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Bathroom outlet and light fixture not working - No power in the Bathroom

Bathroom outlet and light fixture not working - No power in the Bathroom


  #1  
Old 01-20-12, 07:17 PM
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Bathroom outlet and light fixture not working - No power in the Bathroom

Hi everyone, This is probably a really basic problem for most of you, but I'm new to this. I have loads of experience with DC but none with AC. Here's the problem...

I want to change my Elecrical Light fixture above the bathroom mirror in the bathroom but I didn't turn off the breaker switch. I couldn't find the correct breaker as they seem to be labelled wrong. I plugged a lamp into an outlet to provide some extra light while I was working. i disconnected the black and white wires. Finally, I noticed a copper ground/shield wire from the wall (couple with the white and black wires) and I disconnected it as well. That seems to be the problem. When I disconnected the shield wire, the lamp I had plugged into the bathroom outlet turned off. I completed the installation and grounded the shield wire to the new bracket. However, the outlet and the light fixture still have no power.

Some of the other posts were saying that it's most likely a GFI, but i don't have one in the bathroom. In addition, the circuit breaker did not trip, however I reset all of them and still no luck.

Can anyone help me with this? Thanks.
 
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Old 01-20-12, 07:27 PM
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I noticed a copper ground/shield wire from the wall (couple with the white and black wires)
Correct term is just a ground wire.

When I disconnected the shield wire, the lamp I had plugged into the bathroom outlet turned off.
That should not have caused the light to go out. The grounds only function is safety.

Some of the other posts were saying that it's most likely a GFI, but i don't have one in the bathroom.
And that would be my guess. The GFCI could be anywhere, basement, attic, inside, outside, garage, kitchen, behind a piece of furniture that hasn't been moved in years. You need to start looking.
 
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Old 01-20-12, 07:57 PM
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Thanks for the information. It's a condo apartment that I recently moved into. I checked with the super and he confirmed there are no GFI's in the building. Could it be anything else? It may be unrelated but, It's at the exact moment I removed the ground wire, that the power in the bathroom shut off.
 
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Old 01-20-12, 08:13 PM
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Did you trip the braker when you were moving the ground wire?
 
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Old 01-20-12, 08:24 PM
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None of the breakers tripped. I reset all of them just to be safe. Is this strange?
 
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Old 01-20-12, 08:29 PM
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Well if you don't own it you shouldn't be doing the work. If you don't own it ask the super to fix it. I don't really buy what the super said. All modern residential spaces should have some GFCIs. When was it built?
 
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Old 01-20-12, 09:24 PM
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unfortunately for me, I do own it. The super position is more of a maintenance role at this property, which is why I can't ask him to take a look at it. I checked every outlet within my walls and none of them are GFI's. Which is strange because the property was less than 10 years ago. I've never seen a bathroom without a GFI until I moved in here. Is there somewhere I can check for a blown fuse?
 
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Old 01-21-12, 04:58 AM
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unfortunately for me, I do own it
Do you own the whole building or just your unit? When it was built 10 years ago, were there permits and inspections involved or do you live in an area of Canada that requires no permits? It may be time for you to call a real electrician.
 
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Old 01-21-12, 05:43 AM
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I'm with Joe on the electrician especially since you have code issues involving safety even if not enforced. If you wish to continue first could you supply us with photos of the receptacle and light wiring. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/li...-pictures.html

I couldn't find the correct breaker as they seem to be labelled wrong.
Do you have a separate breaker box for your condo?. If so did you try turning off all the breakers at the same time to see if it killed the power? I have seen situations in apartment buildings where a tenant had receptacles that were on another apartment's breaker box. This can especially happen on a shared wall.
 
 

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