Any Electricians out there?

[2LaneCruzer]

Went to use my table saw couple days ago, and no electricity on one side of my shop. Have two breakers and one main breaker; tripping the breaker didn't help. It's kind of strange, that only one half of the shop has no electricity...I'm no electrician, but it seems that maybe the breaker is bad? Can't imagine what would cause that; only thing that runs continually on that breaker is a clock and a telephone. Lightening cause something like this maybe?

 

[jk96]

Do you have a meter you can put on the breaker to check it?

 

[teejk]

Breakers can fail (not often). If it isn't the breaker itself, it might be a bad connection somewhere in the line (bad wire nut or if you used an outlet as the connection perhaps the outlet failed). Check the first outlet on the circuit and keep moving "downstream" until you find the one that doesn't work, then check that one and the one "upstream" from that one. Btw, I think best practice is to not use the outlet as the junction but rather use "pigtails" so in the event the outlet fails you don't lose power downstream. Few people bother because that outlet is so convenient. If you have a multi-meter it's easy to check.

 

[GPintheMitten]

I would first check the connection at main breaker in the subpanel and the breaker in the main panel that feeds the sub.

Agree though that using a meter would speed things along.

 

[JPRambo]

Did the breaker trip? If so you need to "click it' in the "off" position then turn it "on".
Is the first receptacle on the circuit that does not work a GFCI? Reset it.
If it is a GFCI and it will not reset then there is no power to it.

 

[k0ua]

Is the shop wired for 230 volts? did you lose one leg? Time to break out the meter, take 10 seconds to determine the problem.


Back to my pet peeve. Why oh Why don't we take a couple of days in our educational system in 8th or 9th grade science and devote just 2 or 3 days of theory and lab work to teaching people basic electricity? I am not talking about going off into depth, but just basic stuff. Heck I will come in and teach the curriculum. I just think people should have some education about the basics of one of our most important systems that they use every day.

A simple Volt Ohm Meter is very inexpensive, good ones can be bought for less than $20. I realize many of you may even own one, but don't know how to use it. Why couldn't we take a little time and expose young people to the most simple of measuring instruments? We fill their head full of useless nonsense in school that has zero use when they exit the doors of the school. Why not a little practical information that will assist them in getting a vehicle started, or get the outlets to work?

I know, I know.. I rant and rave, about a lot of stuff... sorry..

 

[B7510HSD]

Is the shop wired for 230 volts? did you lose one leg? Time to break out the meter, take 10 seconds to determine the problem.


Back to my pet peeve. Why oh Why don't we take a couple of days in our educational system in 8th or 9th grade science and devote just 2 or 3 days of theory and lab work to teaching people basic electricity? I am not talking about going off into depth, but just basic stuff. Heck I will come in and teach the curriculum. I just think people should have some education about the basics of one of our most important systems that they use every day.

A simple Volt Ohm Meter is very inexpensive, good ones can be bought for less than $20. I realize many of you may even own one, but don't know how to use it. Why couldn't we take a little time and expose young people to the most simple of measuring instruments? We fill their head full of useless nonsense in school that has zero use when they exit the doors of the school. Why not a little practical information that will assist them in getting a vehicle started, or get the outlets to work?

I know, I know.. I rant and rave, about a lot of stuff... sorry..

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[davesl708]

Back to my pet peeve. Why oh Why don't we take a couple of days in our educational system in 8th or 9th grade science and devote just 2 or 3 days of theory and lab work to teaching people basic electricity? I am not talking about going off into depth, but just basic stuff. Heck I will come in and teach the curriculum. I just think people should have some education about the basics of one of our most important systems that they use every day.

A simple Volt Ohm Meter is very inexpensive, good ones can be bought for less than $20. I realize many of you may even own one, but don't know how to use it. Why couldn't we take a little time and expose young people to the most simple of measuring instruments? We fill their head full of useless nonsense in school that has zero use when they exit the doors of the school. Why not a little practical information that will assist them in getting a vehicle started, or get the outlets to work?

I know, I know.. I rant and rave, about a lot of stuff... sorry..

For the same reason they do not teach Constitution in school anymore.

There are great YouTube videos online on how to use a multi-meter. For <$20 you can save thousand in repair bills in your house or vehicle with a simple MM.

Start with the simple stuff as mentioned above. Make sure the breaker reset and GFCI's are not tripped. Then use the MM to isolate the problem.

 

[teejk]

Back to my pet peeve. Why oh Why don't we take a couple of days in our educational system in 8th or 9th grade science and devote just 2 or 3 days of theory and lab work to teaching people basic electricity? I am not talking about going off into depth, but just basic stuff. Heck I will come in and teach the curriculum. I just think people should have some education about the basics of one of our most important systems that they use every day.

A simple Volt Ohm Meter is very inexpensive, good ones can be bought for less than $20. I realize many of you may even own one, but don't know how to use it. Why couldn't we take a little time and expose young people to the most simple of measuring instruments? We fill their head full of useless nonsense in school that has zero use when they exit the doors of the school. Why not a little practical information that will assist them in getting a vehicle started, or get the outlets to work?

To your first point, I agree ("life skills"). Electricity might actually be interesting and for most things is not that mysterious...knowing how to safely change an outlet or switch might save them some money at some point. Plumbing...not so interesting but wouldn't hurt to know the basics there either (then call the guy...I hate plumbing). Multi-meter is a tool every body should own I think. They can be used for A/C and D/C power so can be used in diagnosing tractor/automotive problems also. In the A/C side, a plug-in outlet tester can be had for a few $$$ and will show problems with polarity and grounds.

 

[EddieWalker]

Make sure you turn the breaker all the way off, then on again.

Do you have a GFCI outlet?

Odds are very bad that a normal outlet will go bad, and even harder to believe that an entire line will be affected. Outlets are connected in line, so the first one, or closest one to the breaker would be the bad one if it's bad. If the breaker is on and good, then you will have power to the wire going into the first outlet box. Take off the faceplate and check for power at the wire.

Breakers go bad, so if the first outlet is not a GFCI, and you turned the breaker all the way off, then on again and still don't have power, replacing the breaker would be my next step. I had this happen on a breaker going to a water heater a few years ago. It worked great for years, then just quit, leaving me with cold water and no power to the water heater.

 

[EddieWalker]

Make sure you turn the breaker all the way off, then on again.

Do you have a GFCI outlet?

Odds are very bad that a normal outlet will go bad, and even harder to believe that an entire line will be affected. Outlets are connected in line, so the first one, or closest one to the breaker would be the bad one if it's bad. If the breaker is on and good, then you will have power to the wire going into the first outlet box. Take off the faceplate and check for power at the wire.

Breakers go bad, so if the first outlet is not a GFCI, and you turned the breaker all the way off, then on again and still don't have power, replacing the breaker would be my next step. I had this happen on a breaker going to a water heater a few years ago. It worked great for years, then just quit, leaving me with cold water and no power to the water heater.

 

[CobyRupert]

Is the shop wired for 230 volts? did you lose one leg? Time to break out the meter, take 10 seconds to determine the problem.


Back to my pet peeve. Why oh Why don't we take a couple of days in our educational system in 8th or 9th grade science and devote just 2 or 3 days of theory and lab work to teaching people basic electricity?
I know, I know.. I rant and rave, about a lot of stuff... sorry..

..and devote some time to basic personal finance. Like why making the minimum credit card payment on a $50 dollar pair of jeans at 20% interest makes the purchase price hundreds of dollars for pants that are worth $5 (resale) the moment you walk out the store.

 

[polo1665]

Make sure you turn the breaker all the way off, then on again.

Do you have a GFCI outlet?

Odds are very bad that a normal outlet will go bad, and even harder to believe that an entire line will be affected. Outlets are connected in line, so the first one, or closest one to the breaker would be the bad one if it's bad. If the breaker is on and good, then you will have power to the wire going into the first outlet box. Take off the faceplate and check for power at the wire.

Breakers go bad, so if the first outlet is not a GFCI, and you turned the breaker all the way off, then on again and still don't have power, replacing the breaker would be my next step. I had this happen on a breaker going to a water heater a few years ago. It worked great for years, then just quit, leaving me with cold water and no power to the water heater.

This happened in my garage. Outlets on west and south wall quit working.........GFCI outlet was bad. Replaced it and everything was fine.

 

[polo1665]

Make sure you turn the breaker all the way off, then on again.

Do you have a GFCI outlet?

Odds are very bad that a normal outlet will go bad, and even harder to believe that an entire line will be affected. Outlets are connected in line, so the first one, or closest one to the breaker would be the bad one if it's bad. If the breaker is on and good, then you will have power to the wire going into the first outlet box. Take off the faceplate and check for power at the wire.

Breakers go bad, so if the first outlet is not a GFCI, and you turned the breaker all the way off, then on again and still don't have power, replacing the breaker would be my next step. I had this happen on a breaker going to a water heater a few years ago. It worked great for years, then just quit, leaving me with cold water and no power to the water heater.

This happened in my garage. Outlets on west and south wall quit working.........GFCI outlet (first one in line after the panel) was bad. Replaced it and everything was fine.

 

[teejk]

Make sure you turn the breaker all the way off, then on again.

Do you have a GFCI outlet?

Odds are very bad that a normal outlet will go bad, and even harder to believe that an entire line will be affected. Outlets are connected in line, so the first one, or closest one to the breaker would be the bad one if it's bad. If the breaker is on and good, then you will have power to the wire going into the first outlet box. Take off the faceplate and check for power at the wire.

Breakers go bad, so if the first outlet is not a GFCI, and you turned the breaker all the way off, then on again and still don't have power, replacing the breaker would be my next step. I had this happen on a breaker going to a water heater a few years ago. It worked great for years, then just quit, leaving me with cold water and no power to the water heater.

I've seen outlets fail (especially the cheap ones). That's why best practice is not to use the outlet as the junction for the next "fixture" in the chain. As for breakers, it's rare but does happen. I always keep a few spares (20 and 15 amps) on hand for failure or for future circuits...I used the Square D "Homeline" panel and they aren't that expensive (I store them inside the panel).

 

[teejk]

This happened in my garage. Outlets on west and south wall quit working.........GFCI outlet (first one in line after the panel) was bad. Replaced it and everything was fine.

GFCI's are known to fail and in order to maintain GFCI protection "downstream" you have to use the outlet as the junction. They aren't cheap anymore after that tamper resistant nonsense but doesn't hurt to have a spare or 2 on hand.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Thanks everyone, but like I said...I have eight years of college...math, science and the law...and 50 years experience, but I am no electrician. I wouldn't know a GFCI from a UFO. I can tell you that the line to the shop was run from the house in an underground cable, and I have a 220 outlet because I thought I might want an AC or use a welder. The plug-ins (junction boxes?) are all industrial quality and not the cheap plastic stuff you find in a house. I have an off/on switch at the house.

There are two lines in the shop; one goes to the overhead lights and the North side of the shop, the other goes to the South side...and that gentlemen is the extent of my knowledge. Should I make up a double male ended extension cord and run it from North to the South? (Just kidding! I did see a PhD Chemist try this in the laboratory that I worked in...don't know how he made out; the safety committee cut him off at the knees). I do know some folks who know about electromotricity, guess I better just call one of them. I hate being shocked as much as finding a spider crawling on my neck.

 

[jk96]

Buy a cheap meter. Watch a couple of youtube videos on how to use it. Make sure breaker is on. Start at the breaker terminals where the wires connect to the breaker and work downstream from there. You can easily handle this and will feel good knowing you learned something new.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Thanks for the advice. I'll check it out. I did build an electric motor from enameled wire, nails and block of wood, for my Senior Science project.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Thanks everyone, but like I said...I have eight years of college...math, science and the law...and 50 years experience, but I am no electrician. I wouldn't know a GFCI from a UFO. I can tell you that the line to the shop was run from the house in an underground cable, and I have a 220 outlet because I thought I might want an AC or use a welder. The plug-ins (junction boxes?) are all industrial quality and not the cheap plastic stuff you find in a house. I have an off/on switch at the house.

There are two lines in the shop; one goes to the overhead lights and the North side of the shop, the other goes to the South side...and that gentlemen is the extent of my knowledge. Should I make up a double male ended extension cord and run it from North to the South? (Just kidding! I did see a PhD Chemist try this in the laboratory that I worked in...don't know how he made out; the safety committee cut him off at the knees). I do know some folks who know about electromotricity, guess I better just call one of them. I hate being shocked as much as finding a spider crawling on my neck.

I think that if you don't know or cant tell the difference between a GFCI receptacle and a regular one, then maybe you should call an electrician or get a buddy over that knows a bit about electrical problems. This would be a safer alternative than trying to troubleshoot something on it yourself.