no power to 2 bedrooms

[polypep]

Yesterday morning all was well. In the afternoon when my daughter went to her room she found out there was no power. Only one receptacle had power.

I have checked the GFCI outlets, there is only one in a bathroom that feeds
into another bathroom and they are working the way they should.

I have checked all receptacles in those 2 bed rooms including the light
switches and ceiling fixtures (one in each). Do not see burn marks anywhere
to indicate an arced short. All wires are snug. Did notice the last
receptacle in one of the bedrooms had a loose connection (2 wires and ground only). Replaced it just to be on the safe side. I believe that all
receptacles are in series connection with each other.

After I checked all outlets and replaced the receptacle that had power in the
morning, just in case, lost power in that too but noticed that one of the
circuit breaker (20A) in the main circuit box keeps tripping every time I
turn it off and then back on. When power to the entire house is out, there is
no problem with that breaker but the moment power is back, I can see a sudden fluctuation of power in the basement and breaker trips. I am sure that
breaker feeds power to the two bedrooms in question.

Not sure what else to do. All the testing today led me to believe that there
is a short somewhere that I can not figure out or the breaker has gone bad. I
can change the breaker myself but it is possible that there could be a short
elsewhere and breaker is OK.

Any advise will be appreciated.

[HayZee518]

a wire can get pinched between the yoke and the box. also between a clamp and the box if it wasn't fed so a quarter inch of jacket is exposed under the clamp. wirenuts can and have fallen off. check that.

[polypep]

I have checked all receptacles and switches that are not getting any power. They are all snug and tight. All of them are connected using the insert holes at the back. Should I hook them up using the screws instead? Will it make any difference at all.

[HayZee518]

all the quick wire receptacles do is save time. wires are held in place by a copper-bronze spring clip so it is basically a point contact connection. screws are better cause you know you got a good connection. '

[pushkins]

I've had problems before with the "stab" connections, they can appear firm and in fact not be. The screw terminals are by far the best connection.

[NightBird]

If you haven't already done so, I'd unplug everything and turn everything on the circuit off. Then reset the breaker and test the circuits. If the breaker refuses to reset. I think I'd go with a new circuit breaker as they can weaken over time and everything was good in the AM.

If it resets I'd suspect something you had plugged in or a floursesent light if you have those in the circuit.

If you put a new breaker in and still have the problem then, I'd get the fine tooth comb out and start looking for shorts. Depending how old the place is I'd take a good look in the attic as critters even ants, have a taste for insulation.

My one thought and it is one for the Pro's here as I'm not. If it is an middle age to older home do you think he could be running into the aluminum to copper bug?

[NightBird]

One other thought. If and when you decide to replace the breaker. Since your box is in the basement. When you turn off your power and open the box to do the replacement look very closely at the wire ins for burned insulation arcing etc. Have critters / insects been inside evidenced by cob webs. Sometimes the short can be right at the box from an insect.

If your house was built in the 70's you could have aluminum wiring that is begining to act up. However you didn't see any signs of this on your initial inspection it is good to know about.

Good Luck

P.S. I'm not allowed to Link yet so here is a work around I hope No w's just inspectopedia...you know com then /aluminum/aluminum.htm

[HayZee518]

aluminum wire is a possibility but I wouldn't stake claim on that. aluminum romex wire that was used is always one wire size higher than what is needed. i.e. 12 ga where a 14 copper would be used, 10 ga where #12 is normally used. some aluminum romex was copper-clad. to investigate this you'd have to remove the wire, take a slice off the end and look with a magnifying lens. aluminum wire and copper-clad aluminum squishes under a screw and doesn't "bounce back." it actually gets "looser." aluminum and copper under a wirenut - if an anti oxidant is not used, a high resistance connection is possible. the aluminum in a copper-clad situation will be hanging on by a thread of copper within the wirenut. don't always be suspicious of a bad breaker -however- if the panel is a federal-pacific, then I'd suspect the whole panel. they should have never marketed such a piece of crap. something never done and would help people is when building a house, make a diagram where wires run from -- to. would make trouble shooting a lot easier.