house electrical problem

mxtr

Hi, to all New member here. Installed a dryer vent and when cutting through wall made contact with wire that supplied power to wall outlets, now have no power to several outlets & no power to wires at first outlet. Breaker did not pop. Please help !!

Scuba_Dave

You've cut a wire
You will need to open up the wall & run a new wire
Or install some junction boxes & splice in a piece if wire
If you don't feel comfortable doing this hire an electrician

mxtr

Thanks, Scuba Dave But the wire is not cut through that was the first thing I checked.

300zx

Is there a Gfci outlet around ? You could have triped the Gfci.You could also shut all the breakers off and turn them all back on sometimes it's hard to tell when a breaker is triped.

pyper

I'm going to guess that the wire is downstream of a GFCI outlet, that the saw cut the insulation, and tripped the GFI.

If the insulation is cut, you still have to do the repair as outlined above.

mxtr

There is no GFCI upstream or dwnstream but I did knick the insulation,these are great suggestions let's keep trying - thanks !

pyper

How close is the nearest outlet?

If it isn't fastened properly perhaps when you hit the wire it shook the conductors loose. Seems like a long shot.

Paelectrican

Just because you didn't cut all the way threw the wire, does not mean it is not damaged.

Scuba_Dave

Yeah...mine wasn't really a suggestion - it's what you need to do
Possible a loose conenction in a nearby outlet....but I doubt it
Look for a burn mark on the blade or wire - tho if going fast enough might not be there

jbfan

Some breakers that trip never look tripped.
What brand of breakers do you have?
To reset the breaker, it must be turned off, then turned on.

Agreed that if the wire is damaged, it must be repaired in a safe and code compliant way.

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joed

If you tripped the breaker or lost power then the wire is damaged enough that it need to be replaced. All splices must be in accessible junction boxes. You can't just repair it and bury it inside the wall.

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mxtr

Thanks to everyone that responded, they are all very good answers. Now to carry on I did find where the insulation was caught by recip. saw it's not a very big bare spot maybe 3/8" and I can see wires, but its in a real tight spot to get to - from outside wall down thru floor into basement did check the saw blade and it did have burn marks - have two circuit breakers for basement neither one was tripped do I still have to access the wire and replace that section ( junction box) ? as you can tell I dont have much experience with electricity. Thanks again for the help!!!

Paelectrican

Yes you need to replace the wire. You can use a j/b if it will be accessible, if not you will have to run a new wire completely. Also you need to locate the breaker for this and shut it off, if it did not already trip!

Leah Frances

MXTR - a host of super-helpful and truly knowledgeable have offered you ONE option for your damaged wire. Sorry, no matter how small the damage. You HAVE GOT to fix it. Welcome, we'll be happy to help (and by 'we' I mean people who know what they're talking about).

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If I could only remember to THINK about what I was doing before I did it.

mxtr

Thank's again to suggestor's Input is appreciated I will try to find an access to wire and repair if not - looks like I'll find an electrician. Better Safe Than Sorry !!!!!!! Thanks again - Mxtr