Testing Circuits and found something odd... Help!

[Keyblazer]

My Garage upgrade is moving forward and I am planning my lighting/power upgrades.
This Garage has 2 power outlets,#1 is the original one(I think) by the door into the house and #2 by the garage door, which I think was added.
I wanted to know what breaker these were on, and how much power I had, so I bought a circuit locator.
I plugged the locator into #2 and found the breaker it is fed by(15A) no prob, but when I do the same with #1, it does not show up which breaker feeds that circuit.

What is also odd, is that #2 starts my 110V compressor fine, and allows me to use my Welder no prob, but if I put the compressor into #1 recepticle, it will not start... spins slow, then kinda browns out and pops the breaker, so I know which one feeds it.
Ideas as to what the prob is with #1?
Oh, FYI I put one of those "diagnostic" plugs into #1 to check for bad wiring and it shows up as good.

 

[spongerich]

When all else fails, plug a radio in to the receptacle and start flipping breakers.

Do this at exactly noon or midnight and you won't have to reset all of your clocks

 

[Keyblazer]

Thanks for the input.

As i stated above, I know which breaker feeds #1 recepticle.
What I want to know is why the locator is not working, and why the circuit cant handle the same load that #2 does...
My concern is that there is a wiring fault...

 

[Mike662]

I'm not an electrician, but, is it possible that the lenght of the run from the panel to #1 is significantly longer than #2? That, I think, would cause a larger voltage drop. Also, is it possible that #1 has other things on the same run that are drawing some current (lighting, appliances, etc)? The original outlet in my garage shared a circuit with my kitchen.

Just curious, are the two breakers the same value (i.e. both 15A)?

 

[Jeremy W]

could also be a weak breaker causing part of it, but I would bet other outlets are shared inside your house.

 

[Barry 2952]

Is your compressor 240-volt? People often make the huge mistake of using a 120-volt outlet on a 240-volt circuit. Many compressors come wired for 120, but can be converted for 240-volt use.

 

[Greatbear]

If you have a device or outlet strip connected to a branch, the noise filtering built into the device can often attenuate the signal which the circuit finder injects into the line, especially if the finder is plugged into the far end of the branch and the filtering device is (electrically and physically) between it and the breaker. Also, some circuit finders lose their effectiveness through long runs of cabling. If there's more than about 50 feet of 14ga. wiring between the breaker and the receptacle you're trying to use, the current needed to start the compressor is most likely going to cause enough of a voltage drop in the run of cabling to prevent it from starting. Remember, the start-up current for most induction motors can be anywhere from 4-7 times the running amps of the motor, sometimes higher. A large motor load like a compressor is happiest when run on it's own dedicated circuit, sized accordingly.

 

[hillbilly1]

More than likely receptacle #1 is on 14 gauge wire of some length, while receptacle #2 may be on 12 gauge or larger, or may have a shorter length maybe due to originating from a closer panel. If your house is less than 10-15 years old, it may have an outside disconnect or panel. Look for an extra box or oversized meter box on the outside with a hinged cover. There may be more breakers in there. If the second receptacle was added later, this may have been the easiest place to access power for the installer.

 

[Keyblazer]

House was built in 90's.
Both breaker are 15A.
Only one panel that I have found so far.....

 

[mrb]

sounds like it could be as simple as a bad connection on #1, maybe a burned backstab connection -did you pull out the receptacle?

 

[trythis]

You never know, that second outlet could be running from an upstairs bedroom, while the first could be a dedicated circuit. If you turn off the 2nd breaker what else in th house doesn't work. If 9 other outlets cut out you know the problem is too long of a run, if nothing else goes out, you know its a bad connection or possibly a bad breaker/outlet/ or still an oddly long run with no other outlets.