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dead outlet or something...im lost HELP

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punkabilly136

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Aug 19, 2006
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313
Location
northwest ohio
went to turn on the tv this morning and ****, nothing happened. The outlet isn't giving any juice and neither are the other two on the same current. I've replaced the breaker thinking it might be bad but alas nothing. I've just finished replacing the wall outlet that the tv is on and alas nothing. Any other ideas? I know what breaker controls it so I guess that helps a little.
thanks
bob
 
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ddawg16

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Jul 11, 2008
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S. California
You need a voltmeter.....best tool you can have for the house.

most likely one of the legs opened up. You will need to back track to the open leg. With the voltmeter you will be able to confirm that the breaker is ok....then start working from there.

The breaker most likely feeds about 6-8 outlets....and as Jag suggested, make sure you don't have those outlets on a GFI.
 
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LoneGunman

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Mar 27, 2007
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Location
The Gunshine state
Shut off the breaker that controls the circuit and open up the other dead outlets. If your receptacles are "back stabbed" (wire is pushed into hole in the back of the receptacle instead of wrapped around the screw) odds are one of the wires are loose in the hole. If it's not in one of the dead receptacles it will be in the last working receptacle on that circuit, the feed in is fine so you have power, the feed out could be loose.
 
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WinFred

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Dec 6, 2009
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134
you have any pigtails in those "dead" boxes.. you know wires wired together before they get to the recpt??/
aluminium or copper wire???
how many dead recpts???
any lights not working???
 
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punkabilly136

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Aug 19, 2006
Messages
313
Location
northwest ohio
no pigtails, all lights in the house work...and I also found out that they wired the garage outlets into the house's, so all together I have 8 outlets not working. 4 in the house on the same side of the house and 4 out in the garage where it eventually stops the run.
 
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35mastr

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Dec 6, 2007
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Norcal
Make sure the buss in the breaker box is not corroded where the breaker is for those outlets.

Be careful.
 
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punkabilly136

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Aug 19, 2006
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313
Location
northwest ohio
I have three outlets on the north side of the house that work and 4 on the south side that are out and then another four in the garage that are out
 
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WinFred

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Dec 6, 2009
Messages
134
do you have one of these???

http://us.fluke.com/usen/Products/Fluke+1AC-I.htm?PK=1AC-1&gclid=CIC1mKKbiZ8CFR8RagodTXZyuA

it will save you a lot of work... if you don't, get one rated for 90-1000VAC... fluke has the best one.. Greenlee is a tight second.. after those two there isn't anybody...
low volt tic test used on house current will give you way too many false readings..

all the Big Boxes have them...
they're cheap too...

start at the circut breaker and see if you have output voltage on the wire not the clamp...
no juice... test at the clamp...

if not at the wire but yes at the clamp suspect the wire not being clamped in to the breaker correctly...

no to both...
is the breaker tripped... turn the breaker on and off several times...
retest...
is the breaker seated correctly...
is it a good breaker...

did you replace the breaker with a new one or a used one...
 
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punkabilly136

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Aug 19, 2006
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313
Location
northwest ohio
I have juice coming from the breaker and it is a new breaker and I checked to make sure it was seated fully and it is. I have an outlet that is on the other side of the wall that the breaker box is on and it works and two more working outlets on the north side of the house but all the south side outlets done work...im going to draw a diagram and try and post it on here later, maybe that will help.
 
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WinFred

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Dec 6, 2009
Messages
134
are you sure those recpts are on that breaker...
by test and not a WAG....
 
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WinFred

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Dec 6, 2009
Messages
134
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have juice coming from the breaker and it is a new breaker and I checked to make sure it was seated fully and it is. I have an outlet that is on the other side of the wall that the breaker box

is that juice conformation at the breaker's clamp or in the wire it's self with a tic tester???

you say breaker box.. do you have more than one breaker box (IRL- load center or panel box)
or did you mean circut breaker...
 
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jmh21586

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Aug 8, 2009
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1,895
Location
Pine City, MN
Do you have mice?

In my last house a mouse commited suicide on a wire. Thankfully it was in the garage close to the box so it was easy to repair.
 
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Aceman

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Jan 28, 2007
Messages
2,513
Location
Eastern Oregon
Get a voltmeter and an extension cord. Plug the cord into a known good outlet. Test from the cord to the bad outlet, verify exactly what you've lost. Is it a hot or a neutral or both? If it's both, it's most likely fed through a GFI, as they break both hot and neutral. If it's a hot or neutral, it's most likely a bad backstab or loose connection. Start tracking backwards from the bad recep to the panel. Picture it in your head how the circuit would run from the panel.

Also, pull the panel cover off and verify all breakers are sending out power. It wouldn't be the first time a breaker was mislabeled. One could of tripped but the handle may not have moved to the tripped position. As a habit, I verify power by testing from one breaker to the one below it, so every reading I get should be 240 volts. This takes out any possibility of backfeeding from screwing with your readings.
 
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punkabilly136

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Aug 19, 2006
Messages
313
Location
northwest ohio
I've tried everything I could possibly think of and suggestions from our local hardware guys and also everyone on here and alas nothing. So I have an electrician coming out in the morning and he is going to pinpoint the problem for me and tell me how to fix it. So wish me luck, and I think I forsee a complete rewire in the near future!!
 
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punkabilly136

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Aug 19, 2006
Messages
313
Location
northwest ohio
got it fixed today, apparently a wire went dead and didnt trip the breaker. Ran a new line today and everything is back to working order...THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!
 
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dugger10

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Dec 12, 2009
Messages
50
Really sounds like you have a GFI plug somewhere thats tripped. Should have a couple buttons between the outlets, one red and one black in some case's. Ones for testing and the other is to show its tripped, phushed out. Its probably the first plug in the circuit use to protect the other. This was a common practice used by some electrcians
 
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