Discuss No Volts on Branch Circuit in the DIY Electrical Advice area at ElectriciansForums.net

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Hello all,

As a member of various other Forums I understand that after reading the “guidance sticky” (done!) I should use search to see if others have shared my situation.

Gonna pass on that last step (the Auto-search on my question was a nice touch) and get right to it.

I have a small shed next to my home and needed an inside light and receptacle. I used metal sheathed cable and wire nuts to tap into the switched wiring at an outside lamp next to the man-door of my garage. The garage lamp, and at least one receptacle in the garage are on a 15A branch. So far, so good and lamp and receptacle in the shed worked through the garage lamp switch.

Yesterday, I plugged a table saw (1/3 HP) into the shed receptacle and turned the saw on. The blade began to spin up but suddenly went silent and slowly came to a stop. Shed light went out.

A check of the breaker in the main box showed it not tripped. Flipped it off and on several times. No joy.

In an effort to isolate the issue, I disconnected my DIY wiring between the outside lamp and the shed and found no power at the garage lamp.

I opened the breaker panel and used a meter to test for voltage at the breaker and found 125V. I also checked all other breakers in case I was not on the correct circuit, but found proper voltage up and down both sides of the panel.

I opened a receptacle box inside the garage wall from the lamp that had also gone dead and no voltage there or on a nearby receptacle.

A check of two GFCI‘s inside the garage found them to test properly and continued to test OK (Test/Reset) of the position of the aforementioned breaker.

Before I call in an electrician, what other tests can I make?

Mark Twain said, “It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you think you know, that just ain’t so.” Suspect this is going to end with a face palm...

Stumped. : (
 
Hello all,

As a member of various other Forums I understand that after reading the “guidance sticky” (done!) I should use search to see if others have shared my situation.

Gonna pass on that last step (the Auto-search on my question was a nice touch) and get right to it.

I have a small shed next to my home and needed an inside light and receptacle. I used metal sheathed cable and wire nuts to tap into the switched wiring at an outside lamp next to the man-door of my garage. The garage lamp, and at least one receptacle in the garage are on a 15A branch. So far, so good and lamp and receptacle in the shed worked through the garage lamp switch.

Yesterday, I plugged a table saw (1/3 HP) into the shed receptacle and turned the saw on. The blade began to spin up but suddenly went silent and slowly came to a stop. Shed light went out.

A check of the breaker in the main box showed it not tripped. Flipped it off and on several times. No joy.

In an effort to isolate the issue, I disconnected my DIY wiring between the outside lamp and the shed and found no power at the garage lamp.

I opened the breaker panel and used a meter to test for voltage at the breaker and found 125V. I also checked all other breakers in case I was not on the correct circuit, but found proper voltage up and down both sides of the panel.

I opened a receptacle box inside the garage wall from the lamp that had also gone dead and no voltage there or on a nearby receptacle.

A check of two GFCI‘s inside the garage found them to test properly and continued to test OK (Test/Reset) of the position of the aforementioned breaker.

Before I call in an electrician, what other tests can I make?

Mark Twain said, “It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you think you know, that just ain’t so.” Suspect this is going to end with a face palm...

Stumped. : (
Hi Steve a 15 amp breaker is to low for what you need. You probably don’t know how many loads are already on that circuit and then add a building to the equation is not good, you need a isolated 20 amp breaker with no other loads on it but your building. If you can do that your problem will go away. Welcome to the forum and good luck
 
Hi Steve a 15 amp breaker is to low for what you need. You probably don’t know how many loads are already on that circuit and then add a building to the equation is not good, you need a isolated 20 amp breaker with no other loads on it but your building. If you can do that your problem will go away. Welcome to the forum and good luck

Thanks for your reply and I agree 100% ???.

The mystery remains that even with the added branch disconnected at the tap point (Outside lamp) and power at the breaker load side, there is no voltage anywhere on the branch. Gotta check my assumptions...
 
Thanks for your reply and I agree 100% ???.

The mystery remains that even with the added branch disconnected at the tap point (Outside lamp) and power at the breaker load side, there is no voltage anywhere on the branch. Gotta check my assumptions...
I got confidence in you Steve that you will figure it out
 

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