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No GCFI or tripped circuit - all plugs dead. Help! 3mos old baby!

No GCFI or tripped circuit - all plugs dead. Help! 3mos old baby!


  #1  
Old 04-03-19, 07:33 AM
C
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No GCFI or tripped circuit - all plugs dead. Help! 3mos old baby!

Hello! First Post

Problem: I changed some outlets last week and everything was working fine until I plugged in the vacuum cleaner and it turned on for a second then went dead. Looked like a circuit blew. Went to fuse box and nothing had tripped. Next idea was to search for a GCFI and I live in a 3rd floor condo in Boston and only 1000 sqft (no garage, no outdoor plugs, 1 bathroom) and reset all of them, but those were all on different circuits anyways. Still no power. Moved in in 2017, Condo is built in 1920 and redone in 1990s to be three story split unit, and remodeled again in 2006 (previous owners thought they were handier than they actually were).

Failure Analysis: I checked with a voltage detector and all the outlets show no voltage (bedroom plug, lights, and 2nd br outlet and overhead). Tried resetting, the problem breaker, all the breakers, twice, did not fix the problem.

I turned off the breaker that controlled these plugs and found that it also had the bathroom light on it, which was previously working even though the others were dead.

The bedroom also used to be the kitchen previous to being remodeled. The previous plug that I switched out used to be a GCFI.

Possible solutions:
  • a hidden GCFI? We are on the top floor with no attic, and roof directly above us. The circuit breaker is in the basement (I have logged many stairs in the last two days). Cannot find any GCFIs, checked outside, basement, stairs, hallway, under cabinets, behind doors, in closets...
  • Loose wiring on the circuit I replaced. But then why is there no voltage? And the circuit did not trip, and some circuits (bathroom light) on the same circuit are still working.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as my 3 month old doesn't have her favorite overhead light to stare at!

 
  #2  
Old 04-03-19, 07:56 AM
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It is very likely a loose or broken wire in the circuit. Your description of using the vacuum cleaner just before the failure is a classic presentation. The large load of the motor causes a weak connection to come loose or burn through.

The fix is generally simple, but can take some time. Open up the boxes and check every connection. If there are any backstabbed wires on receptacles or switches, move them to adjacent screw terminals instead. Open and redo wirenut connections. The most likely spot is at the first non-working or last working device on this circuit.
 
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Old 04-03-19, 07:57 AM
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Thanks! I thought maybe that was the case, but why is there no voltage though? I checked in the plug and also behind the mount of a sconce that lost power as well.
 
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Old 04-03-19, 08:13 AM
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One of the connections may be completely burned through instead of just being loose. That would not allow any voltage through to the rest of the circuit after the break.
 
  #5  
Old 04-03-19, 03:53 PM
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If you have a weak connection, you could sometimes measured a "ghost" voltage at the non functioning outlets. However, if there is a load anywhere on the circuit (e.g. a light that's switched on even though it is not working), it would kill the ghost voltage. If you turn off and unplug everything maybe you could detect some voltage. But whether there is a ghost voltage or not does not matter. You still have to check the connection starting from the working light, towards the non working outlets.
 
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Old 04-03-19, 04:30 PM
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Be on the lookout for wiring that is back stabbed. That's where the wires are just pushed into the back of the devices. If you've seen any like that in your travels there.... there are probably more.
 
 

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