dead outlets

[ephesus56ad]

Anybody help? At my house I have three outlets with no volts. All are in bathrooms, two in one and one in the other. All claim to be gfci protected but i cannot find a gfci breaker in my pannel, and only two in the house. both gfci outlets have power coming in and out and seem to work fine. any ideas where i should look to find a soultion for this problem.
al

 

[Ed MacLaren]

Re: dead outlets

I would suggest the yellow pages, under electricians.

Ed

 

[ephesus56ad]

Re: dead outlets

thanks ed. do you not think ther is a way for a home owner to do this? i do understand this is what many do for a living and i am not trying to take bread away from anyone. i do have a little(very little)knowledge and experance with home wiring. i am just looking to save some money. keep bread at my own house too.
al

 

[pierre]

Re: dead outlets

56ad
there are several locations that the GFCI protection may originate. Check the outdoor receptacles, or check the garage receptacle if it is attached to the house. Also check the basement for a tripped GFCI. These are some of the common areas that had protection in the 80's and were legal installations.
Let us know if that is it. Otherwise follow Ed's advice.

Pierre

 

[racraft]

Re: dead outlets

Several years ago bathrooms could be wired on regular circuits. This is no longer the case, but of course older homes don;t need to be updated unless renovations or rewiring is done.

As has been pointed out, GFCI outlets can be anywhere. The basement, the garage, outside the house. It helps if you know what circuit breaker the bathroom receptacles are on, and if you know what else is on the circuit. For example, if the bathroom receptacles are on the same breaker as the basement receptacles then the logical place to look is in the basement.

I might make another suggestion. For each and every outlet (receptacles and lights), and for each electrical appliance (dishwasher, furnace, etc), determine which circuit breaker controls the electricity. Also, for each and every GFCI protected outlet, determine where the GFCI is located. As you have found out, this information can be invaluable when you lose power.

 

[jimwalker]

Re: dead outlets

My 2 cents worth.
You have found 2 gfci in the house,you did not say where but probably the kitchen .This leads me to think gfci were required at time house was built.You likely have one in the garage or out side,maybe even in laundry room.I did have a service call over one like this.I found a gfci recep in the garage and at first ruled it out.After some wasted time i found that there was a 2nd gfci in the garage behind about 100 boxes from them moving in and filling the garage from floor to ceiling.Just keep looking and you will find it hidden behind ---------

 

[ryan_618]

Re: dead outlets

The code requiring GFCI's in distinct locations has been a gradual process. With that in mind, if you could tell us when th ehouse was built, it might narrow your search a little.

 

[ephesus56ad]

Re: dead outlets

thanks guys, problem fixed.
looking through the house i found 3 gfi's, one in the kithen, one it the garage and one int the master closet(right off the master bath). the culpret was the garage, wifes bike handlebars hit the test.
i still found it odd that the garage controled the two bathrooms, they are upstairs. house was built in 1999 in plano, texas.
al

 

[cs409]

Re: dead outlets

well that clears it all up,,,,plain O electrical in Plano texas >>>>>>