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This started about two months ago. I went into my master bathroom, turned on the lights, and they immediately went off. Tried the switch a couple of times, nothing. The hall bathroom is on the same circuit along with a wall outlet in the master bedroom and the hall light. I tried all of them, nothing. The hall bathroom has a GFCI. I poked the test and reset switches, nothing. I checked the circuit breaker, switched it off, back on, nothing. Replaced the circuit breaker (easy, cheap), still nothing. I was working on other projects so I put up a couple of motion detector lights in the bathrooms. No biggie. I'm single, nobody to complain.

A couple of weeks later, on a routine visit to the bathroom, I forget myself and flip the light switch out of habit. The lights went on. Checked the other bathroom, lights went on. Checked the hall light and bedroom outlet, everything works.

Scratch my head. OK, once less thing I have to do.

A few weeks go by. I go to the bathroom flip the light switch and the lights go right off. Made the rounds, poked the GFCI, nothing, circuit's dead. OK, I'll get to it one of these days. Still no biggie using the motion detector lights.

Today, a little while ago, I used the hall bathroom, with the motion detector lights. I walked out of the bathroom and my brain says, "Whoa, back up, the little lights in the wall switches are on." Flipped the switch and the lights go on, as does everything else in the circuit.

Ideas, please.
 
Sounds like an ordinary bad connection, somewhere near the beginning of the circuit. A loose wirenut, a cable not quite under the head of the screw, or something like that.

Easy to find using continuity tests with an ohmmeter when it is not working, harder when it is, but a systematic search, based on the order the circuit passes through the various switches and outlets, will probably find it in the one nearest the panel.
 
Sounds like an ordinary bad connection, somewhere near the beginning of the circuit. A loose wirenut, a cable not quite under the head of the screw, or something like that.

Easy to find using continuity tests with an ohmmeter when it is not working, harder when it is, but a systematic search, based on the order the circuit passes through the various switches and outlets, will probably find it in the one nearest the panel.
I have to agree with @Lucien that somewhere in you circuit has to have a loose connection and as Lucien stated it’s probably a wire nut that’s not making a good connection. Good luck
 
I have to admit I procrastinated on this. I had other projects and the motion lights in the bathroom did fine. This week I found the suspect outlet. Not by trial and error but by accident. I plugged a cell phone charger into a wall outlet in the living room. That wall is shared by the bathrooms. As soon as I plugged it in the circuit went live. When I wiggled the plug the circuit went on and off.

When I took out the outlet I found what you see in the picture. The two black wires had slipped out of the holes in the back of the outlet. I put them back in the holes but one of them slipped right out so I am replacing the outlet it with an outlet that has screws on the sides.

First question is why does it appear that the end of one of the white wires is painted black? If not painted, is it burned? Either way, just wanted to confirm that the two disconnected black wires go on the hot side of the outlet (brass) and the other two go on the white side (silver).

Second question. When I turned off the breaker to that circuit several lights and outlets at the opposite side of the room went off. Those lights and outlets had been on all the time that the bathroom lights were off. In other words it appears that only half of the circuit was protected by the GFCI and the other half wasn't. It's as if wiring was routed from a power source through several lights and outlets and then routed to a GFCI and, in turn, routed to the bathrooms and wall. Is that what happened?

Thanks for the help.
 

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I have to admit I procrastinated on this. I had other projects and the motion lights in the bathroom did fine. This week I found the suspect outlet. Not by trial and error but by accident. I plugged a cell phone charger into a wall outlet in the living room. That wall is shared by the bathrooms. As soon as I plugged it in the circuit went live. When I wiggled the plug the circuit went on and off.

When I took out the outlet I found what you see in the picture. The two black wires had slipped out of the holes in the back of the outlet. I put them back in the holes but one of them slipped right out so I am replacing the outlet it with an outlet that has screws on the sides.

First question is why does it appear that the end of one of the white wires is painted black? If not painted, is it burned? Either way, just wanted to confirm that the two disconnected black wires go on the hot side of the outlet (brass) and the other two go on the white side (silver).

Second question. When I turned off the breaker to that circuit several lights and outlets at the opposite side of the room went off. Those lights and outlets had been on all the time that the bathroom lights were off. In other words it appears that only half of the circuit was protected by the GFCI and the other half wasn't. It's as if wiring was routed from a power source through several lights and outlets and then routed to a GFCI and, in turn, routed to the bathrooms and wall. Is that what happened?

Thanks for the help.
Arizona let me guess the white wires was the loose wires because the white Wire is burned and that part needs cutting off. It has lost its ability to conduct electricity
 
Just to add to what Megawatt said - those black wires don't look very good either, the copper is seriously tarnished and it appears to me as if the hole they came from on the back is a bit scorched.

The outlet should be replaced and all of the wires cut back a little and stripped so you have clean conductors and insulation that is not burned/brittle. If the wires are not long enough to reliably be made good then you need to get them replaced.

Poor connections are a real fire risk - even with arc-fault devices (and similar)!
 
I have to admit I procrastinated on this. I had other projects and the motion lights in the bathroom did fine. This week I found the suspect outlet. Not by trial and error but by accident. I plugged a cell phone charger into a wall outlet in the living room. That wall is shared by the bathrooms. As soon as I plugged it in the circuit went live. When I wiggled the plug the circuit went on and off.

When I took out the outlet I found what you see in the picture. The two black wires had slipped out of the holes in the back of the outlet. I put them back in the holes but one of them slipped right out so I am replacing the outlet it with an outlet that has screws on the sides.

First question is why does it appear that the end of one of the white wires is painted black? If not painted, is it burned? Either way, just wanted to confirm that the two disconnected black wires go on the hot side of the outlet (brass) and the other two go on the white side (silver).

Second question. When I turned off the breaker to that circuit several lights and outlets at the opposite side of the room went off. Those lights and outlets had been on all the time that the bathroom lights were off. In other words it appears that only half of the circuit was protected by the GFCI and the other half wasn't. It's as if wiring was routed from a power source through several lights and outlets and then routed to a GFCI and, in turn, routed to the bathrooms and wall. Is that what happened?

Thanks for the help.
Arizona the way a house is wired they are a good bit of loads on just 1 circuit it sounds like the loads that went off when you turned the breaker off which You was not having problems with was ahead of the receptacle where you was having problems. That’s the answer to your question.
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Replaced the outlet. Stripped back the wires for clean ends. All fixed.
Thanks.

Still curious about my second question.
As far as GFCI protection goes it’s job is Kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms. Your whole house is not GFCI protected, it should be AFCI protected but if it wasn’t built be before 2014 Then your house is not AFCI protected.
 
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Resurrecting this thread because it just happened again after a year and a half with no problems.

Easy to find using continuity tests with an ohmmeter when it is not working,

I know about continuity, resistance and how to use an ohmmeter in general.

How would I use it to check an outlet?

As always, thanks for your help.
 
Resurrecting this thread because it just happened again after a year and a half with no problems.



I know about continuity, resistance and how to use an ohmmeter in general.

How would I use it to check an outlet?

As always, thanks for your help.
Well you know about your wiring and what’s on that particular circuit. Start opening up the switches and receptacles because you probably have the same problem just somewhere else. Good luck
 
Is it possible that some items on that circuit are working while the rest of the circuit is not?

See diagram. Forgive me for not using proper symbols. I made the diagram in a hurry.

The porch and entry lights work, the switched outlet on the front wall works. They are all part of the circuit with dead outlets as they went off when I turned off the breaker for that circuit.




Haunted circuit Breaker 5 Circuit - EletriciansForums.net
 
Anybody?

Regarding my last question.
My friend by looking at your diagram and it was me I would start at the first receptacles in the living room. Turn off the power and take those 2 receptacles out of the wall and check for proper connections. I still believe that you have a neutral problem. Every thing that is dead needs to be opened to find your problem but looking at your drawing I would have to guess that your problem is in your living room receptacles. Good luck
 
I'm back. This was put aside for a while and I'm back to it. I started with the wall outlet right around the corner from the switches. In the photo of the wall switches, the switch to the right, with two red wires, controls the wall outlet.

I think the wall outlet might be the problem. As I took it out one of the wires was loose and another slipped right out of the back.

Second photo. Why 5 wires (not counting ground)? Is this an outlet where the top part was switched and the bottom stayed live and continued to the rest of the circuit?

I think the two wires that came loose may be black and got coated when the drywall was sprayed.

The third photo shows which side of the box the wires are entering.

How would I wire a new outlet (using the terminals of course) for either of the following options?

1 - Half the outlet switched. The other half live and going to the rest of the circuit.

2 - Entire outlet switched. Power bypassing the outlet and going to the rest of the circuit.

Haunted circuit Wall Switches - EletriciansForums.netHaunted circuit Switched Outlet - EletriciansForums.netHaunted circuit Switched Outlet Inside Box - EletriciansForums.net
 

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