Electrical Question...

[DelmarvaJK]

Since a bunch of your guys have given me great advice in the past I figured I would pick your brain again...

So a none garage related question:

My townhome is just over a year old and the outlets in the kitchen island have slowly stopped working... They are none GFI and nothing on the breaker is tripped...

The wife called today to tell me that the outlet next to the refridgerator has stopped working as well...

So my question is can outlets go bad? Or what should I be checking to help trouble shoot if everything else on that same circuit is working fine... I haven't been home yet to look it over...

Thanks for your input guys,

 

[bobemmerich]

Buy a voltage tester and see if they have power. Double check the breaker. Sometimes a breaker won't look tripped when it is. Make sure you flip it back and forth.

 

[justsam]

I am not sure where you are at, but a year old dwelling in the US must have GFCI in the kitchen.

I suspect you have one tripped and it is the one that is feeding all the other outlets. Find, it reset it, and your outlets will all come back.

There is an Electrical sub group where you will get a little more focus.

 

[readhead]

They are probably on a GFI circut. Look around and check all the GFI's in the house to see if one is tripped. I found a kitchen circut one time that was on the bathroom GFI.

 

[jeff000]

They are probably on a GFI circut. Look around and check all the GFI's in the house to see if one is tripped. I found a kitchen circut one time that was on the bathroom GFI.

Does the NEC allow that?
Up here we only need GFCI within a meter of water, like a sink. But I know down there everything has to be GFCI or AFCI.

I agree that one probably tripped causing the others to go out. But having an outlet randomly stop and not be a GFCI or the like is pretty rare, but not unheard of. I would be more worried about it being caused by something eating the wire.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

IIRCC outlets in kitchen only need to be GFCI protected if theyre within 3' of a sink. If theres no sink in the island, my bet is on "back-stabbed" outlets that have failed since the OP states the outlets failed slowly over time.

Of course the OP needs to state where theyre located but GFCIs have been required by the NEC since the late 90's...

Buy a voltage tester and see if they have power. Double check the breaker. Sometimes a breaker won't look tripped when it is. Make sure you flip it back and forth.

If other outlets on the same breaker are still working as the OP stated, that rules out the breakers.

They are probably on a GFI circut. Look around and check all the GFI's in the house to see if one is tripped. I found a kitchen circut one time that was on the bathroom GFI.

Does the NEC allow that?
Up here we only need GFCI within a meter of water, like a sink. But I know down there everything has to be GFCI or AFCI.

I agree that one probably tripped causing the others to go out. But having an outlet randomly stop and not be a GFCI or the like is pretty rare, but not unheard of. I would be more worried about it being caused by something eating the wire.

Depends on the code cycle. But baths IIRCC are suppose to have a dedicated circuit and kitchens are suppose to have 2 dedicated circuits. If the house was newer (10-15yrs old) and the kitchen only had 2 circuits total then no it isnt to code!!

 

[theoldwizard1]

... my bet is on "back-stabbed" outlets that have failed since the OP states the outlets failed slowly over time. Also if other outlets on the same breaker are still working, that rules out the breakers.

+1 !

 

[pattenp]

Current NEC requires kitchen outlets that serve a counter top surface or that's within 6ft of a sink's outer edge to be GFCI protected. 210.8(A)(6)&(7)

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Current NEC requires kitchen outlets that serve a counter top surface or that's within 6ft of a sink's outer edge to be GFCI protected. 210.8(A)(6)&(7)

Thx! i couldnt remember what the distance was and i dont have my book in front of me!

 

[Mustang51js]

More than likely back stabbed outlets like posted above,prob neutral side since that's usually what goes when back stabbed.

 

[pattenp]

wylies, I don't know if you caught the "OR". So the requirement for GFCI outlets in the kitchen is not just based on distance from a sink.

Current NEC requires kitchen outlets that serve a counter top surface OR that's within 6ft of a sink's outer edge to be GFCI protected. 210.8(A)(6)&(7)

Thx! i couldnt remember what the distance was and i dont have my book in front of me!

 

[wyliesdiesels]

wylies, I don't know if you caught the "OR". So the requirement for GFCI outlets in the kitchen is not just based on distance from a sink.

Nope. I was always under the impression that a GFCI was required only if there was a sink involved. I seem to remember that previous code only called for GFCIs for a kitchen countertop IF the outlet was 6' or less from the sink....I guess I have the old code drilled into my brain.....I will have to do some research....

 

[plow]

Check your neighbors GFCI.