Live wires but outlets don't work.

I have "man cave" spare bedroom upstairs. I was using a heat gun for a project and when I flipped the heat gun setting to "high" the power went dead on the gun, I noticed the light in the closet and bathroom light also went out at the same time.

Thought maybe I tripped the breaker. I checked it. But nothing was tripped. I flipped all the switches and the one that said "upstairs 2nd bedroom" (the man cave room) several times anyways.

The recessed lights (main lights) in the ceiling in the bedroom do work. All the wall outlets in the room DO NOT work. The main closet light does not work, wall outlet in closet does not work, bathroom wall switches (light, fan) don't work....but the one wall outlet in the bathroom by the sink DOES work.

I'm stumped. I don't know if the ceiling lights and wall outlets are on the same circuit. I would think they would be, but I don't know how to check.

I flipped all the breakers several times. It did nothing. I have a voltage detector and checked the wall outlets that are not working as well as the wall switches in the bathroom where the they are not working. Voltage IS detected. But outlets and switches DONT work. There are no GFCI outlets in the bedroom, nor in that bathroom. I have a multimeter, but the outlets all are those stupid safety outlet types and I can't get a probe in them to check that way.


Totally stumped...I can't think of any reason why the string would not work when they all have power. I have flipped the breaker several times and there's no GFCI outlet in the room. It's as if each outlet has a fuse in them that's burnt out.
Ideas?

 

If they aren't working then they are on the same circuit. If you aren't sure what is on that circuit .... turn it off and then check everything. Whatever doesn't work would be on that circuit.

Those non contacts pens only tell you that you have dangerous A/C voltage in the area. If you have checked the circuit and your contact pens show power ...... then you have 120 vac hot but you have lost the neutral (white) side of your circuit.

You will require an actual meter or two probe voltage testor to see which outlets ARE working.

Once you have determined which devices are working on that circuit, you will have to check between the last working device and first non working device looking for a loose white wire.

If you find the wires "pushed" into the back of the devices......you will have to remove them and use the screw terminals or make up splices in the boxes and bring a single tail out to the device. Those push-in (stab) connecions are notorius for going intermittent..... especially when drawing a load thru them.

 

I used one of those testers on the wall outlets that quit working.

http://static.musiciansfriend.com/de...6.744_110v.jpg


It says the hot/ground are reversed? That's obviously not true.

 

Another one of those testers that are better for confusion then testing. You need a real tester such as an analog multimeter. They only cost $8-$15 and will help isolate your problem.