# No Power to Garage GFCI?



## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

DoctorZinsco said:


> Working on a large house, and one section of the garage has lost all receptacle power including the garage doors. Everything appears to be downstream of the only GFCI in this area. I am assuming because this is a newer house (built 2000) that the garage receptacle home run goes into this GFCI. There are two 12/2s going to this GFCI. they both go up. There is another floor above the garage, so there is no attic to go in and follow the wires
> 
> The panel schedule has been altered and I doubt it's accuracy. I have gone nuts trying to find the problem and the homeowner is very upset. I have tried every obvious thing, including testing voltage at all the breakers. There are two plugs that still work in this part of the garage; one is a single plug for a water softener, and another is a duplex in the water heater closet; i believe these are separate circuits, and the plug in the closet has a copper water pipe in front of it that makes it almost impossible to access.
> 
> ...


As an Apprentice are you doing a side Job? or are you doing this for your Boss, a qualified Journeyman Electrician should be working with you.

Is there power at the GFCI? but not after, you could simply have a bad GFCI or a GFCI that is miss-wired---is there power in one of the 12/2's?


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## DoctorZinsco (Feb 28, 2015)

Journeyman was busy with bathroom lights and assigned this to me. We had to reschedule to finish the garage. There is no power to the GFCI at all.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

DoctorZinsco said:


> Journeyman was busy with bathroom lights and assigned this to me. We had to reschedule to finish the garage. There is no power to the GFCI at all.


What is above the Garage?


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## DoctorZinsco (Feb 28, 2015)

playroom/bar accessible from the main part of the house. plugs in that room are wired in 14 off of the lighting circuit.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

DoctorZinsco said:


> playroom/bar accessible from the main part of the house. plugs in that room are wired in 14 off of the lighting circuit.


What is behind the wall of the playroom?


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## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

Hook a toner to it and see if you can trace it. I bet it is fed from another GFCI receptacle that it open, or you have a breaker open.


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## jarhead0531 (Jun 1, 2010)

Biggest mistake rookies make is assuming that gfi isn't being fed from another gfi someplace else in the house. 

It is real simple to check this. Ohm out between the neutral and ground on your line side, if it is open you have a gfi upstream that is still tripped. If the neutral has continuity with ground no gfi upstream and you have a break in the hot someplace. For me this is ALWAYS the first test on exterior/garage/bathroom/kitchen outlets.

Hope that helps.


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## JohnJ65 (May 8, 2008)

jarhead0531 said:


> Biggest mistake rookies make is assuming that gfi isn't being fed from another gfi someplace else in the house.
> 
> It is real simple to check this. Ohm out between the neutral and ground on your line side, if it is open you have a gfi upstream that is still tripped. If the neutral has continuity with ground no gfi upstream and you have a break in the hot someplace. For me this is ALWAYS the first test on exterior/garage/bathroom /kitchen outlets.
> 
> Hope that helps.


That is some great troubleshooting advice that I have never though to use. Thank you.


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## farmantenna (Nov 22, 2012)

Like others have said. use a tracer and look for a wire with a grounded neutral.that's the homerun or the feed from the panel. If you don't have a grounded neutral you don't a feed or gfci stopped it.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Doctor Zinsco? Damn that is a brand most people look to forget. 
Did you run continuity test between N &G at the cables in the Gfci box? That alone will tell you if the HR is connected at panel or if the 9" sawzall blade the HVAC helper used to cut in a register destroyed. It.


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## grahamgerad5 (Mar 3, 2015)

Hello 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

Any update on this? I would hate for it just be a drive-by.


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## Meadow (Jan 14, 2011)

ibtl


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## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

Ok, it's Wednesday and no update on this. Did the customer fire the OP?:001_huh:


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

aftershockews said:


> Any update on this? I would hate for it just be a drive-by.


Drive by- walking past others excreting gas.


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

To the OP:

You are in over your head and need to get your j-man on this. Observe and learn for future reference. 

Thread closed.


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