Re: Electrical current disappeared - why?

On Sep 29, 5:13 pm, E Z Peaces <c...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
mike_0_...@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Sep 26, 11:22 am, stan <tsanf...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sep 26, 1:03 pm, "EXT" <noem...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Tony Hwang <drago...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Darro wrote:
Hi,
Can anyone tell me why the current to a single-pole wall toggle
switch that controls a ceiling track lighting assembly would
suddenly go from normal strength (lights working properly) to just
a trickle (lights not illuminating) even though no electrical work
of any kind had been done in the suite recently and the breaker is
at the "on" position? Thanks in advance for your replies,
Darro
Hi,
Maybe the switch has gone bad. It can happen.
Bad connection or failed use of "back-stabbed" receptacles in one of many
preceding daisy-chained outlets in the circuit.
Not sure what is meant by 'just a trickle' (how was it measured?).
Domestic electrcity is not like water etc. it's either on or off.

The best test is using a regular light bulb, not a test meter which
can pick up stray induced voltages.
If electricity is leaving the circuit breaker, with it in the on
position, is it reaching the switch?

If it is and goes through the switch (again using the light bulb),
then there may be break or fault in the neutral or return path to the
circuit breaker panel. The neutral path and wiring does not (in North
American practice) go through the switch!

If not familiar with electricity get someone who is to trouble shoot
it. Agree it could very easily be bad connections, cheap components
such as switches, outlets or light fixture that have just got tired/
deteriorated.

Could be simple problem but on occasion time consuming to find. Takes
an hour, plus time coming to location to find a damaged 75 cent item.
Time finding problem, one hour. Time to fix problem five minutes.

I am going thru this same situation. I have 2 outdoor lamp posts wired
in series
that went dead. My cheap little 2-wire test lamp will light up at
either post,
but when i wire up a working lamp, it does not. I have concluded i
have an
underground short and the wire must be replaced. So whats the
consensus
on that? i'd love to know before i start trenching...

Lamp posts should be wired in parallel.  A short would trip the breaker..

Weren't the bulb sockets already wired?  Is it an incandescent test
lamp?  (If it's neon, it could be glowing from "phantom voltage.")

With no bulb in the socket, does your test lamp glow when connected
between the terminals of the socket?  Does it fail to glow with a bulb
in the socket?  If the test lamp didn't glow, I'd go to the house and
check the beginning of the cable for voltage.  If there's voltage at one
end but not the other, there must be high resistance somewhere between.

ok sorry if i confused the issue by saying they are wired in series. i
guess i don't know
what that means.

what i have is underground wire buried from house to lamp post #1, and
a then another underground wire from there to lamp post #2.

I remove lamp1 from the top of the post and put power to the wire
leading to lamp2, and lamp2 lights.
so i figure that wire is fine.

power from house to lamp1, no light, but small test light works. I
believe test light is incandescent.

i put a working 60watt light on the INSIDE end of wire1, and power to
the lampost end,
and the light did not light. Same thing with the 60w light outside.

I don't feel i'd be a fool to start digging. I DO plan to dig at the
base of post first, hoping
to find a broken wire..

and - the connection inside the house is to a GFI protected outlet
that is working and has power.
.

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