No power to detached garage
#1
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No power to detached garage
So my mother calls me last night and says she has no power to garage (lights, garage door, outlets). I stop over today and I first tried the simple thing (reset the breakers - 2 of them in sub-panel) - No luck. All I had with was a non-contact voltage detector and simple 120V circuit tester that lights up.
I start by turning breakers off and verify power to panel using voltage tester and testing between incoming black to sub-panel bus bar. Tester lights up so we have power. Next I turn both breakers on and test from bottom of breakers to bus bar and no lights on circuit tester?? I retest black wires coming into circuit breaker that I just tested previously and now no light on tester??
Non-contact detector is detecting voltage at outlet but nothing works. So I turn that outlet breaker off and leave other one on and it still detects voltage at that outlet. So my thinking is somehow the hot is bleeding over to the neutral and I end up with everything hot all the way back to the bus bar and into the neutral on other circuit....or am I way off base here....
This wiring is 30+ years old. The panel has incoming ground and neutral tied to same bus (I think they are supposed to be separate on a sub-panel and only tied together on the main panel, but could be wrong...). Any suggestions other than leave the power off until it gets figured out
I start by turning breakers off and verify power to panel using voltage tester and testing between incoming black to sub-panel bus bar. Tester lights up so we have power. Next I turn both breakers on and test from bottom of breakers to bus bar and no lights on circuit tester?? I retest black wires coming into circuit breaker that I just tested previously and now no light on tester??
Non-contact detector is detecting voltage at outlet but nothing works. So I turn that outlet breaker off and leave other one on and it still detects voltage at that outlet. So my thinking is somehow the hot is bleeding over to the neutral and I end up with everything hot all the way back to the bus bar and into the neutral on other circuit....or am I way off base here....
This wiring is 30+ years old. The panel has incoming ground and neutral tied to same bus (I think they are supposed to be separate on a sub-panel and only tied together on the main panel, but could be wrong...). Any suggestions other than leave the power off until it gets figured out
Last edited by roger54; 04-22-18 at 08:39 PM. Reason: Line breaks and spelling
#2
You need to test with a multimeter, preferably analog. The non contact tester is a waste of time as you probably know.
Did you turn the breaker at the house all the way off then on?
Did you turn the breaker at the house all the way off then on?