electric won't turn back on??

[inreplyavalon]

Hello folks.

I made a silly mistake. I am having cold issues and plugged in a second electric heater to a 120 V outlet. It blew the outlet and after switching the outlet back on, there is still no power. Does anyone know why the power will not turn back on for the outlet? The rest of the home is working fine, and the lights which are on 240.
I am confused and worried as this is a rental and we are 3 weeks into a bloom.
Thanks!

 

[IE2KS_KUSH]

Did you check the breaker?

 

[geopolitical]

Sounds like a fuse or breaker. Check your main or local electrical panels. See if a breaker is thrown (in the off position) or a fuse is blown (will be dark/discolored).

 

[inreplyavalon]

yes the breaker was tripped but was placed back in the on position. That did nothing, so maybe its a fuse? Are the fuses in the breaker box?

Thanks GeoP and kush

 

[FreezerBoy]

It's one or the other. Circuit breakers take the place of fuses. Is there a GFI button to push? Are you sure you didn't fry the outlet itself?

 

[inreplyavalon]

Thanks freezerboy. I gave up for the evening and went home. I'll have to check for a GFI tomorrow. I hope that is the case. The outlets look normal, and there are two separate outlets on two different walls that stopped working. Thanks again.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Even if you don't see a button in the room, it may be worth your time to check outlets around the house. Only one of my 3 bathrooms has the GFI buttons but all are on the same circuit. Any outlet goes in any one bathroom, all outlets go in all bathrooms, upstairs and down.

If that doesn't do you, I'd trip the main power breaker (the one that kills the entire house) and pull the outlets themselves for inspection.

 

[gomer]

When you turned the tripped breaker to the ON position did you first switch it firmly to the OFF position to reset it?

 

[JamieShoes]

you have 3 bathrooms?.... I clearly am lacking in the bathroom dept

good luck IRAvalon

 

[PharmaCan]

When you turned the tripped breaker to the ON position did you first switch it firmly to the OFF position to reset it?

This is the first thing you need to do.

PC

 

[bigghead]

reset breaker per gomer

 

[inreplyavalon]

Freezerboy thanks again i believe the only switch that has a GFI is in the one bathroom in the house. The outlets being questioned are in the Garage. I will check the bathroom outlet first.

Gomer no i did not switch the switch to the off position first. Like an ASS i ASSumed it was already there. I will do that asap.

Jamieshoes not sure who or where three bathrooms was mentioned?

Pharmacan and Bighead thanks for the reinforcement.


This site is beyond helpful...I love IT

 

[BevoLabs]

If this isn't a problem, I have a VERY similar issue with my bathroom outlets, if yall don't mind me sidetracking for a sec.

I was bubbling some chlorine out of tap water, and I have my air pump(a large one) fall into the water bucket. After being submerged for 5 seconds it just totally cut off. Then all 4 outlets in the 3rd floor bathroom and the 2nd floor bathroom immedietly below it aren't working. The bathroom outlets are the only things not working, and no breakers are tripped. The outlet are normal outlets with no reset/test buttons.

Anyone have any idea as where to start? Thanks
----
EDIT:
I actually just found a different thread that helped me. To the OP, search all over your house for an outlet with the 2 buttons(reset/test). I live in a 3 story townhouse, and only 1 outlet had this and it was randomly in the garage about 10 feet from the breaker. Good luck!

 

[PharmaCan]

Depending on the age of your house, your garage could very well be on a GFCI. But since what you did popped the breaker in the panel, chances are better that you just didn't reset the breaker properly. However, as long as you are in an electrical frame of mind, it wouldn't be a bad idea to search out any GFCIs in the house and see what they are controlling. If any parts of your grow are on a GFCI, it'd be nice to know which ones in case you ever get something wet and pop the GFCI.

PC

 

[inreplyavalon]

OK this is getting weirder.
I found one GFI switch in the bathroom and noted that the bathroom outlet was also not working. I hit the switch and it started working. However it did not give power to the two outlets in the garage that are the problem.
I also reset each breaker on the main panel and after that did not work i switched off the main power breaker. Still no power to the garage. I took apart one of the outlets and saw no noticeable damage.

So then i ran extension cords from two other rooms hoping they were on different circuits. after about twenty minutes they both lost power. No breaker switches were in the OFF position but they still were not powered.

So four outlets on at least two different circuits and none have power nor can be reset?

I appreciatte all the help so far and definitely need a whole lot more...please!

 

[PharmaCan]

It's hard to trouple-shoot something without being there, but this is what I would try first, Unplug everything that is plugged into the two circuits that aren't working. Reset all the breakers and the GFI. Take a small lamp or a radio or something that you know works but doesn't draw much current and try only it in the receptacles that weren't working. Make sure the one GFI is working too. Report results.

PC

 

[sparkjumper]

Also make sure there are no GFCI breakers in the panel the needs to be reset

 

[PharmaCan]

Also make sure there are no GFCI breakers in the panel the needs to be reset

I'm just wondering if he has some really crappy breakers that are going bad when they pop. Doesn't seem real likely, but...

The GFCI could be faulty, which would be much more common, but that doesn't explain the second circuit going dead.

Sure is handy to be able to use a meter. lol

Hey, Inreplyavalon, I don't suppose you have a multi-meter of any kind, do you?

What do the breaker switches feel like? Are they fairly stiff or do they flop around a lot? (LOL - Sounds like an interview for a porn movie.)

If you are using any power strips or extension cords you should disconnect them.

PC

 

[inreplyavalon]

Thanks for sticking with me Pharmacan and also thanks sparkjumper for chiming in.


The breakers did not seem like they 'reset' when i followed the instructions to switch them all the way to the off position. They hardly moved at all towards off, anymore than they already were. They are somewhere in between stiff and floppy

So the gfci popped in the bathroom after the first circuit blew. I discovered this by plugging something into the bathroom receptacle and it did not work. So then i hit the 'reset button' and then the receptacle worked in the bathroom, but not the initial two in the garage.
So when i blew two more outlets last night i pressed the same gfci outlet in the bathroom but nothing happened.

No i don't have a multi meter of any kind but will get one if it helps. I have the simplest little two stick power tester that you stick into outlets to see if there is any juice.

Should i take apart the outlet and use the power tester on the wires to see if they work and it is my outlets failing? Seems unlikely that four outlets are failing when they look like they are in decent shape. They are old though.

 

[bigghead]

check the condition of the supply lines from pole to meter. is it one line or two. if two one may be bad. not likely but something to consider. how old is your home. before 1960 it may be wired strangely by dabblers.