Why Your Bathroom Receptacles Are Not Working
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How To Fix Bathroom Outlets and Receptacles: How a Non-Contact Voltage Tester Can Help Locate a Faulty Circuit. © By: Dave Rongey |
No Power to Bathroom Receptacles
Electrical Question: I have 2 receptacles, 1 in a upstairs bath, 1 in a downstairs bath, and neither are GFCI.
- I want to upgrade and during the process I tripped the breaker and now I have no power to either bathroom.
- Everything in the house is normal but I can’t figure out which breaker has been tripped as none of them show a red indicator and all seem to be normal.
- I have a Non-Contact voltage tester digital mult-imeter.
- How can I utilize these tools to troubleshoot my problem?
This electrical wiring question came from: Rich, a Homeowner in Missouri.
Dave’s Answer:
Thanks for your electrical wiring question Rich.
How To Fix Bathroom Outlets and Receptacles
Application: Testing Bathroom Receptacles and GFCI Circuit Wiring
Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced. This electrical wiring project is best performed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
Tools Required: Basic Electricians Pouch Hand Tools a Voltage Tester or Plug-In Circuit Analyzer.
Estimated Time: Depends on personal level experience, ability to work with tools, the extent of the electrical repairs, the number of outlets that are affected.
Precaution: Identify the GFCI outlet circuit, turn it OFF and Tag it with a Note before working with the wiring.
How a Non-Contact Voltage Tester Can Help Locate a Faulty Circuit
- Problem GFCI Outlet
I suspect that there is possibly a GFI outlet that is protecting the existing bathroom receptacles and circuit, and this is a common occurrence when a bathroom outlet lost power. - Locating a Bathroom GFI Outlet
Take a look around and see if you can locate a GFI receptacle, sometimes they may be installed behind a towel bar near the floor or near the toilet to provide power for a bidet. - Testing a GFI Circuit
The non-contact tester can be held next to the circuit breaker where the wire in attached to see if there is voltage. - The digital multimeter can be set to the ac volts setting and used to test for voltage, black lead to frame or ground, red lead to circuit breaker terminal.
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