is not working. These devices are included in the outlet to reduce the possibility of electrocution. The circuit that the outlet is on my have been tripped. That is because it is physically connected to the grounding (or earthing) system at one point only, and that is at the main service entrance panel. I read through the dead outlet pinned post, with no luck. This is a dangerous situation that requires the immediate attention of a professional electrician like Mr. Electric. I have flipped the breaker numerous times. A tripped breaker will typically have a little “give” to it rather than feeling solid. When I test the outlet I’m only getting about 15 volts of power on the VOM, Volt Ohm Meter. Now you can see how that neutral wire can be as dangerous as the hot wires in a circuit. Total of 6 outlets not working, breaker not tripped. With the circuit open because of a bad or broken connection, the neutral can have a full 120v (the supply) on it as referenced to ground. Allot of todays breakers don’t show when they have tripped. The voltage from each hot conductor as referenced to ground (or neutral) is 120v. Do they go bad or could this be what is knocking out the whole circuit? Usually, the fix is a simple flip of a switch, and the lights are back on. You push the tripped breaker switch toward the Off position firmly ; It springs back to the middle tripped position; What to do: Call an electrician right away. After all, us electricians need to keep some of our knowledge a secret, or you wouldn’t look to us as the genius’ that we really are! Keep them coming! Note that here the meter is checking from neutral to ground, and is now showing 120v. Then switch them back on. Step 4: Check the breaker panel. Did not kick breaker off. How to Fix a Non-Working Electrical Outlet . That is why it is so important not to work on any circuit that is energized! Here is a diagram showing what happens if the neutral path is broken, and the reading on a meter when checking from neutral to ground. If it turns out the circuit breaker hasn't been tripped, then you may be dealing with a more difficult problem. One wall in the kitchen is not working for some reason. Then a system of grounding (or earthing) conductors (bare copper, or green)  is used throughout all the circuits to provide a path for fault currents (should a problem with the intended path occur) back to earth, tripping the breaker. Are the electrical outlets not working in one room? You can tell if your outlet has a GFCI by the presence of a "Test" button and a "Reset" button. A random passing event such as a power surge can cause a GFCI to trip. However you can tell this by physically pushing on each breaker handle to see if there is any “play” in the handle. You should be particularly concerned that this is the problem if you have had recent work done on the outlet, the wall around it, or anywhere else on your home's electrical system. Electricity is Off but Circuit Breaker Isn't Tripped When the lights go out in one or more rooms or in a series of electrical outlets, the culprit is sometimes a circuit breaker or a fuse has blown. Referring to the question of the receptacle not working, but the breaker is on, and the hot and the neutral side of his receptacle showed 120v, you can see here that checking anywhere on the neutral conductors ahead of the break in the circuit will show a reading of at or near 120 volts, the same potential that will be on the hot side of the circuit. In this way you will know which one is the cause of the overload. So here it goes, an attempt to explain the neutral conductor, without going too deep into electrical theory. It is a rare occurrence, which is one reason why a situation where there is no power and the circuit breaker is not tripped can be puzzling at first. Hello: I had several outlets on the same circuit not working but the breaker was not tripped. Did that work? Hit the "Test" button, then the Reset" button, on each of them and keep going back to find out if this has fixed your problem. They seem fairly, well, “neutral.” Yet I’ve heard electricians say they rather have a run-in with a “hot” lead than the neutral leg (“return”) of a hot, in-use circuit. Tripped breakers will be in between the ON and OFF position. 2. Then switch them back on. If one of the wires or contacts in the outlet, or in the wiring to or from the outlet, is broken, there isn't a complete path for the electricity to travel. I often wonder why the neutral has no voltage although a circuit is energised. This is a line diagram to help simplify the circuit. A tripped circuit breaker is typically the result of a temporary overload in the circuit. Once all of the power has been restored, return to the area and plug in one appliance or device at a time. I have a plug that went out. Bad main or sub main depending on panel style. I usually start at the closest outlet to the breaker panel that is not working if that one is good the last working one on that circuit. My breaker tripped., House, 8 replies Electrical Question! Could you explain the “Neutral” in a circuit as opposed to the ground ? The other possible cause is loose wiring. Make sure the "Test" and "Reset" buttons aren't the root of your outlet's failure to provide power.. Electrical Online: Electrical Outlet Doesn’t Work and Breaker Isn’t Tripped, The Circuit Detective: GFCI Outlets in Homes, Living With My Home: Electrical Outlet Problems. Recently a storm rolled through and knocked out some stuff at my house. Angie’s List member George Umezawa chose to be safe rather than sorry when he hired Power Up Electric in Los Angeles to replace six two-prong electrical outlets in his 1957 home. Specifically, if your GFCI outlet won’t reset, it may be because it is damaged or you have a tripped one. There are a number of different reasons why an outlet will stop functioning without tripping the breaker. In such a case, the outlet will not work even though it has not tripped the circuit breaker. I did find two more outlets not working on the exterior of my house. For some reason this circuit has two GFCI outlets on it. When the GFCI senses a current leak, it disconnects the terminals inside the outlet, cutting off power to it. One of the most common problems within a home’s electrical system is that of a tripped circuit breaker. Meter should read 120v from hot to ground and neutral in normal conditions. In most homes, you have a 120/240V system. Any appliance or lamp plugged into the receptacle will not work either. What went wrong? You checked to make sure the appliance is plugged in, the device is switched on and the circuit breaker is not tripped, and yet the appliance is not receiving power. It is possible that the reset button on the GFCI is broken or that the wiring inside the GFCI is broken. Go open your circuit breaker panel and look for a breaker that is tripped. 1. If an outlet doesn’t work, it could be because the GFCI outlet tripped. Step 1 - Check Circuit Breakers Again Many times a circuit breaker needs reset even if it doesn’t look like it has flipped. But occasionally, the circuit breaker won’t reset or keeps tripping. Here shows what reading you should get from neutral to ground under normal conditions. Answer: The first thing to do is to unplug everything that is plugged into all the outlets that do not have power. The voltage between the two hot wires is 240, a sum of the voltage of the two hot wires. Another reason why your electrical outlets do not work could be that there are numerous wires under the wire nut. If you complete the circuit with your fingers, or from your hand, through parts of your body to ground ………. Some of them require the attention of a professional … If a step does not work, go to the next step. This is one problem you should call a professional for, because it could be one or more many different things. Another easy solution that might apply when your circuit breaker is on but there is no power to its corresponding outlets is to check the GFCI reset button. If the tripped breaker won't reset without tripping again, there could be a potentially dangerous short circuit or ground fault condition. You just became a part of the live circuit! 2. overloaded main or sub main breaker. Sometimes a GFCI in one outlet is responsible for protecting several other outlets further down the line from it. With the switch for the light closed, the voltage feeds through the filament of the light bulb, and (loads) the neutral, but with a broken connection, and no complete path, the light does not work. Checking from neutral to ground in these normal conditions should read at or near zero volts. If the outage has gone farther than a single wall and into an entire room, you’re going to want to again take a look first at your breaker box and see if the room in question has been tripped. Let's try to narrow things down quickly. If there is – that’s your tripped breaker. Many modern electrical power outlets are equipped with ground-fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs. Proceed sequentially through these steps. You have a common troubleshooting problem and the one with the most possibilities. If not, continue on. Jason Thompson has been self-employed as a freelance writer since 2007. The neutral is referred to as the “grounded” conductor. Backstory: Last year around this time, we had Christmas lights plugged into the outlet on our front porch (home built in 1977, this outlet is very old,) and one day the lights stopped working. This is the situation where a neutral conductor can give you a shock! Kitchen Outlet Problems Electrical Question: On a 110 volt circuit the circuit breaker is not tripped, but appliances won’t work.. Sometimes the breakers may not look like they've tripped but they actually have. Lights and outlets out, no tripped circuit breakers, House, 27 replies Lose Power for 1/2 hour, no breaker tripped - Thoughts?, House, 17 replies Anyone with an electric free standing range? Push the "Test" button to ensure power has been shut off to the outlet; then press the "Reset" button to restore power. Ok, first let me say I am by no means a professional videographer. This GFI outlet may be found outside or it may be in the garage. This will make sure that the breaker is on and sending power to its outlets. Had an electrician come out and he tested the breakers but all seemed to be fine. 2 – Go back to your panel and double check to be sure it did not trip. If you don't see a tripped breaker, firmly press every breaker to the "off" position. So, what can you do if your circuit breaker won’t reset? Although nuts are designed just to cover wire cables, some electricians make the wire nuts into a conductor between wires. I’ve never understood why, and I think that a lot of people think you can’t get hurt by a neutral conductor…thought an elaboration on this might be a beneficial thing for you to post on your site. Barbara, because the outlets are outdoor and the circuit breaker is not tripped then I would suspect that there is a GFI outlet somewhere that is tripped off. When an electrical outlet or a circuit doesn’t work, but the breaker is not tripped, the problem is likely with a neutral connection. Sometimes the breaker may not have fully tripped to the other side so you may need to check each breaker in turn. If this fails to work, or if your outlet does not have a GFCI, then you need to look at other outlets. If it turns out the circuit breaker hasn't been tripped, then you may be dealing with a more difficult problem. If the breaker is not tripped, turn it off and open each receptacle and remove them from the wall boxes. However, in some cases the breaker or fuse may seem fine, and even if you reset the circuit breaker the circuit is … There are a number of different reasons why an outlet will stop functioning without tripping the breaker. If an electrical outlet in your home has suddenly stopped working, your first instinct is probably to check the circuit breaker that it is connected to. Your circuit breaker will probably need to be replaced. Lights off but breaker not tripped., House, 15 replies arc breakers, House, 18 replies [Picture of tripped breaker?] James, you said your breaker is not tripping, but if your resetting your main breaker to get things working again, that means it is tripping. (NOTE: This voltage can vary by 5% either way). And are those 6 receptacles the only ones on the breaker, or are there more that still have power? I have had many questions regarding this very situation over the years, and here are some examples of questions received recently. Of course, the issue might not be the GFCI at all. If your lights are dimming or flickering after turning on a large appliance (but your circuit breaker has not tripped), this could mean the voltage in your household is not up to standard. Electrical issue, breakers not tripped but outlets dead. As a sometime-electrical-do-it-yourselfer, you see those white neutral lines in your breaker box or behind your light switch boxes or outlets. Nearly all electrical outlet problems can be solved by one of these five steps. He didn't have time to trouble shoot further since it was Sat. You are at increased risk for damaged wiring, appliances, and electrical fires without a properly working circuit breaker. In the case of a broken neutral, checking the outlet with a meter or a neon voltage tester from hot to neutral would not show voltage. What would most likely be the reason for this? In order to reset the GFCI outlet, you’ll have to identify which outlet was tripped. But in rare cases, a loose wire in the electrical … When an electrical outlet or a circuit doesn’t work, but the breaker is not tripped, the problem is likely with a neutral connection. – Terry Peterman, the Internet Electrician. Under normal conditions not a problem, but with a poor or broken connection, a problem! This system  incorporates two hot legs (red wire and black wire), and a grounded neutral (white) wire. Thanks for all your questions! Several electrical items in your home are not working. I’ll attempt to answer as many as I can through various means, either a quick answer on my blog, or if the answer warrants a full post with diagrams, I’ll create a post or video on the website. I've reset every breaker and the main breaker. If an electrical outlet in your home has suddenly stopped working, your first instinct is probably to check the circuit breaker that it is connected to. A circuit breaker, the connecting wire and appliance, however, are all components of a simple circuit that you … ZAP. If a reset there does not work, look next for a GFCI outlet and hit the reset button. Here is a diagram of a simple circuit, and what a meter should read when connected in the circuit checking from hot to ground. Q: When I plugged my cell phone charger into a kitchen outlet, my phone didn’t start charging as it normally does—rather, it seemed that this one electrical outlet was not working. A plug tester should indicate an  ‘”open neutral” condition. – mmathis Jan 9 '18 at 13:15. In some cases, you might have trouble finding this outlet. I made this video in hope to help someone find out why their outlets may not be working. Wiring Diagrams and Grounding – READ THIS FIRST. Then reset the designated (and hopefully labeled) kitchen breaker in the breaker box by turning it off and then on again. That is why you can have a situation where the breaker is supplying power to the circuit, but the outlet (receptacle, light, appliance, etc.) In order to re-set it, turn it all the way off – then back on again in order to restore power. And finally, this is the question that prompted me to do a bit of an educational post explaining the role of the neutral conductor in a circuit. Also, if you identify a GFCI outlet not working, it may be the reason why multiple outlets are out. Others you can do yourself. I have had many questions regarding this very situation over the years, and … I checked the breaker and it is not tripped. Electrical Outlet Doesn’t Work and Breaker isn’t Tripped. This is one of those ‘tried and true’ tools of the trade that electricians can’t imagine doing their job without. What Would Cause a Wall Outlet to Not Work?. As to your question, there is for the most part two locations to look for any power issues: #1) the first location anyone should look is the fuse box, it could be a tripped breaker if 120 volts and a blown fuse if 12 volt is the issue, then #2) this is the one most if not all miss, THE GFI OUTLET. This is a line diagram of  this condition. When checking for voltage, always check from hot to neutral, hot to ground, and neutral to ground to be sure. That did not fix my problem. The neutral, grounded conductor is as important to the circuit working properly as is the hot wire, so if the neutral path is broken, the circuit is incomplete. Turn off the circuit breaker connected to the faulty area of the home and turn it back on. Some of them require the attention of a professional electrician. In this case it will have to be repaired or, more likely, replaced. "If you're looking for a good reference to help you understand simple home wiring, I personally recommend 'The Basics of Household Wiring' DVD". Electrical Outlet or Electrical Receptacle, Video: Common Electrical Outlet Problems, Video: Understanding Electrical Outlet Wire Colors. GFCI Outlet Not Working. Contact an electrician for help with this work if you do not have proper electrical wiring training. And now the hot and common leads are both putting out 120 volts? evening and will be back Mon. If you find that electricity is now available through those outlets, the problem is solved. Check the GFCI Reset Button. In some cases, the faulty appliance or device will short the power out again. When a wall outlet doesn't work, there are two possible reasons: a bad connection or a tripped breaker. See if any of the following sounds like your situation. He has written advertisements, book and video game reviews, technical articles and thesis papers. Look in other rooms, closets, hallways and anywhere else you might have a GFCI . The GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) is identifiable as an outlet with reset and test buttons. If this does not help – move onto step 3. Sometimes a breaker will look like it is not tripped but in reality it is. He started working with Mechanical Turk and then started contracting with individuals and companies directly via the Web. Then go through each breaker, turning them off and back on. When you find an electrical outlet not working, it's not only frustrating — it can also be an indicator of a more serious problem. The latest in my series of ‘Internet Electrician’ E-Books covers the use of a digital multi meter. 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