Lights Out

[rt626usa]

During a heavy rainstorm in the evening, all lights and plugs went out in the living room, adjacent foyer and 3 outside lights (1 near the front door and 2 garage carriage lights). Everything else worked normally.
Next day I did some trouble shooting. No breakers tripped. I checked voltage coming out of each breaker. 120V. I checked the connections in the breakers and on the neutral bus bar. Seemed OK. So I was convinced that I had 120V and good neutral wires leaving the breaker box.
Next I went to the junction box in the living room. No voltage in the junction box. I checked continuity between the breaker output and the junction box. No continuity. I checked continuity between the neutral bus bar in the breaker box and the neutral wire coming into the junction box. No continuity. AZ home. Stucco, Built on slab. No basement.
I'm stumped. HELP.

 

[Pete999]

During a heavy rainstorm in the evening, all lights and plugs went out in the living room, adjacent foyer and 3 outside lights (1 near the front door and 2 garage carriage lights). Everything else worked normally.
Next day I did some trouble shooting. No breakers tripped. I checked voltage coming out of each breaker. 120V. I checked the connections in the breakers and on the neutral bus bar. Seemed OK. So I was convinced that I had 120V and good neutral wires leaving the breaker box.
Next I went to the junction box in the living room. No voltage in the junction box. I checked continuity between the breaker output and the junction box. No continuity. I checked continuity between the neutral bus bar in the breaker box and the neutral wire coming into the junction box. No continuity. AZ home. Stucco, Built on slab. No basement.
I'm stumped. HELP.

What test instrument were you using to test for Voltage at the outgoing side of the breaker?

 

[Dustydazzler]

I hope it’s not a neon screwdriver

 

[Pete999]

I hope it’s not a neon screwdriver

Thought it was maybe a non contact thingy

 

[fairlight]

It's very difficult to diagnose the cause of this sort of problem whilst not on site. Is there another joint between the fusebox and the joint box you tested at? Otherwise it's simply a case of checking continuity from the source to all accessible joints in a logical fashion until the break is located. Otherwise call in a pro to sort it. As suggested above though, use only approved voltage testers for voltage and a decent multimeter for continuity, DIY style neon screwdrivers and non contact voltage testers will only mislead.

 

[rt626usa]

I've never used a neon screwdriver. Don't own one.
I used a Commercial Electric digital voltmeter Model MS8301A (Home Depot) to trouble shoot the breaker panel. I own a Commercial Electric non-contact voltage tester and used it in the project to, for example, quickly check a junction box and other boxes for voltage. No signal, no voltage. A positive only tells you voltage is present, but not which wire. I also have a wire tracer, but didn't use it in this project: the breaker box is mounted on an outside wall, opposite a living room wall which is full of a very elaborate entertainment system which I didn't want to spend hours disassembling the re-assembling again. The home is built on a slab, no basement.
Incidentally, while I'm a retired DIYer, I have worked for electrical contractors in the past.
Concerning the comment from fairlight: do you really think there'd be joints between the breaker box and the junction box in the living room?
Thanks for your input.

 

[fairlight]

Concerning the comment from fairlight: do you really think there'd be joints between the breaker box and the junction box in the living room?
Thanks for your input.
[/QUOTE]

I've really no idea. However continuous conductors don't just break, if there really is no continuity to the assumed first joint on the circuit then either there will be another joint or some mechanical damage has occurred. Beyond that I don't see how we can assist without being on site.

 

[Megawatt]

During a heavy rainstorm in the evening, all lights and plugs went out in the living room, adjacent foyer and 3 outside lights (1 near the front door and 2 garage carriage lights). Everything else worked normally.
Next day I did some trouble shooting. No breakers tripped. I checked voltage coming out of each breaker. 120V. I checked the connections in the breakers and on the neutral bus bar. Seemed OK. So I was convinced that I had 120V and good neutral wires leaving the breaker box.
Next I went to the junction box in the living room. No voltage in the junction box. I checked continuity between the breaker output and the junction box. No continuity. I checked continuity between the neutral bus bar in the breaker box and the neutral wire coming into the junction box. No continuity. AZ home. Stucco, Built on slab. No basement.
I'm stumped. HELP.

@Rt626 what do you mean junction box in side your living room and do you have a panel inside your house and a meter combo panel outside your house with breakers

 

[rt626usa]

No panel inside the house. Yes, meter combo panel outside the house with breakers (located on wall outside, opposite the living room).
By "junction box inside the living room" I mean a box that serves as a communal meeting spot for electrical wires, one from the panel, where they connect before moving on. The junction box has 3 light switches plus other wires leading to sub-circuits.

 

[Megawatt]

No panel inside the house. Yes, meter combo panel outside the house with breakers (located on wall outside, opposite the living room).
By "junction box inside the living room" I mean a box that serves as a communal meeting spot for electrical wires, one from the panel, where they connect before moving on. The junction box has 3 light switches plus other wires leading to sub-circuits.

@rt626usa so you are saying that all the wires from the outside panel go through the wall into a junction box and then they are distributed to all your circuits that don’t work. You said this didn’t happen till it rained that night could you have a roof leak with a light taking on water. You need to call your power company to come out and check your service

 

[rt626usa]

This is a picture of the living room wall opposite the breaker box outside. No power to the entertainment center. (The orange cord in the pic is a 100-ft extension cord coming from another room so we can watch TV.) There's only one plug on this wall (which is behind the entertainment center). The junction box I've been referring to is on the wall across the room opposite the wall shown in the pic.
Question: Is it conceivable the wire from the breaker box goes to the entertainment center first before it continues on it's journey to the junction box?
Or, asked another way, is it conceivable that there's a primary circuit (plugs) between the breaker box and the junction box?

 

[Megawatt]

View attachment 52721
This is a picture of the living room wall opposite the breaker box outside. No power to the entertainment center. (The orange cord in the pic is a 100-ft extension cord coming from another room so we can watch TV.) There's only one plug on this wall (which is behind the entertainment center). The junction box I've been referring to is on the wall across the room opposite the wall shown in the pic.
Question: Is it conceivable the wire from the breaker box goes to the entertainment center first before it continues on it's journey to the junction box?
Or, asked another way, is it conceivable that there's a primary circuit (plugs) between the breaker box and the junction box?

Let me ask you a question does that panel outside have a 100 amp breaker double pole in it, you could have a problem by lose of one phase
[automerge]1569791660[/automerge]

Let me ask you a question does that panel outside have a 100 amp breaker double pole in it, you could have a problem by lose of one phase

Could you take a picture of that junction box it might be a big help with cover off

 

[rt626usa]

Megawatt, to clarify: No, I'm not saying that all the wires from the panel go through the wall to a single junction box. I'm saying that for power to the living room, a single wire goes through the wall either directly to the junction box, or through a joint (see fairlight above). So, I'm asking is it conceivable that there's joint between the panel and the junction box? Is that typically done when wiring homes?

 

[Megawatt]

Megawatt, to clarify: No, I'm not saying that all the wires from the panel go through the wall to a single junction box. I'm saying that for power to the living room, a single wire goes through the wall either directly to the junction box, or through a joint (see fairlight above). So, I'm asking is it conceivable that there's joint between the panel and the junction box? Is that typically done when wiring homes?

YES different electricians run wires different ways so yes it very well could be run through a light first or tapped off receptacles. The good news is in 2017 NEC code book made a change for this same reason and start labeling all the first outlets. I have seen receptacles are usually the problem
[automerge]1569792541[/automerge]

YES different electricians run wires different ways so yes it very well could be run through a light first or tapped off receptacles. The good news is in 2017 NEC code book made a change for this same reason and start labeling all the first outlets. I have seen receptacles are usually the problem

Take a fan or something you can plug in at the receptacles not working and wiggle it, you might find it that way. I’ve done it
[automerge]1569793433[/automerge]

YES different electricians run wires different ways so yes it very well could be run through a light first or tapped off receptacles. The good news is in 2017 NEC code book made a change for this same reason and start labeling all the first outlets. I have seen receptacles are usually the problem
[automerge]1569792541[/automerge]

Take a fan or something you can plug in at the receptacles not working and wiggle it, you might find it that way. I’ve done it

It sounds like a bad receptacle

 

[Megawatt]

YES different electricians run wires different ways so yes it very well could be run through a light first or tapped off receptacles. The good news is in 2017 NEC code book made a change for this same reason and start labeling all the first outlets. I have seen receptacles are usually the problem
[automerge]1569792541[/automerge]

Take a fan or something you can plug in at the receptacles not working and wiggle it, you might find it that way. I’ve done it
[automerge]1569793433[/automerge]

It sounds like a bad receptacle

YES different electricians run wires different ways so yes it very well could be run through a light first or tapped off receptacles. The good news is in 2017 NEC code book made a change for this same reason and start labeling all the first outlets. I have seen receptacles are usually the problem
[automerge]1569792541[/automerge]

Take a fan or something you can plug in at the receptacles not working and wiggle it, you might find it that way. I’ve done it
[automerge]1569793433[/automerge]

It sounds like a bad receptacle

YES different electricians run wires different ways so yes it very well could be run through a light first or tapped off receptacles. The good news is in 2017 NEC code book made a change for this same reason and start labeling all the first outlets. I have seen receptacles are usually the problem
[automerge]1569792541[/automerge]

Take a fan or something you can plug in at the receptacles not working and wiggle it, you might find it that way. I’ve done it
[automerge]1569793433[/automerge]

It sounds like a bad receptacle

Rt626 any luck yet with your problem