disconnect breaker switch at the top was about 150' (checked it w/infrared gun) before I called the electrician and I could smell burned plastic. He did not check the incoming wires. We dohave pier and beam, so there could me some unknown damage under the house. We have not contacted the power company.....yet.

Ray2047, Thank you for your reply. This is the tester we bought because we couldn't find our analog volt meterName:  20160717_195207.jpg
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Size:  23.2 KBGuess we'll keep looking for the "good" one (sigh)
 
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Old 07-17-16, 07:01 PM
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That tester is probably okay. You are going need to start checking connections, moving any backstabs to the screws and redoing all wire nut connections. The problem can be at either the last working outlet* or at the first non working outlet*.

* An outlet is any where power can be tapped for use. Lights, and receptacles are two examples but don't forget switches.
 
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Old 07-17-16, 07:32 PM
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Fifo lifo

Thank you for responding.

Okay, we'll start working systematically from one or the other end outages. Found our old multimeter, but it's digital. Glad the new is doable.

Yes, we would check the switch and then the light outlet(s) connected to it. The switch would have power, the outlet would have power, but not one of the fans or the light over the sink would work. Now the South wall plug in the MBR doesn't work.

Guess we'll be in the dark or on fire by morning. JK (just kidding, I hope)
 
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Old 07-17-16, 07:46 PM
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If you have any appliance that runs on 240vac and it's operating normally AND the lights in the house don't flash, dim or brighten excessively when turning it on... then your incoming service should be ok.

When you check a location for power..... you not only need to check for power but also neutral. You should check from black to white to confirm 120vac. Another way you can check is to check from both slots of the receptacle to ground.

From the smaller slot to ground you should measure 120vac. From the larger slot to ground you should measure 0v. You can use the ground slot of the device or try using the metal box as a ground source.
 
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Old 07-17-16, 08:24 PM
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A digital meter is okay if that is all you have. They can just sometimes give false readings of a few to several volts when really it is 0.
 

Last edited by ray2047; 07-18-16 at 12:12 PM.
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Old 07-18-16, 11:39 AM
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PJmax

Everything else is working okay.(The only problem we're having is a few outlets on breaker 6. All of the others on are working fine.) On the kitchen wall switch (this was the first outlet that went out) that controls the fan/light and the sink light, I get the following on the tester:
black (checked all 3 separeately) to ground - power
white (checked all 3 separately) to ground - power
white (checked all three separately to only 1 black) to black - no power
Name:  20160718_132151[1].jpg
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Sorry it attached sideways :-(
 
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Old 07-26-16, 05:52 PM
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Problem finally solved today

Could have been caused by:
1. Bad breaker that goes to shop
2. Short in the line from the back porch light to breaker box or from breaker box to sink light/fan-light.

At any rate the problem is now solved.

Thank you all for your input.
 
 

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