no power to outside outlets

[2ndchance]

Good morning all,
I have a 15 y.o. oleander model. I have two outside outlets that are without power running to them. We are in this house for over a year and this is the first time I tried using them to no avail. I tried clicking the breaker marked outside several times and still no power. A neighbor came over and checked the outlet inside the garage with a default switch and we cycled that a couple times and no change. Am I missing something? Is there such a thing as a bad or defective breaker? I'm stumped.
Mike

[leftyf]

Somewhere there is a GFI controlling all outside outlets. Try to find it and reset it.

[virgind]

Ck the GFI in the garage.

[jsw14]

Hmm, start with one outlet & take it out. Test the wires for power. It could be just the outlet is bad....

[Bonnevie]

same thing happened to me and the kind people of this forum told me to check in my garage where there is a gfi outlet that also controls the outside ones. I just reset it and all was fine.

[2ndchance]

I found the gfi outlet in the garage and cycled it a couple times and still no power. Can that gfi ever go bad?

[New Englander]

Look closely at the outside outlets. Sometimes they have a GFI reset button on them.

[debow]

Sounds like the GFI needs replaced.

[Henryk]

If you're certain you found the GFI in the garage.. When you try to reset it, does it immediately trip again? If so, did you recently plug in something new? (I bought an outdoor extension cord that was defective when new. Tripped the GFI each time I plugged it in.) You could try unplugging everything from outdoors and see if one thing trips when you put it in.

Is it possible you have an outlet that is wet outdoors? My neighbor's doorbell was waterlogged after Irma.

Finally, can you define "reset?" Sometimes the reset needs a little force with a blunt instrument, like the handle of a spoon. Don't push too hard!

[villagetinker]

OP, there may be more than one GFCI in the garage, our house has 3 of them. Double check all of them. There will be 2 buttons, one labeled TEST and one labeled RESET. Push the TEST first, then the RESET. You should hear a click when the GFCI resets. If you do not hear a click, the GFCI did not reset, check the breakers (see below). Try plugging in a known good lamp to confirm the GFCI is working.
Yes, circuit breakers do occasionally go bad. When you reset the breaker, make sure you move the handle all the way to the OFF position, and then on the ON position, you should hear and feel a click as the breaker closes in to the closed position.
As noted above, if you got a lots of water in an outdoor outlet, it may be so wet that it is tripping the GFCI immediately.
Also, your outside Post lamp is on a GFCI, which might be the same GFCI as the outdoor outlets. There have been many problems reported with post lamps. NOTE: if you post light is working, this is not the problem.
Send me a PM with your phone number and I will try to give you additional help.

[Ooper]

The outlets may not be fed from a GFCI outlet. I have GFCI circuit breakers in my garage that feed the outside outlets. Check your breaker panel to see if you have any GFCI's in there and also to see if they are tripped.

[Bavarian]

The GFCI Breaker can go bad, I have had to replace them. Depends on how long the circuit was wet, like in a flood. (or previously, snow)

[2ndchance]

The outlet with the gfi has power. When I press test there is no power at the outlet. After I reset it the power returns to the gfi outlet. My front yard lite has power to it and works perfectly. There is no gfi on the outdoor outlets.

[New Englander]

Try contacting the villagetinker. He is very good with electrical issues. He said he would help.

[kansasr]

Yes, a GFI can go bad...I have had to have one replaced in my garage that was on the same circuit as my outside boxes.

[photo1902]

And on a side note, not all post lights are on a GFCI circuit.

[redwitch]

Not all outside circuits are controlled by the garage gfi. Check them all. I know of more than house where the gfi for the outside is in one of the bathrooms.

[ajbrown]

Deleted by Alan. I missed that OP already tried garage outlet in an earlier post.

[skip0358]

There are 2 gfci in my garage .one for the lamp post and one for the outside outlets.- Hope this helps

[Henryk]

The outlet with the gfi has power. When I press test there is no power at the outlet. After I reset it the power returns to the gfi outlet. My front yard lite has power to it and works perfectly. There is no gfi on the outdoor outlets.

All the GFI-type outlets are on one GFI--at least for my house. The bathroom, kitchen and outdoor GFIs for my house are on the "resetable" on in the garage. Very strange...

[DangeloInspections]

As others have stated, this is typically because a GFCI needs to be reset. There are always two or more in the garage. There is often one in the Lanai or one of the other outside receptacles. Every so often, there is instead a gfci breaker in the panelbox.

If all of these were checked, then you may need to replace or at a minimum check the conductors to the individual outlets. If you are not comfortable in doing so, you may wish to contact an electrician to track it down and repair or replace as needed. That being said, Villagetinker is a wonderful, helpful person.

Frank D.

[Retiring]

Just a word of caution. GFIs are very “fragile,” play with the buttons too much and they will need to be replaced.

[2ndchance]

Just got back from Italian fest, which was excellent. Right before the wife and I left for the fest I pulled the gfi outlet in the garage. I disconnected the two black wires and put them together in a wirenut and taped it. I then did the same with the two whites. I went outside with the radio plugged it in and nothing,nada and zip,dead. This in effect direct wired the circuit. So what I'm getting from that is the gfi outlet is good. Tomorrow I will pull the two outside outlets and see what's up. Any other suggestions?
Mike

[jsw14]

Just got back from Italian fest, which was excellent. Right before the wife and I left for the fest I pulled the gfi outlet in the garage. I disconnected the two black wires and put them together in a wirenut and taped it. I then did the same with the two whites. I went outside with the radio plugged it in and nothing,nada and zip,dead. This in effect direct wired the circuit. So what I'm getting from that is the gfi outlet is good. Tomorrow I will pull the two outside outlets and see what's up. Any other suggestions?
Mike

Now U R on to something Mike. Just make sure U flip the breaker OFF before U take the outside outlets off. I'll bet my bottom $$ U will find the outside outlets R wet & have water in them.....

Good Luck

[rjm1cc]

Just got back from Italian fest, which was excellent. Right before the wife and I left for the fest I pulled the gfi outlet in the garage. I disconnected the two black wires and put them together in a wirenut and taped it. I then did the same with the two whites. I went outside with the radio plugged it in and nothing,nada and zip,dead. This in effect direct wired the circuit. So what I'm getting from that is the gfi outlet is good. Tomorrow I will pull the two outside outlets and see what's up. Any other suggestions?
Mike

I had a problem telling that the circuit breaker was off in the fuse box. It had move only a fraction of an inch. Maybe turn off and on all the circuits.

and put the wires on the radio to see if their is power in the line, assuming you do not have a meter.

[Steve9930]

I would call a licensed electrician to fix this problem.

[village dreamer]

I would call a licensed electrician to fix this problem.

we don't need no stinking electrician......... tim the tool man allen knows how to fix everthing............:pray::pray::pray:

[2ndchance]

I pulled two of the outside outlets from their boxes. I had borrowed a test light from my neighbor Ben and tested them. No power to either of them. My neighbor Ben stopped by and we did a few more tests with an voltage meter - still no power. We decided the only thing left to do was to pull the cover off the electrical panel and check the breaker marked outside outlets. We switched two breakers around and tested again. Still no power! My neighbor suggested we test the outlet in the lanai. On the way to the backyard Ben noticed an outlet near the a/c unit. It was sitting there plain as day and I had walked past it and never saw it. Of course he noticed it was a gfi outlet. It was in the tripped position and when I pushed the button - I then had power on all the outside outlets!!! Sometimes you just need a fresh set of eyes to solve a mystery. Thank you everyone for all the help and suggestions, it motivated me to keep at it until I found the problem.
Thanks again
Mike

[Henryk]

I pulled two of the outside outlets from their boxes. I had borrowed a test light from my neighbor Ben and tested them. No power to either of them. My neighbor Ben stopped by and we did a few more tests with an voltage meter - still no power. We decided the only thing left to do was to pull the cover off the electrical panel and check the breaker marked outside outlets. We switched two breakers around and tested again. Still no power! My neighbor suggested we test the outlet in the lanai. On the way to the backyard Ben noticed an outlet near the a/c unit. It was sitting there plain as day and I had walked past it and never saw it. Of course he noticed it was a gfi outlet. It was in the tripped position and when I pushed the button - I then had power on all the outside outlets!!! Sometimes you just need a fresh set of eyes to solve a mystery. Thank you everyone for all the help and suggestions, it motivated me to keep at it until I found the problem.
Thanks again
Mike

Near the AC??? Wow.

[rjm1cc]

I pulled two of the outside outlets from their boxes. I had borrowed a test light from my neighbor Ben and tested them. No power to either of them. My neighbor Ben stopped by and we did a few more tests with an voltage meter - still no power. We decided the only thing left to do was to pull the cover off the electrical panel and check the breaker marked outside outlets. We switched two breakers around and tested again. Still no power! My neighbor suggested we test the outlet in the lanai. On the way to the backyard Ben noticed an outlet near the a/c unit. It was sitting there plain as day and I had walked past it and never saw it. Of course he noticed it was a gfi outlet. It was in the tripped position and when I pushed the button - I then had power on all the outside outlets!!! Sometimes you just need a fresh set of eyes to solve a mystery. Thank you everyone for all the help and suggestions, it motivated me to keep at it until I found the problem.
Thanks again
Mike
Glade you found it. I am not as ventures as you and I ended up calling an electrician to reset mine. For others with the problem I think the lesson is to check every room for the GIF. I have one on either side of my electric cook top, several bathrooms and several in the garage. All my electrical problems have been solved by pushing the buttons or turning on and off the circuit breaker EVEN when it did not look as if it was off.

[villagetinker]

This is a new one to me, but as far as I know, there is no standard wiring even for the same model house. Glad you found the tripped GFI.

[jsw14]

GOOD EYE BEN, I'm glad ALL is well Mike.. Now U know where too look next time Mike.... :coolsmiley:

[BostonRich]

I pulled two of the outside outlets from their boxes. I had borrowed a test light from my neighbor Ben and tested them. No power to either of them. My neighbor Ben stopped by and we did a few more tests with an voltage meter - still no power. We decided the only thing left to do was to pull the cover off the electrical panel and check the breaker marked outside outlets. We switched two breakers around and tested again. Still no power! My neighbor suggested we test the outlet in the lanai. On the way to the backyard Ben noticed an outlet near the a/c unit. It was sitting there plain as day and I had walked past it and never saw it. Of course he noticed it was a gfi outlet. It was in the tripped position and when I pushed the button - I then had power on all the outside outlets!!! Sometimes you just need a fresh set of eyes to solve a mystery. Thank you everyone for all the help and suggestions, it motivated me to keep at it until I found the problem.
Thanks again
Mike

I actually have the same problem. Is this outlet near the A/C unit outside?

[rubicon]

There have been and are a number of different sub-contractors so it would not be unusual to have variances in wiring and plumbing

[2ndchance]

Yes the outlet is a few feet away from the a/c unit.
Mike