Outside Plugins

[Prototype]

So, my outside plugins don't work. My Christmas lights are up, but not on. My cars are plugged in, but I don't think they're getting any juice.

In talking with my dad, there's supost to be an orange switch on the breaker, which is some sort of ground so that in the humid summer, it doesn't short out the breaker... or something to that extent.

Mine doesn't have said orange switch. Should I just replace the breaker that I have with one that has it, cause in the process of elimination, I think it's the pannel and not anything else.

Ideas? Anyone experience something like this?

[ken0042]

Fata!
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=66231

Naw, just teasing you. But as mentioned in that thread, you don't have a ground fault on that circuit anywhere do you?

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Prototype

So, my outside plugins don't work. My Christmas lights are up, but not on. My cars are plugged in, but I don't think they're getting any juice.

In talking with my dad, there's supost to be an orange switch on the breaker, which is some sort of ground so that in the humid summer, it doesn't short out the breaker... or something to that extent.

Mine doesn't have said orange switch. Should I just replace the breaker that I have with one that has it, cause in the process of elimination, I think it's the pannel and not anything else.

Ideas? Anyone experience something like this?

Your breaker has probably popped. Sometimes they are visually hard to tell if they've popped.
I suggest you manually switch every breaker to the off position and then switch it back on. ie.. off-on and then go to the next one and then off-on again, etc., etc.

[Prototype]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Your breaker has probably popped. Sometimes they are visually hard to tell if they've popped.
I suggest you manually switch every breaker to the off position and then switch it back on. ie.. off-on and then go to the next one and then off-on again, etc., etc.

You mean, every breaker in the house? There's one labled "Outside Plugs", and I've flicked those ones off and on a few times already. I guess doing the others isn't going to hurt anything.

And Ken, my bad... I thought this was a random enough event, as it's never happened to me before... LOL.

There is no ground 'button' that I can see on it, and I don't know what type of switch/breaker it is. Maybe I'll take pics when I get home to help out the situation.

[Nancy]

Check all of your outside outlets. One of them will have a reset button on it that will reset all of the plugs. Usually, eletricians cheap out and don't put a GFCI breaker in the panel as it is cheaper just to use a GFCI outlet.

EDIT: It'll look something like this.

[Prototype]

Originally Posted by fotze

Look around for another outside plug, also and electrician buddy of mine said that sometimes a basement circuit is wired to the outside plugs, so try finding one of the GFCI plugs in the basement and reset it.

So what you're saying is that my downstairs bathroom outlet buttons could reset my outside outlets?

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Prototype

So what you're saying is that my downstairs bathroom outlet buttons could reset my outside outlets?

Yup.

I was losing my mind a few months back because my dishwasher just wouldn't come on...tested lines and no juice whatsoever.

re-set every breaker in the house I could find.

I was about to call an electrician when a friend came by and I happened to mention the problem to him....he walked OUTSIDE and reset a breaker by the front door and voila...all was well.

Strangest damn thing i have even seen.

[Old Yeller]

I have what looks like a GFCI outlet right below my breaker box, only it's got no plugin just that little reset button.

It took me a good couple of months to realize it was the breaker for the outside plugs.

[REDVAN]

So is it working yet? Or are you at work and won't know?

[Prototype]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

So is it working yet? Or are you at work and won't know?

Sadly still at work... will post any results, or lack there of in a few hours.

[Prototype]

Oh, CP... how you've done it again!

The backdoor outlet (paging Dr. Fotze) had the breaker reset on it. Worked like a charm. The bad news, in all of my christmas light shananagins, I ripped a bunch of my lights off the front of the house. I guess the plastic clips that hold them up don't stand up to -27 degree weather. So still no lights, for now, but atleast I know they work.