[jltellez89]

Hi everyone,
I’m new to this website but I’m glad I found and hopefully someone can shed light on me to figure out my problem. So here is my problem: my kitchen ceiling lights and my outdoor lights to my backyard stopped working. I have 2 GFCI outlets in my kitchen and they work fine, tested and reset them. I have a GFCI outlet right below my outside back lights and that doesn’t work. I switched a working GFCI outlet from inside to the outside GFCI outlet and it still doesn’t work. I went to my main panel of breakers, switched all to the OFF position and turned them back ON with no trip to any of them. All the breakers have power going to them. It seems like my outside backyard GFCI outlet, the wiring has no power flowing cause I tested with a voltage tester, as well as my kitchen light switch and an outlet right below it cause no power flowing. Everything else in the home works perfectly fine just those two areas of the home. Any help would be appreciated!

Luis

 

[diyorpay]

If there are any other outlets 'in the run' to GFCI outlet, AND they are 'backstabbed' (wire inserted into a hole with a spring device inside) instead of wires being attached to screws, a wire along the run may have come loose.

 

[jltellez89]

How is it that first and foremost the black (hot) wire has no current flowing when I turn on my breakers? Regardless if the GFCI is connected or not. All my circuit breakers are on and no electricity flowing through the hot wire. It should have current flowing right regardless of any outlets connected?

 

[surferdude2]

You evidently have a power leak to ground somewhere between the GFCI and the lights. That assumes there are no other loads connected to this GFCI.

How does the wire from the GFCI run to the lights. If underground, that may have developed a fault. You can isolate it by disconnecting the lights to see if the receptacle will reset. If it does, then the light fixture has a fault, either wet or bad insulation.

 

[surferdude2]

How is it that first and foremost the black (hot) wire has no current flowing when I turn on my breakers? Regardless if the GFCI is connected or not. All my circuit breakers are on and no electricity flowing through the hot wire. It should have current flowing right regardless of any outlets connected?

If there is no voltage on the breaker feeding the circuit for those lights, then forget my previous diagnostic procedure. You have a problem right there at the breaker.

Either the breaker has failed or its contact to the panel bus has failed. A modern GFCI breaker will not reset unless power is applied to it. Be sure the breaker is actually on and that it hasn't tripped and needs resetting. Push it all the way to off firmly and then back to on to make sure it wasn't tripped. Its handle should be in the position as all the others.

 

[seharper]

What do you mean by "GFCI doesn't work"? Do you mean it won't reset? Or there is no power at all to the LINE terminals?

Is anything hooked up to the LOAD terminals? If so, why?