Is there an electrician in the house?

[Brutuskend]

So I'm gaming along last night on my rig in the garage when all of a sudden I loose power to my computer. I check the reset switches on my surge protector and it's OK. Then I check to see if there is power at the outlet, nothing. So I go the the circuit breaker panel and check for a tripped circuit breaker, the breaker is not tripped but ALL the outlets in the whole garage are out.

My guess is that the breaker itself is gunnybaged. I tried resetting it SEVERAL times, to no avail. And this morning it's still out...

 

[NoShangriLa]

Plug a known working device in the wall outlet/surge protector to determine where the break is. Test every wall outlet in the garage by process of elimination to find the break. Open the outlet face plate and inspect/tighten the receptacle screws and test for power.

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa

Plug a known working device in the wall outlet/surge protector to determine where the break is. Test every wall outlet in the garage by process of elimination to find the break. Open the outlet face plate and inspect/tighten the receptacle screws and test for power.

Every outlet in the garage is out. Noting plugged into ANY of them works. Fan, refrigerator, etc all dead. I took the face plate off the circuit breaker box and everything in there looks OK. I think the breaker is just bad at this point.

 

[FoBoT]

you can get a replacement from lowes/home despot

someone at the store should be able to explain how to swap it out. just make sure you know the amperage and they can help you out

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
you can get a replacement from lowes/home despot

someone at the store should be able to explain how to swap it out. just make sure you know the amperage and they can help you out

Replacing it looks pretty straightforward. One wire attached to one end and the other end just slips onto a tab on the breaker panel.

Keep on the look out for another "I almost electrocuted myself" thread.

 

[KMurphy]

Breakers usually don't fail like that. Is there any other load on that circuit that draws significant current? You may have had a bad connection or termination that burned open. This is what causes the most electrical related housefires. I would leave the breaker or circuit deenergized until you find out for sure why you lost power to the circuit.

 

[skull]

Check for 120 volts at that one wire at the end of the breaker. If you don't have any voltage the breaker is bad. There easy to change out. They just snap in to place. Depending on what type of breaker box you have you might have to change it out with everything hot. 120 volts isn't going to jump out at you just don't touch anything. If you have 120 volts at the end of your breaker a wire has broken some where. If thats the case check all your connections in your outlet boxes.

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: KMurphy
Breakers usually don't fail like that. Is there any other load on that circuit that draws significant current? You may have had a bad connection or termination that burned open. This is what causes the most electrical related housefires. I would leave the breaker or circuit deenergized until you find out for sure why you lost power to the circuit.

OK, now I feel silly.
There was a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) on the outlet that the fridge is plugged into. (The first outlet on the string) THAT tripped. I reset it and now everything is working just fine again.

 

[Greenman]

If it's a newer home the garage will be on a GFCI, find it, and push the reset button. Prolly one of the garage plugs. If it's not a gfci, it's almost certin you burned a connection somewhere.

btw, I've never seen a breaker fail without tripping. I've seen them burn, I've seen them explode, I've seen them trip and refuse to reset, but I've never seen one just stop working.

 

[FoBoT]

yeah!! no trip to buy stuff!

you fixed it! you are a great fixer man!!

 

[Brutuskend]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
yeah!! no trip to buy stuff!

you fixed it! you are a great fixer man!!

If they don't find you handsome, they should at least find you HANDY!

(Or however that quote goes...)

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Brutuskend

Originally posted by: KMurphy
Breakers usually don't fail like that. Is there any other load on that circuit that draws significant current? You may have had a bad connection or termination that burned open. This is what causes the most electrical related housefires. I would leave the breaker or circuit deenergized until you find out for sure why you lost power to the circuit.

OK, now I feel silly.
There was a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) on the outlet that the fridge is plugged into. (The first outlet on the string) THAT tripped. I reset it and now everything is working just fine again.

I got to the thread too late... that was the first thing I was going to suggest... Most garages are on GFCI's (and I think they're supposed to be, by code.)