Lost power in basement
#1
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Lost power in basement
Hi,
A couple of days ago siding workers working outside our house accidentally damaged a lighting fixture which resulted power outage in basement. The circuit breaker did not trip but I went ahead and switched the circuit breaker off and back on with no luck. I have also checked GFCI outlet switches which don’t have power. Any ideas what I should check?
Thx.
A couple of days ago siding workers working outside our house accidentally damaged a lighting fixture which resulted power outage in basement. The circuit breaker did not trip but I went ahead and switched the circuit breaker off and back on with no luck. I have also checked GFCI outlet switches which don’t have power. Any ideas what I should check?
Thx.
#2
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A "GFI outlet switch" is an oxymoron; what you checked were "receptacles".
( "were" for a plural noun ).
What exactly was your testing procedure ? A "positive" check for a GFI receptacle is to test for voltage at the device terminals.
( "were" for a plural noun ).
What exactly was your testing procedure ? A "positive" check for a GFI receptacle is to test for voltage at the device terminals.
#3
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I checked with a basic volt tester which showed no power. This GFI switch is wired right bellow the circuit breaker panel. I am suspecting no power is coming from circuit breaker panel. Please advise what I should check next.
Thank you.
Thank you.
#4
Did you check the bulb? Vibration can kill bulbs very quickly. You should also check the connections to the fixture.
Please tell me the siding contractor used a proper junction box behind the fixture. Mounting the fixture without a box seems to be a common procedure, but is not Code compliant.
Please tell me the siding contractor used a proper junction box behind the fixture. Mounting the fixture without a box seems to be a common procedure, but is not Code compliant.
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Yes, the CFL bulb was broken at the base and I could see some internal wires hanging out. The siding contractor was replacing cracked sidings when they damaged the light fixture. Behind it was a circular shaped object but I am not sure whether it is a junction box.
#6
Behind it was a circular shaped object but I am not sure whether it is a junction box.
#8
It's probably a standard siding mount. Looks like this:
When you say the GFCI is right below the panel, is there a box mounted TO the panel? Or does it just happen to be underneath it with no visible connection to the panel?
When you say the GFCI is right below the panel, is there a box mounted TO the panel? Or does it just happen to be underneath it with no visible connection to the panel?
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Hi All,
I was able to figure out the problem. It seems there was a loose ground wire connection behind the GFI switch which is feeding the line. It is a first switch in the circuit mounted on a stud located about 4 feet from the circuit board panel. When I was removing it from the junction box after some wiggling suddenly power came back. When I wiggle the copper wire I could see lights flicker. It looked two copper wires joined together behind the switch for rest of the line. I will try to post the pictures later. For now I put the switch back into the box as it was without disturbing the power. I am not sure how this loose connection happened after power got tripped.
Thank you all for your help.
I was able to figure out the problem. It seems there was a loose ground wire connection behind the GFI switch which is feeding the line. It is a first switch in the circuit mounted on a stud located about 4 feet from the circuit board panel. When I was removing it from the junction box after some wiggling suddenly power came back. When I wiggle the copper wire I could see lights flicker. It looked two copper wires joined together behind the switch for rest of the line. I will try to post the pictures later. For now I put the switch back into the box as it was without disturbing the power. I am not sure how this loose connection happened after power got tripped.
Thank you all for your help.
#10
A loose ground should not affect the operation of a light fixture. I would continue to look for another problem.