Electrical troubleshooting: what's my next step (see details)

You call an electrician.

Are you sure there are no GFIs on that circuit?

None on that circuit.

That sounds like a GFI to me. If you are 100% sure you don’t have one you might have an open circuit at one of the daisy chained outlets. You can check each outlet one by one with one of those simple testers by Gardner Bender . They cost <$5.

Is it a 120v/20a receptacle circuit? A 120v/15a light circuit? A dedicated circuit to a freezer or other appliance or device?

I’ve seen some crazy wiring where a GFI on an outside receptacle on one end of the house is also protecting the receptacle in a bathroom at the the other end of the house.

If you’re sure there’s no GFI, then make a SWAG as to where the middle of the circuit might be, and start checking for voltage at the receptacles or light switches. A non-contact tester makes the job a lot easier for checking for voltage at light switches and ceiling lights.

Any chance there’s a generator transfer switch hooked up? I’ve seen those switches/breakers kill a circuit too.

@ragingloli I might end up doing that if I can’t find out by myself, I’m hoping to save the money involved, and while I’m no electrician, I do have a fair amount of knowledge.

@thorninmud, @bossob, no GFI’s. Also no generator transfer switch. Like you said, @bossob, the GFI circuits throughout the house are all protected by GFI breakers at the box, but the circuit in question does not have or require any GFI. I guess I just have to get at each receptacle with my handy-dandy multi-meter.

Missed the edit window. 129v/25a.

@Yetanotheruser You have a 25a breaker? They aren’t common, and are typically used to supply motors with high start up current and A/C loads.

Strictly speaking, a 25a breaker needs 10 gauge conductors unless supplying the exceptions (like motors and A/C) spelled out in the NEC.

Typo—it should read 120v/15a

Like @bossob, I’ve seen strange wiring; enough that I don’t trust any labels that I didn’t put there myself. Things on opposite ends of a house being on the same circuit would be normal by comparison.

I’ve also run across many situations where breakers were tied together and one tripped without looking tripped because the tie-bar held it deceptively.

@jerv I thought that might be a possibility, but when I switched the breakers around there was nothing like that. I’m in the process of testing segment by segment. This circuit runs on the exterior walls of bedrooms on the opposite side of the house; as you said, not necessarily logical on the face of it, but not completely unheard of.

I once had half of the 6 outlets on the kitchen stop working. The breaker was not tripped. I found a loose connection at the last working outlet in the string. The 3rd one worked but #4, #5, and #6 did not. When I took off the wall plate for #3 I could easily see black burnt spots. I cleaned the wire and replaced outlet #3 for about $1.00. It has been working correctly for at least 5 years.

I’m an industrial electrician, so maybe I can help. I’ve read your responses concerning the circuit, but I’m not familiar with your level of knowledge concerning multimeters and electricity, which is very important here. I’m also not sure what’s involved in this circuit either.

It sounds like you have a loose or broken connection somewhere in the circuit. I would check each outlet connection using the continuity function on your multimeter. Make sure your power is off before doing this (using your voltage function, and make sure it’s set for AC, not DC) or you’ll either blow the meter fuse or damage the meter.

Sometimes these circuits are connected to lighting fixtures too, so the idea is to find out where your nearest junction point is supplying the power to your circuit, which could be at a junction box in your basement, etc. Be careful though, because the circuit has the potential to reenergize on you if the problem is a slightly loose connection. Try to work your way from the area of the circuit closest to your power source (breaker/fuse panel), and work your way up.

Also, many ‘handymen’, while good at other trades, tend to be lousy electricians though they overrate their ability in that area (confident but incompetent), so it’s quite possible that you have some really messed up wiring. It’s difficult for me to help people troubleshoot over the net like this, but do what you’ve been, testing the connections point by point using your continuity function, and making sure your power is off. You can troubleshoot this problem with the power on too, but that should be reserved for a competent electrician.