View Full Version : Housing Electrical help
tmleadr03
06-12-2012, 19:51
If only it ran on 12V I would be OK. The outlet and light in my garage are dead. This means I am running an extension cord to my garage door opener to get in and out. It is the suck. I pulled the plate off the switch and outlet and I see 1.2V on the wires. Or nothing. Considering this is a 120V system I think it is a bit low. What is my next step? I flipped all the breakers and that changed nothing.
Four wheels and 12V and I would be fine. This housing stuff? Bleech.
Great-Kazoo
06-12-2012, 19:57
If only it ran on 12V I would be OK. The outlet and light in my garage are dead. This means I am running an extension cord to my garage door opener to get in and out. It is the suck. I pulled the plate off the switch and outlet and I see 1.2V on the wires. Or nothing. Considering this is a 120V system I think it is a bit low. What is my next step? I flipped all the breakers and that changed nothing.
Four wheels and 12V and I would be fine. This housing stuff? Bleech.
Check the circuit breaker then do a reset. It may have tripped and not all the way to off as a lot do.
Regarding the 1.2V is your multimeter on the right setting?
First thing is test hot to neutral. If you get nothing you dropped a neutral. Test hot to ground what do you get.
Check the circuit breaker then do a reset. It may have tripped and not all the way to off as a lot do.
Regarding the 1.2V is your multimeter on the right setting?
Didn't think of this. 1.2V. Is your meter set right?
God, I probably can't be much help here either. 4 wheels and 12 volts myself. It's cheap just to try and replace the switch and or outlet from
Home Depot, but stay away from Bed Bath & Beyond unless you have time.[ROFL1]
As for the low voltage reading I would think some wiring end somewhere has a shitty or dirty connection if the other 2 options don't help.
Check and see if you have a gfci on the same circut. If you do, check and make sure it is on. and not tripped.
Check and see if you have a gfci on the same circut. If you do, check and make sure it is on. and not tripped.
This. I've seen the garages and bathrooms on the shared circuits.
tmleadr03
06-12-2012, 21:09
Didn't think of this. 1.2V. Is your meter set right?
Set to "Auto" and showing 1.2V. I will check again. Fluke 88V for referance. Hard to mess up settings on that one, part of why I bought it.
Set to "Auto" and showing 1.2V. I will check again. Fluke 88V for referance. Hard to mess up settings on that one, part of why I bought it.
meters AC and not DC right silly question especially as a fellow tech but you never know.
This. I've seen the garages and bathrooms on the shared circuits.
+1, check all the GFCI outlets in your garage.....
I am no electriction but after checking the breaker, maybe something like this to test $4 at Home depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/145/08/0856ace9-cc94-427a-82b5-2ed5bbb3c7f1_145.jpg
tmleadr03
06-12-2012, 22:35
meters AC and not DC right silly question especially as a fellow tech but you never know.
Wavy line not dashed. But yes I checked that after I got the reading. It has been known to happen.
Great-Kazoo
06-12-2012, 22:58
Set on A or ma? also correct ~v setting as there are 2~ settings. usually when you read 1.2 the setting is incorrect.
tmleadr03
06-13-2012, 07:19
You guys are killing me. Honest, I know how to run a DMM.[ROFL1][Coffee]
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/tmleadr03/20120613_071003.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/tmleadr03/20120613_071011.jpg
And now I have 1.9V for some reason. Between ground and the other three wires. Between the other wires I get nothing.
You guys are killing me. Honest, I know how to run a DMM.[ROFL1][Coffee]
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/tmleadr03/20120613_071003.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/tmleadr03/20120613_071011.jpg
And now I have 1.9V for some reason. Between ground and the other three wires. Between the other wires I get nothing.
Is it just the garage that is dead? 1.9V hot to ground means you have a faulty hot wire somewhere. Turn off that breaker and start opening anything that is dead.
Great-Kazoo
06-13-2012, 07:42
You guys are killing me. Honest, I know how to run a DMM.[ROFL1][Coffee]
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/tmleadr03/20120613_071003.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/tmleadr03/20120613_071011.jpg
And now I have 1.9V for some reason. Between ground and the other three wires. Between the other wires I get nothing.
You asked.
ghettodub
06-13-2012, 07:59
My brother is an electrician if you need one; his name is Rich
303-919-1709
tmleadr03
06-13-2012, 08:02
You asked.
Agreed. Which is why I am laughing. I just keep hoping someone will post up a solution that does not involve me climbing into the attic and digging through the insulation. I do not like crawling around in blown in insulation.[Bang] But I am reasonably certain it is that or hire someone.
Great-Kazoo
06-13-2012, 08:07
Agreed. Which is why I am laughing. I just keep hoping someone will post up a solution that does not involve me climbing into the attic and digging through the insulation. I do not like crawling around in blown in insulation.[Bang] But I am reasonably certain it is that or hire someone.
Like auto repair, sometimes it is easier to ask how much and how long vs doing it yourself. You might try bartering some sparky for it:)
tmleadr03
06-13-2012, 08:09
Like auto repair, sometimes it is easier to ask how much and how long vs doing it yourself. You might try bartering some sparky for it:)
True, and I know what I think when people do their own repairs on electrical. Nothing sticks in my mind quite as well as the guy who had AC issues and hard wired a home extension cord from the battery to the AC compressor clutch... Cut the heads off and spliced it right in...
Agreed. Which is why I am laughing. I just keep hoping someone will post up a solution that does not involve me climbing into the attic and digging through the insulation. I do not like crawling around in blown in insulation.[Bang] But I am reasonably certain it is that or hire someone.
I wouldn't want to climb in the attic either. I would open all devices in that circuit first.
tmleadr03
06-13-2012, 08:26
I wouldn't want to climb in the attic either. I would open all devices in that circuit first.
The light switch controls the overhead light in the garage. Power feed comes from the crawl space (guessing here, cars have wiring diagrams houses do not damn it). I have checked the outlets in the kitchen and they are all working. I supposed I should check the three rooms closest to the garage before hitting up the attic. My master bed and bathroom and living room as well.
The light switch controls the overhead light in the garage. Power feed comes from the crawl space (guessing here, cars have wiring diagrams houses do not damn it). I have checked the outlets in the kitchen and they are all working. I supposed I should check the three rooms closest to the garage before hitting up the attic. My master bed and bathroom and living room as well.
One other thing you can check before doing the attic crawl. Open the panel and test the breaker.
Danceswithwires
06-13-2012, 08:34
Check for continuety between the ground and neutral, if you have it that shows the neutral is likely intact. You should not have to go into the attic unless there is a j box up there which has a failed splice in it, when was the house built? Did you look in the garage, bathroom, unfinished basement, and outside outlets for a tripped gfi as stated earlier? The 1.something voltage you see is likely a phantom reading and meaningless.
tmleadr03
06-13-2012, 08:35
One other thing you can check before doing the attic crawl. Open the panel and test the breaker.
I flipped every single breaker I have. Not just eyeballed, but turned off and turned back on to make sure none were just a little popped. Insert sad smilie here.
I flipped every single breaker I have. Not just eyeballed, but turned off and turned back on to make sure none were just a little popped. Insert sad smilie here.
Any outside GFCI? And by test breaker I mean open panel and check voltage leaving breaker.
68Charger
06-13-2012, 08:41
One other thing you can check before doing the attic crawl. Open the panel and test the breaker.
This- you started at one end, and don't want to go to the middle because it sucks...[Coffee]
so try starting from the other end- but you'll have to know which breaker it is (or test them all)
If it's not the 1st stop after the breaker, it could be a junction in another outlet box. Highly unlikely it's in the attic/crawlspace- rodents will chew wire insulation, but they're not so fond of copper... is there a GFCI outlet in the chain (I've got an outlet or 2 in the garage that are daisy-chained after a GFCI in the laundry/utility room)
tmleadr03
06-13-2012, 08:41
Any outside GFCI? And by test breaker I mean open panel and check voltage leaving breaker.
Ah, no I did not do that. No idea about outside GFCI.
Remember it is probably not on its own circuit the gfci may be in the bathroom or elsewhere
tmleadr03
06-14-2012, 11:55
Thank you everyone, GFI in the Master Bath was popped. Everything all better now and no crawling in the attic. Thank you everyone!
Expect a bill in the mail.
tmleadr03
06-14-2012, 14:21
Expect a bill in the mail.
[ROFL1]
Well played!
Agreed. Which is why I am laughing. I just keep hoping someone will post up a solution that does not involve me climbing into the attic and digging through the insulation. I do not like crawling around in blown in insulation.[Bang] But I am reasonably certain it is that or hire someone.
I did, you didn't pay heed to it..
[ROFL1]
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