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What has failed? Is it the receptacle, the wiring, or the circuit breaker?
This duplex receptacle, on the ceiling in the garage, powers my garage door opener and a 30 ft retractable extension cord. It is on a dedicated 15A circuit labeled "Garage Door." I was working with a 1250 watt halogen lamp and a power drill on the 30 ft extension cord when the drill stopped, and the lamp went dim, flickered once, then went out. Power to the receptacle appeared to be dead. The garage door opener will not work. I checked all circuit breakers and ground fault interrupters. I tested the receptacle and placing one lead into each slot, I got ~84 volts. If I tested hot to ground, I got 120 VAC.
I removed the receptacle from the ceiling. When I test the bare wires hot to neutral, i get ~84 volts AC. When I test hot to ground, i get ~120 VAC. If I turn off the "Garage Door" CB, all voltage drops to 0. Is this bad wiring? A bad neutral? A bad circuit breaker? I don't think this is a bad receptacle though. What could have caused this?
Help! The wife is tired of opening the garage door by hand!
6 AnswersDo It Yourself (DIY)1 decade ago