Circuit breaker problem upon resetting


  #1  
Old 09-02-19, 11:35 AM
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Cool Circuit breaker problem upon resetting

I was reattaching my garage door sensors, so I turned off the circuit breaker before doing so.
After reattaching the sensors I turned the circuit breaker back on and now I have no power to that outlet.
I reversed the terminal wires because I was not sure if the wires were supposed to go to a specific terminal.
Any advice appreciated.

Edited to add: I found the garage door opener manual and it says it does not matter which terminal you attach the wires to.

Thanks,
Cheryl
 

Last edited by hayley3; 09-02-19 at 12:37 PM.
  #2  
Old 09-02-19, 12:49 PM
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Check to see if there is a GFCI that is protecting the GDO outlet. Sometimes they will trip when poser is reset.
If that doesn't work then cycle the breaker on and off a couple of times. Sometimes they do not catch when reset.
 
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Old 09-02-19, 04:07 PM
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Thanks...I checked and no GFCI on the GDO. I flipped it several times and still nothing.
 
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Old 09-02-19, 04:30 PM
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Your next step is to plug something into the receptacle...... like a small light..... to see if it has power or not.

The GFI doesn't have to be in that location. It could be in a bathroom and then feeding the garage. It could be anywhere in the garage too and also feed that receptacle.
 
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Old 09-02-19, 07:12 PM
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I took a small heater up there and plugged it in and it doesn't work. How could turning off the breaker, break the breaker?
The garage is detached. The other GFCI outlet in the garage works fine.
I am upset that just by turning off the breaker it no longer works. My only light is the garage door opener light which now does not work.
 
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Old 09-03-19, 05:15 AM
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Is the GDO the only outlet on this breaker? If there are others, do they work? If this is the only outlet on the circuit, then the breaker has probably gone bad. They are mechanical devices and can wear out or internal parts can break.

The next step in troubleshooting is to remove the panel cover and test for voltage between the screw on the breaker and the metal panel box. It should be about 120V, if not, then it's a bad breaker.
 
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Old 09-03-19, 02:11 PM
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Oh I have good news! I read somewhere about it maybe being shorted out, so I disconnected the sensor that I had fixed. Didn't help but then I turned off the breaker, disconnected the GDO, turned on the breaker. Checked the outlet with a fan and it was working so plugged the GDO back in and I have a light on the one connected sensor.

There is only one outlet on this breaker which is for the GDO.

I'm glad to know it's not my breaker. Of course I don't know why it's shorting out the breaker.
 
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Old 09-10-19, 08:45 AM
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So to update, I bought new garage door sensors and everything is working again.
 
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Old 09-10-19, 12:39 PM
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It wouldn't be a short. A short will cause the breaker to trip. It could be an intermittent open circuit.

It sounds more like you reset the breaker the second time. Keep this in mind..... to reset a circuit breaker.... it's not enough to just turn it off and back on. You must push hard to the off position and turn it back on.
 
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Old 09-12-19, 07:41 AM
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There is only one outlet on this breaker which is for the GDO.

I didn't see it mentioned anywhere, but that one outlet is supposed to be GFCI protected. Since that one outlet is on the ceiling you probably should change the breaker to a GFCI breaker.
 
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Old 09-16-19, 04:43 AM
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@Pete...yeah it never did trip but the outlet stopped working so I assumed it tripped. Hmmm

@Joe....the outlet is not GFCI. I had 4 outlets put in, and he only made two of them GFCI. I have another outlet that is GFCI that is not working. The breaker in question is labeled Garage Door Opener, so it doesn't apply to the GFCI outlet that is not working.

I have an issue in another building, will have to ask about that in another thread.
 
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Old 09-18-19, 09:07 AM
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Still, the GDO receptacle needs to be GFCI protected. I am not saying to install a GFCI device on the ceiling, that would be a code violation. I am saying the breaker needs to be changed to a GFCI breaker. An alternative could be to install a GFCI receptacle ahead of the GDO ceiling receptacle.
 
 

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