no power in outlet and lights

[Max]

Hi group,

I have a similar problem so some of the advice in here is very useful to me. Thanks for that.

Some questions I have are:
1. is there any way to figure out which breaker an outlet is connected to? (most of the breakers in the main box are unlabeled).
2. is there an easy way to figure out what outlets are on the same circuit.

We had a granite backsplash fitted in our kitchen on Saturday and two of the outlets now don't work. I can't say for sure that it's related to the work they did but I can't think of anything else that it could be. I didn't watch them fit it but I could hear them hammering "something", maybe they hit a wire. I want to try and detect what the problem is before I call an electrician and / or the granite installers. I've reset most of the breakers to see if one was tripped but I guess that test is useless if the breaker itself is broken. I will test the power as suggested above.

Cheers, Max


Edit: I just want to add that I tested the the voltage across the wires connected to the receptacles, not just the receptacles themselves. I found no power.

[dev 65]

FOR MAX, the easiest way to see which outlet(s) is/are connected to a certain breaker is to plug in a light and start flipping breakers until the light goes out.

[Max]

Thanks Dev. My wife and I were / are going to get around to that at some point. I am a little reluctant to do that now because, as if Saturday wasn't bad enough, I tripped the breaker that my PC is on and it blew the power supply.

Mental note : surge protector!!!!

[imeduc]

. is there any way to figure out which breaker an outlet is connected to?

To go cheap if you dont have a meter. Home depot and lowes have them its a "small plug in" that you can put a light bulb in. just plug it in the outlet and see what breaker turns off the light.



My mistakes dont define me they inform me.

[Max]

Thanks imeduc. I have one of those little indicators already, very handy. The problem I am facing is that there is no power even getting to the outlet so switching the breaker off / on has no affect. If only I could see through walls and follow the wire back, that would be something.

[kactuskid]

Your countertop receptacles should be GFCI protected, so I'm guessing one of the GFCI is tripped and you'll need to reset it by pushing the reset button on the front of it. Most countertop receptacles should be daisy chained off of the GFCI so once you reset it the others should work. Here's a link showing you a GFCI.
http://danswiringpage.com/gfci.htm If you don't see the GFCI on your countertop, then it could be located anywhere in the house.

Once you get all your devices working then you should map out your circuits so you can label your breakers. Here's another link to explain the details.

http://www.easy2diy.com/cm/easy/diy_ht_index.asp?page_id=35693919

[Max]

Thanks Kactus. There is one GFCI receptacle (out of 4 outlets) and it's not tripped and doesn't even have any power getting to it either so it's time to call in a electrical expert. My wife and I are convinced that since the outlets are on one of the walls where our granite backsplash is mounted it is related in some way to that process. I am going to call the installers tomorrow and give them a heads up. If the electrician can determine that the problem is related to the granite installation then the bill will be headinf straight to the granite installers. They've already screwed up so many things from finishing the wrong edges on one piece to fitting our undermount sink BACKWARDS (I had to fix that or we would be without a sink over the weekend!) so I don't think they are above messing up our outlets.