Electrical help needed

[Jim Andrew]

We didn't get any background on this problem. Is this a new shop building? I did some work for a neighbor a few years ago, he had bought a house that was built at a yard, where a company builds new homes, then moves them. The siding went bad, it was part of the Masonite company's bankruptcy, and I resided the house with Hardy board. The neighbor tore the old siding off, and then I put the new siding on. After I had it finished, he called up and said his plumbing was leaking when he ran the washing machine. So I went over, cut a hole in the drywall where the leak was, and found holes on the outside of the pipe. When I got the pipe out, I found double holes from staples in the side facing the outside, and found that they had sided the house after the plumbing was installed, and they shot staples through the plumbing from the outside. Could a similar thing have happened that caused your problem?

[Lee Schierer]

Are your recpts daisy chained? Meaning are connections made through the recpt, or are they wire nutted together with a pig tail that feeds each recpt? If daisy chained, check break away bar on last good recpt.

I had the same problem recently. They used the stab in terminals on each receptacle for the the incoming and out going wires. The break away tab had cracked on one receptacle the heavy load caused the crack to fail and wasn't creating a return path. Replacing the receptacle solved the problem but with 8 receptacles on the one circuit it took a while to find it.

[Ole Anderson]

May not help here, but pick up a plug-in circuit tester, they are about 5 bucks. They show two green lights for proper circuit wiring and a combination of other lights for various mis-wiring such as an open ground, hot neutral and so on. Also available with a GCFI test button for a few bucks more. I also am thinking it is likely not a broken wire in the wall, although your continuity test points to that. Usually something in a plug or otherwise in the box. And those fiberglass electrical fishing rods are great, they have a pointed end that will poke right through insulation and work great for adding pot lights in an insulated ceiling. Much more useful than fish tape in a residential (non-conduit) setting.

[kevin nee]

Thanks for more concern. First thing I did was replace all the out lets and I have a good selection of testers. I am thinking an animal got in there. When I take the wall apart I will let you know.

[Zach Duran]

question regarding connecting two separate light fixtures with two separate switches to just a single switch. it seems straight forward enough, but my only concern is the power in. the switches are at the end of the chain. so power goes to the light fixtures first and then runs to the switches. i am assuming i just can't join the leads? would i need to disconnect the power in from one of the fixtures so that they both run off of the power of the other one? god i hope this makes sense. . .

[ray hampton]

question regarding connecting two separate light fixtures with two separate switches to just a single switch. it seems straight forward enough, but my only concern is the power in. the switches are at the end of the chain. so power goes to the light fixtures first and then runs to the switches. i am assuming i just can't join the leads? would i need to disconnect the power in from one of the fixtures so that they both run off of the power of the other one? god i hope this makes sense. . .

YES, it make sense but are you talking about 3-way or 4-way switches ?