Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

I vote for a defective fan. You have had some good advice but if only one item was plugged in, just in case you should try the fan in another outlet or try a different appliance in the outlet.

nospambob Loc: Edmond, Oklahoma

I think the suggestion to look for a nearby GFCI is the best.

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

He said he tried a fan and a light and neither worked.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Lots of people get caught by that one, being unaware that GFCI outlets have line and load terminals allowing a single GFCI to protect other outlets. GFCIs come with stickers to put on those protected outlets that say “GFCI protected”, but in my experience, they are rarely affixed. It makes sense to use them that way in a single room such as a kitchen, but can cause real consternation when the other protected outlets may be rooms away. Any time you have multiple outlets simply ceasing and the breaker isn’t tripped, that would be my first suspect.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

My last house had the bath outlet protected by a GFI in the garage (next to the power panel).

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Got caught by the chained GFI outlets once. A bathroom outlet stopped working. Finally found a tripped GFI outlet in another bathroom on another floor of the house.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Electrical outlets should be changed out every 10-15 years as routine, they wear out from use (pluging in and unplugging) and also corrode just like any other item with metal parts and current, especially in a moisture prone room, or high humidity areas (like for me here in Florida)....same can happen with breakers too. If GFI, replace with same, and /or upgrade. Don't forget to turn off the breakers for the lines you are working on, or it could be a shocking experience.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters often trip and confuse people who haven't encountered them before. GFCIs are made to trip instantly if there is any leakage of current to ground, either from the hot or neutral lead. They are required in wet locations (kitchens, bathrooms, basements, outdoor outlets...) to reduce chances of electrocution.

So is the circuit fed from a GFCI or GFCI outlet? If so, you may need to press the RESET button on the GFCI.

Also, sometimes people mistakenly wire TWO GFCIs on the same circuit, in series, which can be REALLY confusing. That's happened in our current house. I figured that out when resetting the breaker and the GFCI on a dead basement bathroom circuit didn't restore power. The next day, I noticed the night light in an upstairs bathroom was out. I reset the GFCI in that outlet, and the night light lit up. Then I had a hunch... Sure enough, the basement bathroom outlet — with a GFCI in it — was fed from the GFCI outlet in the upstairs bath! Someone wasn't thinking right... a circuit only needs ONE GFCI at the first outlet, and all downstream outlets are protected.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

GFCIs are easy to wire incorrectly, so it's always a good idea to test their effectiveness (with an approved outlet tester) at all downstream outlets after they are installed.

I've bought two older houses (18 and 15 years old) over the years, and each time, I replaced every outlet and switch and plate as we repainted the rooms. That fixed a multitude of issues with dirty power!

I learned to loathe those outlets that can be "back wired" by sticking stripped leads into little slots instead of screwing them down on the sides. Several outlets on exterior-facing walls showed evidence of arcing and pitting of the black back-wire connections. Those were circuits where lamps flickered, blinked, or dimmed momentarily when heavy loads were turned on elsewhere in the house. I wouldn't want a computer on one of those back-wired circuits, even with a great surge protector!

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Years ago I had that problem. I called an electrician who promptly came and flicked on the wall switch to the outlet. Someone had turned it off. Dollars later and somewhat wiser now I haven't done that again. Perhaps there is a wall switch to your outlet that has been flicked to the off position.

Dennis

redlegfrog

You could have developed a loose or corroded connection. You will still show voltage but have no current or amps.

Unclehoss

The requirement is to have the FIRST outlet in the series that is required to be ground fault protected to be the GFCI outlet, all other outlets down current are then GFI protected. Therefore, only one outlet per room with water outlets needs to be GFCI protected. It's not a short cut by the builder.

dannac Loc: 60 miles SW of New Orleans

My error people.

I assumed the receptacle was controlled by the same breaker that controlled the lights for that room.
Must have been the paint fumes

Breaker 29 was off ... it controls receptacles in two separate bathrooms.
Breaker 28 controls two exterior receptacles.

Not sure what made the breaker trip though.

Thanks all.

(Download)

Unclehoss

That too, is often done in wiring homes. By having more than one circuit in a room, if there is need to work on one circuit, it is possible to still have power in the room. So often times, one circuit will serve more than one room and one room will be served by more than one circuit. Hope that made sense.

LXK0930 Loc: Souh Jersey

If it is a GFI receptical, try resetting it.